God’s plan was complete in His mind from the beginning. He chose His way of revealing that plan to man. At no time was any person left in limbo, unable to be forgiven and saved. The writer of Hebrews reminds us that Jesus Christ came by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands. Jesus Christ is the Tabernacle. He is the eternal Son of God. He is not a created being. He is from everlasting to everlasting.
God has been emphasizing this throughout the book. He wants us to understand and lay hold of this fact. There are many false religions that deny the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. They deny His ability to save us. False religions have some form of works “salvation”. Even those that are quite liberal, depend on the “goodness” of man as “salvation”. There are those who believe that every person has some inherent good in them. They teach that that flicker of good is enough to overthrow anything bad the person might have done.
The Bible makes it abundantly clear that man has nothing good in him. Man is bankrupt of anything of value to God. Adam chose to sin and he plunged humanity into sin. Unless a person trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, he is lost. God is taking the time to show us this in the book of Hebrews.
In verse 12 we are again reminded that the blood of goats and calves cannot redeem us. Jesus Christ shed His own blood. He brought His own blood into the holy place in heaven. Through that blood He did away with the Old Testament sacrificial system. The veil of the Temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. Never again would a high priest need to enter into that holiest place once in a year. That which was previously kept away from the common people was now opened up to anyone, rich or poor, to enter in and be saved. What a shock it must have been for the corrupt priesthood of Jesus’ day when they discovered that the veil was torn from the top to the bottom and the way into the holiest was now exposed to all. No one would be killed for entering into that place without a priest.
Yes, many have made false professions of salvation, but they were not struck dead at the moment of that lie. If they persist in that lie, they will go to hell, but they have opportunity to be forgiven and saved. Many have spat in Jesus’ face and later realized their wickedness and have repented toward God and trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. God is merciful. He loves man and He has provided for man to be forgiven.
In verses 13-14 we are further reminded of the better way that God revealed in Christ. The blood of bulls and of goats and the ashes of an heifer was needed to purify the flesh. The red heifer was necessary in order to cleanse certain things. The blood of bulls and goats was necessary to provide the atonement for sin.
In verse 15 we are again reminded that because Jesus Christ is better, He is the Mediator of the new Testament. He is the Mediator because He died for us. He provided redemption of the transgressions of those who were under the first testament. The Old Testament saints needed to be forgiven. It was not enough for them to have brought in the blood of bulls and goats. That was what they needed to do, but those who trusted in God, looked forward to the real event — the blood of Jesus Christ. The eternal inheritance was a promise to Old Testament saints. It was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. It was not a worthless promise. Noah and David and many others believed in the promise of God and God rewarded them.
In verse 16 we are reminded that in order for a testament to be revealed and applicable, the person who makes the testament must die. A person can make a will, but the recipients of that will do not receive the benefits until the person has died. Jesus Christ needed to die for the promise to be fulfilled. God knew the promise would be fulfilled but the actual fulfillment happened when Jesus died and shed His blood.
Verse 17 explains this further. We have followed this law all along. Sometimes evil people plan the death of a person whose will they want to get opened. It is sad that greed takes over for some.
In verse 18 we are further reminded that the first testament was dedicated with blood. It was the blood of bulls and goats that made is acceptable to God. It was not enough that the priests made the vessels and the Tabernacle. It all needed to be “dedicated” with the blood of bulls and goats. Even Aaron and his sons needed to have the blood applied to them.
The life is in the blood. God forbad the people from eating blood because the life is in the blood. Many people have disregarded this fact and many have suffered and died because they rejected God’s law on this. The spiritual significance there is that eternal life is only possible through the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Without His shed blood presented before His Father in glory, no one could ever be forgiven and saved.
It is necessary to trust in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ in order to be saved. The Catholics and many others do not have salvation because they do not trust in His finished work. They add lies and remove truth and have a Jesus that is not better than the Old Testament system. They are still trying to duplicate that system that has been replaced with that which is better.
Be sure that you are trusting in God’s way of salvation. If you are, it will be evident in your walk. The born again child of God needs to desire the sincere milk of the Word. Be sure that is where you are at.
Pastor Bartel