The Blood

DEVOTION

HEBREWS

THE BLOOD

Heb 9:11-14

11 When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he wentthrough the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that isto say, not a part of this creation. 12 He did not enter by means of the bloodof goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his ownblood, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 The blood of goats and bulls andthe ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctifythem so that they are outwardly clean. 14 How much more, then, will the bloodof Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God,cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve theliving God!

NIV

In the continuing explanation of the difference between the old and new covenant wesee once more Christ is the truth, the light and the way. Why would be settle being clean on the outside when we can have cleansing on the inside? Why arethere so many who think that outward acts of righteousness indicate a rightrelationship with God. Just because people do good things, or even say thatthey pattern their life after Jesus does not mean they have this inward cleansing. So many people attend churches and make all the outward activities of worship, are socially involved in the their communities, are living in some form of righteousness, but if it does not include this inward cleansing by the blood of Jesus it might simply only satisfy the old covenant. In order to be apart or a partaker in the new covenant a person has to be under the blood of Jesus. Although anyone can be under the blood of Jesus, anyone can have the inward cleansing of their consciences from those acts which lead to death, if does require an act of faith. We must accept what Jesus did for us, and in doing so that requires the acknowledgement that we are engaged in acts that lead to death. If we insist or make excuses that we are good people, that we don’t really do anything bad, that if God is a God of love he will not condemn anyone,thus we all are going to heaven, except of course evil men, like Caesar,Hilter, Hussien, Mao Zedong, alone with such men as John Wayne Gacy, JefferyDahmer, and a host of other evil people. If people compare themselves to such evil, their good lives surely deserve a place in heaven, but that is simply the wrong comparison. We all must come to the realization we cannot enter heaven under the old covenant of external ceremonial cleansing. We need to see ourselves for who we really are, sinners in need of cleansing from acts thatlead to death. We need to be cleansed by the blood of Jesus. Then and only then are we cleansed and able to actually serve the living God. Without the blood ofJesus any acts of worship and service are useless, meaningless and unworthy. We need the blood.