Jesus: The Better Way
He entered once for all into the Holy Place ["Holies" in Greek], taking not the blood of goats and calves but his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. Heb. 9:12, RSV.
Jesus didn't enter the throne room of heaven (called the "Holies" in Hebrews, the name for the heavenly Temple) empty-handed. He entered as our High Priest who had also been our sacrifice. On the cross He had died for my sins that I might have His righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21) It is little wonder that the songwriters speak of "the cleansing blood." Hebrews 9:22 helps us see the importance of that sacrifice when it notes that "without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins" (RSV). Of course, as Hebrews argues, the repeated Jewish sacrifices could never take away sin and its penalty. All they could do was point to the "Lamb of God," who would remove the sin of the world. Hebrews 9:23, 24 highlights that truth when it tells us that "it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites [the repeated sacrifice of sheep and goats], but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices [Christ's atoning death] than these. For Christ has entered, not into a sanctuary ["holies" in Greek] made with hands, a copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf" (RSV).
One of the key phrases in this section of the book of Hebrews is "once for all." Christ "once for all...offered up himself" (Heb. 7:27, RSV). He appeared "once for all at the end of the age to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself" (Heb. 9:26, RSV). "We have all been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all" (Heb. 10:10, RSV). And "he entered once for all into the [Holies], taking not the blood of goats and calves but his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption" (Heb. 9:12, RSV).
Those verses bring us to another key word in the book of Hebrews--"better." The whole book builds on that term. Thus Jesus is better than the angels (Heb. 1:4-2:18), better than Moses and Joshua (Heb. 3:1-4:13), and better than Aaron (Heb. 4:14-10:18). He also has a better priesthood (Heb. 7:1-28), a better covenant (Heb. 8:1-10:18), and faith in Him is a better way (Heb. 10:19-11:40).
For all of those reasons believers in Him can come boldly before the throne with full assurance that they have a sympathetic High Priest in heaven who is taking care of the sin problem in terms of its effects in the universe and in their personal lives.
Thank You, Father, for the heavenly object lesson of the sanctuary that helps us to understand the reality of what Jesus is now doing for us in heaven.
He entered once for all into the Holy Place ["Holies" in Greek], taking not the blood of goats and calves but his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. Heb. 9:12, RSV.
Jesus didn't enter the throne room of heaven (called the "Holies" in Hebrews, the name for the heavenly Temple) empty-handed. He entered as our High Priest who had also been our sacrifice. On the cross He had died for my sins that I might have His righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21) It is little wonder that the songwriters speak of "the cleansing blood." Hebrews 9:22 helps us see the importance of that sacrifice when it notes that "without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins" (RSV). Of course, as Hebrews argues, the repeated Jewish sacrifices could never take away sin and its penalty. All they could do was point to the "Lamb of God," who would remove the sin of the world. Hebrews 9:23, 24 highlights that truth when it tells us that "it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites [the repeated sacrifice of sheep and goats], but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices [Christ's atoning death] than these. For Christ has entered, not into a sanctuary ["holies" in Greek] made with hands, a copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf" (RSV).
One of the key phrases in this section of the book of Hebrews is "once for all." Christ "once for all...offered up himself" (Heb. 7:27, RSV). He appeared "once for all at the end of the age to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself" (Heb. 9:26, RSV). "We have all been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all" (Heb. 10:10, RSV). And "he entered once for all into the [Holies], taking not the blood of goats and calves but his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption" (Heb. 9:12, RSV).
Those verses bring us to another key word in the book of Hebrews--"better." The whole book builds on that term. Thus Jesus is better than the angels (Heb. 1:4-2:18), better than Moses and Joshua (Heb. 3:1-4:13), and better than Aaron (Heb. 4:14-10:18). He also has a better priesthood (Heb. 7:1-28), a better covenant (Heb. 8:1-10:18), and faith in Him is a better way (Heb. 10:19-11:40).
For all of those reasons believers in Him can come boldly before the throne with full assurance that they have a sympathetic High Priest in heaven who is taking care of the sin problem in terms of its effects in the universe and in their personal lives.
Thank You, Father, for the heavenly object lesson of the sanctuary that helps us to understand the reality of what Jesus is now doing for us in heaven.
RSS Feed
