GOD HAS SPOKEN BY HIS SON
Meditations in Hebrews
Hebrews 9:23
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THE word that is the focus of this verse is the word necessity. For purification from sin to take place and be achieved there is the necessity of sacrifice. Sin cannot be cleansed, purified or removed without sacrifice. This is something that has been endemic to the teaching in Hebrews but is specifically stated here. It is so important that repetition of it can not be made too often. In the theological climate of today, and perhaps in varying degrees in all ages, the necessity of sacrifice to cleanse away sin is thought unnecessary and even unworthy to be suggested. It is felt to be something that has been carried over from the past from primitive thought and is unworthy of a better understanding of God and his ways. This however is not what this verse sets before us, nor what the whole Bible sets before us in all its revelation. The emphasis in the previous verse is the emphasis of the whole Bible, which is that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin.

This necessity addresses the central purpose of religion, certainly of the Christian faith, which is how we fallen and sinful being can be accepted by God, and be reconciled to God. Although it has been eroded very much in Christian thinking over the last 50 years, the fact that we have to answer to God for our life here on earth is fundamental to our belief and understanding. This is founded on the fundamental truth concerning God that he created the world and so created us, and so we belong to him and owe him our allegiance and obedience. It is the essence of sin that this allegiance and obedience has been violated and withdrawn. This is essential to the thinking of all who are not avowedly agnostic or atheist. Agnostics and atheists will argue that God does not exist or there is no proof that he exists, and all is a matter of blind chance and blind evolution and therefore there is no truth in God requiring human obedience, but when it comes to facing death they are left with doubts and fears which they can't relieve or satisfy, for deep down in the human consciousness is the sense of how alien death is to our make up, and that death is something to be feared.

It amazes me how little thought or teaching is given concerning this prime necessity of being reconciled to God in preaching today. Surely it is our prime need in our faith. If our faith does not bring us to God, and give us certainty concerning God's love towards us, and acceptance of us, then our religion is worthless. Perhaps the trouble is that theology of today assumes that God's love means that he forgives and accepts without question, and its the nature of God to be like this and so the thought that he can punish people with eternal death is a non starter. The truth is we need to know for certain about these matters, and the Bible claims to give us such certainty, and the Bible is the only place where such certainty can be found. The Bible is God's revelation of himself, and comes to a peak in the person of Jesus Christ. He spoke clearly about eternal life and eternal death, and so we need to know how eternal life can be achieved.

The truth is that for us fallen and sinful beings to have eternal life, and be saved from eternal death, there is necessity of sacrifice. The problem is our sin and disobedience to God. This must be purged and cleansed before we can be reconciled to God. Forgiveness is not possible unless the problem of sin is removed. This brings in the necessity of sacrifice.

God in his holiness can't overlook sin. To overlook sin and treat it with indifference would violate his character, and this is impossible. God declared from the very beginning that disobedience of his holy will brings the just sentence of death, so without death there can be no cancelling of sin. There is no way around this verity. The sinner must suffer death or there must be a sacrifice or death given in the place of the sinner to bear the sentence of death the sinner has occurred and deserves.

In the Old Testament economy this was set forth in vivid ceremony and practice. The Old Testament ritual was a copy of the reality. The most holy place in the tabernacle was a copy of the heavenly place where God dwells, and represented the presence of God before the people. The sacrifices which were continually made, brought into focus by the great sacrifice on the day of atonement, were all a copy of what was needed to purge sin. On the day of atonement the sacrifice was made and a death in the place of sinners was performed, and then the high priest took the blood of the sacrifice into the most holy place and sprinkled it on the mercy seat, the lid of the ark of the covenant, as evidence of sacrifice for atonement of sin having been made. This was a copy of the sacrifice which was necessary to cleanse sin completely and permanently, but did not achieve this blessed result.

Sacrifice sufficient to purge our sin was needed and so God provided that necessity in his love in the person of his Son. Because animal sacrifices were not sufficient and were imperfect to cleanse away sin, Christ was given by the Father to make a better sacrifice, which was a perfect and all-sufficient sacrifice. God in his love provided this better sacrifice, at enormous cost, because of the absolute necessity of such sacrifice which his holiness and justice demands.

Here is real and strong love, not the sentimental love which is spoken about today. Here is love so great that God took upon himself all the cost and pain in sacrifice to obtain for his rebellious creatures the cleansing that was essential and necessary. For us who believe we have in this necessity of sacrifice given by Jesus full, sure and certain, cleansing and purging of our sin received by faith, and so the sure certainty of the possession of the gift of eternal life. This is the glorious provision of God's grace in Christ. Let us rest our souls on Christ and rejoice in the blessing we know in him.