It is Wednesday, July 12, 2023. Today, let’s look at Hebrews 9. This chapter might seem puzzling if you are unfamiliar with the Tabernacle in Jerusalem. So, let’s take a small portion to help us understand the difference between religion (man’s attempt to reach God) and relationship (God’s attempt to reach man) - which was accomplished through Jesus Christ. Here, we find two rooms: an outer room and an inner one called- the Most Holy Place. It was restricted to only the high priest … but something amazing happened on Good Friday. Read on …
Today's Reading:
Isaiah 11,12,13,14; Hebrews 9
Scripture
“This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper… But when Christ came … He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.” (Hebrews 9:9-12)
Observation
Remember … this book was written to the Hebrews - so they would be familiar with the Tabernacle and the different purposes for each room. The outer portion was called the Holy Place, where various ministers would maintain the candles, change the bread, clean and work their duties. However, the inner portion was called the Most Holy Place. It was to be entered only by the highest priest once a year to offer a sacrifice to atone for the sins of the people. It was the sacrifice that brought forgiveness. Not the actions of the priest.
Application
The writer tells us that entering the outer room, no matter how hard the ministers worked, could “never clear the conscience of the worshiper.” In other words, we humans sometimes think we can “repay” God for our sins. We work and do “penance” to show God we are sorry. However, no matter how hard we try, our efforts will never atone for our past. We cannot be justified by our actions (or by the Jewish people’s attempts to follow the Old Testament Law), but rather, only by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ - once and for all!
So, no matter how horrid our past was, we are cleansed by His blood, not by our attempts to “make up for” our sins. No human reparations will ever erase our sins; however, His blood and forgiveness can. On Good Friday, Matthew 27:51 tells us that when Jesus died – “At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.” In other words, Jesus Himself, by His blood, entered the Most Holy Place and offered Himself as the atonement for our sins. And what separated the two rooms was now removed, and all can enter because of Jesus!
Prayer
Thank you, Lord, that we can invite people to the cross so that they may understand that our attempts to reach You will only result in an inadequate 'religion.' However, when we come to You as Savior and Lord, we receive forgiveness through Your blood and begin a genuine 'relationship' with You! Thank You not only for dying for our sins but also for walking with us individually day by day until we grow into the people You created us to be!
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