The blood of Christ has redeemed us it is better than the blood of bulls and of goats
By Rev.
Katherine Liu Bruce
Christian
Arts Ministries; Biblical precepts & Gospel music; Pastoral ministry &
Counseling
Paul
urged Hebrew believers not turned aside to the law of the Jewish
The grace of God came to us through Christ. It is also the grace of
Christ. In our experience this grace is just Christ Himself. When we fall from
grace we are separated from Christ (Gal.6:18). Regarding this matter, Paul
warned the churches of Galatia, which were in the same danger as the Hebrew
believers, not to be separated from Christ by bring turned aside to the law of
the Jewish religion, lest they fall away from the grace of God, which is Christ
Himself. We should not fall away from grace but should have grace, be confirmed
by grace and stand in grace. Both Galatians and Hebrew close with the blessing
of grace.
In Hebrews
9:11-15 Apostle Paul pointed out that
“ But Christ being come an high priest of good
things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands,
that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves,
but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained
eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the
ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the
flesh: How much more shall the blood of
Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God,
purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this
cause he is the mediator of the New Testament that by means of death, for the
redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they
which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.”
In Hebrews 10: 1-13 says,
“ For the law having a shadow of good things to
come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices
which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For
then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers
once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices
there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls
and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he
saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared
me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then
said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy
will, O God. Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and
offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are
offered by the law; Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh
away the first, that he may establish
the second. By the which will we are
sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And
every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same
sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered
one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God; from
henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.
Ø
The second covenant, the new covenant, which sacrifices is Christ
The priests in the old covenant
stood daily and offered the same sacrifices again and again, because what they
offered could never remove sins. But Christ put away sin (9:26) by offering
Himself to God as the one sacrifice of sins. Whereupon He sat down forever on
the right hand of God. His sitting in heaven is a sign and proof that the
removing of sins has been accomplished. His sitting down forever after having
offered one sacrifice for sins is in contrast to the priests’ standing daily to
offer often the same sacrifices.
In chapter 9 verse 12 points out
that Christ accomplished redemption on the cross (Col.1:20), but it was not
until He entered into the heavenly Holy of Holies through the redeeming blood,
i.e., when He brought His redeeming blood to offer it before God, that He
obtained the redemption that has an eternal effect.
Ø Old covenant the blood of goal and calves
only mad expiation for people’s sins, means to cover sins. But Christ as the Lamb of God took away the sin
of the world (John1:29)
In the Old covenant the blood of goal and
calves only mad expiation for people’s sins (Lev.16:15-18); it never
accomplished redemption for their sins, because it is impossible for the blood
of bulls and goats to take away sins (10:4). In Hebrew the root of the word for
expiation means to cover. Thus, to make expiation means to cover sins; it does
not mean to take away sins. Since Christ as the Lamb of God took away the sin
of the world (John1:29) by offering Himself once for all on the cross as the
sacrifice for sins (v.14;10:12), His blood, which He sprinkled in the heavenly
tabernacle (12:24), has accomplished an eternal redemption for us, even the
redemption of the transgressions under the first (old) covenant (v.15),
transgressions that were only covered by animal blood. Thus, we have been
redeemed with the precious blood of Christ. (1Pet.1:18-19)
On the
cross Christ offered Himself to God in the human body (10:5,10) which was under
the limitation of time. But He offered Himself through the eternal Spirit, who
is of eternity and is not under the limitation of time. Hence, in the eyes of
God, Christ as the Lamb of God was slain from the foundation of the world
(Rev.13:8).His offering of Himself was once for all (7:27), and the redemption
consummated through His death is eternal (v.12), having an eternal effect. The
span of His redemption fully covers the span of sin.
The
blood of Christ purifies our conscience to serve the living God. To serve the
living God requires a blood –purified conscience. To worship in dad religion or
to serve any dead thing, anything that is outside God, does not require our
conscience to be purified. The conscience is the leading part of our spirit. the
living God whom we desire to serve always comes to our spirit (John4:24) by
touching our conscience. He is righteous, holy, and living . Our defiled
conscience needs to be purified that we may serve Him in a living way. To worship God in our mind in a
religious way does not require this.
Hebrew 9:11-15
但基督已經來到，作了那已經實現之美事的大祭司，經過那更大、更全備的帳幕，不是人手所造的，就是不屬這受造世界的；並且不是藉著山羊和牛犢的血，乃是藉著祂自己的血，一次永遠的進入至聖所，便得到了永遠的救贖。若山羊和公牛的血，並母牛犢的灰，灑在污穢的人身上，尚且使人聖別，以致人的肉身得著潔淨，何況基督藉著永遠的靈，將自己無瑕無疵的獻給神，祂的血豈不更潔淨我們的良心，使其脫離死行，叫我們事奉活神麼？所以，祂作了新約的中保，既然受死，贖了人在第一約之下的過犯，便叫蒙召之人得著所應許永遠的產業。來九11-15
Hebrew 10:1-13
律法有要來美事的影兒，沒有本物的形像，總不能藉著每年不斷獻上的同樣祭物，叫那些進前來的人得到完全。不然，敬拜的人既一次得了潔淨，良心不再覺得有罪，獻祭的事豈不就已停止了麼？但那些祭物使人每年想起罪來；因為公牛和山羊的血是不能除罪的。所以基督到世上來的時候，就說，“祭物和供物是你不願要的，你卻為我豫備了身體；燔祭和贖罪祭是你不喜悅的；於是我說，看哪，我來了，神阿，是要實行你的旨意。（我的事經卷上已經記載了。）以上說，“祭物和供物，燔祭和贖罪祭，是你不願要的，也是你不喜悅的。”（這些都是按著律法獻的。後來又說，“看哪，我來了，是要實行你的旨意。”可見祂除去那先有的，為要立定那後來的；我們憑這旨意，藉耶穌基督一次永遠的獻上身體，就得以聖別。再者，凡祭司都是天天站著供職，屢次獻上同樣永不能除罪的祭物。惟獨這一位既為罪一次獻上祭物，就永久在神的右邊坐下了；從此等候祂的仇敵，放在祂的腳下作腳凳。』來十1-13
基督的救贖是在十字架上完成的，（西一20，）但乃是等到祂藉著贖罪的血進入天上的至聖所，就是將祂贖罪的血帶去獻在神面前，祂纔從神得到這救贖，作有永遠功效的救贖。』來九12註1
在舊約裏，山羊和牛犢的血只能為百姓遮罪，（利十六15～18，）絕不能為他們的罪成功救贖，因為公牛和山羊的血是不能除罪的。（十4。）在希伯來文裏，遮罪的字根意為遮蓋；因此，遮罪的意思只是遮蓋罪，不是除去罪。因著基督作神的羔羊，在十字架上一次永遠的為罪獻上自己作祭物，（14，十12，）除去了世人的罪，（約一29，）祂灑在天上帳幕裏的血，（十二24，）就為我們成功了永遠的救贖，甚至贖了人在第一（舊）約之下所犯，只由祭牲之血所遮蓋的過犯。（15。）因此，我們得贖乃是用基督的寶血。（彼前一18～19。）見利十六1註1。』來九12註2
基督在十字架上，在人的身體裏將自己獻給神，（十5，10，）這身體是受時間限制的。但祂藉著永遠的靈作這事，這靈是永遠的，不受時間的限制。因此，在神眼中，神的羔羊基督是從創世以來被殺的。（啟十三8。）祂獻上自己是一次永遠的，（七27，）並且藉著祂的死所完成的救贖也是永遠的，（12，）有永遠的功效。祂救贖的範圍，完全包括了罪的範圍。見26註1二段。』來九14註1
基督的血是為著赦罪流的，（太二六28，）新約由此得以成立。（十29，路二二20。）這血為我們成功永遠的救贖，（12，弗一7，彼前一18～19，）並且把召會買來歸神。（徒二十28。）這血洗淨我們的罪，（約壹一7，）潔淨我們的良心，（14，）聖別我們，（十三12，）並為我們說更美的話。（十二24。）因這血，我們得以進入至聖所，（十19，）並勝過撒但那控告者。（啟十二10～11。）所以這血是寶貴的，比山羊和公牛的血更美。（12～13。）我們必須看重這血，不可當作俗物，猶如祭牲的血；若是這樣，我們必受神的刑罰。（十29～31。）』來九14註2
基督的血潔淨我們的良心，叫我們事奉活神。事奉活神，需要基督的血所潔淨的良心。在死的宗教裏敬拜，或事奉神以外死的事物，不需要我們的良心被潔淨。良心是我們靈的主要部分。我們所要事奉的活神，總是藉著摸我們的良心，來到我們的靈裏。（約四24。）祂是公義的、聖別的，也是活的；我們污穢的良心需要被潔淨，叫我們能用活的作法事奉祂。在心思裏宗教的敬拜神，就不需要這樣。』來九14註3
Bibliography,
King
James, The Holy Bible, Cleveland, OH: The world publishing company
Lee,
Witness. The New Testament (R.V.) Anaheim, CA: Living Stream
Ministry, 1985.
Ryrie, Charles
C. The Ryrie study Bible (NIV).Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible
Institute, 1986
Roberts, Oral. “Holy Bible” (KJV)
Tulsa, OK: Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association, Inc, 1981
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