From our archived blog:
I've been reading through Hebrews lately. The section I read today gave me literal goosebumps:
But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation, he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. (Hebrews 9:11-14)
For Christ has entered not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the fountain of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgement, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. (Hebrews 9:24-28)
It's overwhelming to meditate on the fact that we are no longer bound by the sacrifice of animals to purify our flesh, but we have an eternal redemption, able to purify our conscience so we can serve the living God! Christ is right now in the presence of God on our behalf. He has put away our sins once for all, and He will appear again to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him!
It is glorious! And as I sat here reading it this morning, sipping my coffee, goosebumps on my arms and tears in my eyes, I was not only overwhelmed by the beauty, truth, and power of these verses, but by the fact that there are so many people who can't read these words for themselves. There are those who don't know that they aren't dependent on fleshly sacrifices to purify their defilement. Oh, I'm certain many of them feel deeply their need for a sacrifice. They know that something is broken, and needs to be corrected. But without the Word of God available to them, they don't know the hope that these verses contain.
Please join me in praying for those who don't yet have this truth. I pray that every time we hold God's Word we would understand the privilege that is ours, and that we would not treat this blessing lightly.