GOD HAS SPOKEN BY HIS SON
Meditations in Hebrews
Hebrews 9:12
-----
WHEN Jesus Christ, as the real high priest, went into heaven for us, he did not ascend empty handed. The high priest in Israel could not go empty handed into the Most Holy Place on the Day of Atonement. He had to take with him the evidence that a worthy sacrifice for sin had been made. For this reason, when the sacrifice had been made, the blood was preserved, and the high priest took this blood from the sacrifice with him into the Most Holy Place. This blood of the sacrifice was then sprinkled before God upon the lid of the Ark of the Covenant, which was called the mercy seat. It was the mercy seat, because when God saw the blood, which proved a sacrifice for sin had been made, he then had mercy on the people for another year, and overlooked their sin, and remained their God, and blessed them.
So Jesus enter the true Most Holy Place, the throne room of heaven itself with blood, the evidence that sacrifice for sin had been made. But the blood he took with him into heaven was not the blood of goats and calves. The blood of animals was all that the high priest in Israel could take with him into the Most Holy Place, but such blood was never able to cleanse or purge sin. Though these sacrifices were ordained of God, they were never meant to be more than a temporary ordinance, nor could they do more than bring ceremonial cleansing, so that a person could be cleaned of ceremonial uncleanness. So Jesus took his own blood, the evidence of the fact that as our high priest he had made sacrifice of himself to atone for the sin of his people.
The blood of calves and goats could never purge sin. Their value was too little. A sacrifice of infinite value, that could cleanse the sin of the world, was the only sacrifice that was sufficient. So our High Priest, Jesus Christ, offered himself as the all-sufficient perfect sacrifice, oblation and satisfaction for the sin of the whole world. In every way Jesus was the perfect sacrifice. He became truly human when he was born into this world, so he could represent and be the substitute for human beings who have sinned and incurred God's just wrath. He lived a sinless life, and so he was a pure sacrifice, without blemish, because nothing that is defiled by sin can be a worthy sacrifice for sin, or atone for sin before God. If Jesus had sinned only once, he could have not died and been a sacrifice for sin of others, but only his own. Now because Jesus was the sinless one, he was able to give himself to atone for the sin of others, even the sin of his people.
Then Jesus, though truly human was also all divine and truly God in one person, so in offering himself as the sacrifice for sin, his was a sacrifice of infinite value, meeting the whole debt to God our sin had incurred.
When Jesus ascended into the Most Holy Place of heaven he was able to take with him truly efficacious blood. It was his own precious blood of such infinite value that it covered all the sin of his people, and purged it completely. One like the Son of Man, even Jesus our King, as we read in Daniel 7:13, was led into the presence of the Ancient of Days, and given authority, glory and sovereign power. His offering of his blood was accepted by God, the Ancient of Days, as full atonement for the sins of all who are Christ's people by faith, and Jesus, the God-man who had died and risen, was given authority to reign, and give his cleansing grace and salvation to all his people, and judge all those who refused it. God accepted his blood has evidence that a full and complete sacrifice had been made for the sin of the world.
Because of this, and the fact that God could not deny the efficacy of Christ's complete sacrifice, Jesus obtained eternal redemption for us, that is all those who place their trust in him as Saviour and King. In order to be our Saviour from sin, Jesus had to pay the redemption price which would release us from the condemnation and punishment for our sin. Christ's blood was and is the complete payment of this redemption price, and stands forever as a testimony and assurance that our sin is atoned for, and so our condemnation and punishment is cancelled, and we who believe in Jesus are declared by the Ancient of Days to be righteous in his sight. The presence of Jesus sitting on the right hand of God is the assurance that this redemption is forever and eternal. Nothing more needs to be paid.
Now for all eternity, because Christ's blood is eternally presented before God, we sinners are accounted righteous and eternally redeemed from the debt our sin deserves, and we are able to enter the Most Holy Place, and stand before God without fear of judgement or punishment. Eternal redemption means eternal. It is forever, and can never fail. This is our assurance of eternal salvation, not the weak labour of our hands, but the perfect and infinitely efficacious merits of Jesus our High Priest. Let us rejoice in this glorious blessing, and adore the Saviour who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, and priests to serve our God and Father - to him be glory and power for ever and for ever! Amen.