4/12/16 Hebrews 9:15-28 “The
blood of the everlasting covenant”
Hebrews 9:15 – 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.
And because of this (that is, what
has been dealt with in the previous verses – Hebrews 9:11-14) Christ is the mediator
of the new testament (or covenant – see Hebrews 9:4).
testament – covenant; testament. It is translated “covenant” 20
times and “testament” 13 times in the New Testament. It is clear from the
context of Hebrews 9 that this word should read “covenant”, as the same Greek word
is used to establish the term “covenant” twice in Vs 9:4, yet here it is
translated “testament” twice in Vs 15. Consistency requires that the word be
translated “covenant” here as well. However, it appears that “testament” may
have been used because it could make more sense when discussing it with respect
to the death of the testator in the rest of the chapter.
mediator – one who intervenes between two, either in order to make
or restore peace and friendship, or form a compact, or for ratifying a covenant.
A duty of the executor of a will is to be a litigant for mediation, that is, a
mediator.
by means of death – the penalty for the transgressions of man was death (Romans 6:23a - For the wages of sin [is] death)
The law of the old covenant had
prescribed death for sin (which all had committed – Romans 3:23a – For all have sinned)
Thus Christ’s sacrifice had to be able to remove the penalty of death from all
mankind (all have sinned).
Matthew 20:28 – Even as the Son of
man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a
ransom for many.
The transgressions mentioned here
were as a result of the application of the law under the first covenant, the
law that could only condemn yet never set man free. These transgressions could
only bring death, yet the old covenant also had a remedy: sacrifices and blood
offering which couldn’t remove the sin (merely cover it) but, if carried out
faithfully, could permit the sinner to rest upon the real promises of the
second covenant. The old covenant provided no actual redemption, yet God
honoured His promises in the old covenant by giving to it the power to redeem
that was contained in the new covenant. Thus the new covenant became the
fulfilment of the law, providing the real redemption of which the old covenant
was merely a figure, a shadow of the true. And, without the new (second)
covenant, the old (first) covenant could have no effect on the sins of mankind.
Therefore the promise of eternal inheritance (eternal life, heaven, salvation
in general) through the redemptive sacrifice provided by Christ via the new
covenant (testament) was also available for those who had been under the old
(first) covenant (testament).
Psalm 50:5 – Gather my saints
together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice. (where “covenant” means a pledge between God and man.
Hebrews 9:16 – For where a testament
[is], there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.
testament – as for “testament” in previous verse.
testator – to arrange, dispose of, one’s own affairs; to dispose of
by will, make a testament; to make a covenant, enter into a covenant, with one.
This word can apply to the one making a will to dispose of his worldly goods,
and thus the use of “testament”. Note that it is necessary for the one making
the will to die before the will may become a legal statement for the purposes
of transferring possession. However, this assumes that Christ left us a legacy
by last will and testament; yet it is still a covenant (a legally binding
agreement between two or more parties) rather than a last will and testament.
However, the new (second) covenant was established by the death of the
covenanter (another term for testator) and couldn’t be effective without the
death of the covenanter.
So even though this word should
still be translated “covenant” (and thus “covenanter” for “testator”), the
truth is that it could only take effect after the death of the covenanter
(“testator”). Christ did not die to make way for an heir, nor did He leave His
estate to another. Therefore, the use of this analogy of the last will and
testament is clearly to demonstrate that the legal standing of the new covenant
in the blood of Christ could only be in force after the death (sacrifice) of
the covenanter. See Hebrews 9:20 and Hebrews 13:20.
Hebrews 9:17 – For a testament [is]
of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while
the testator liveth.
For such a testament only carries
legal weight after the person has died; a will only becomes
a legally binding statement after the person’s death. Likewise the new covenant
can only carry legal weight after the death of the covenanter. Note also that
even under the old covenant, the death and shed blood of the sacrificed animal
was necessary to ratify the legality of the covenant.
Hebrews 9:18 – Whereupon neither the
first [testament] was dedicated without blood.
That is, even the first covenant
couldn’t be dedicated (or consecrated) without the shedding of blood, and the
life of the animal was in the blood.
Leviticus 17:11 – For the life of the
flesh [is] in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to
make an atonement for your souls: for it [is] the blood [that] maketh an atonement for the soul.
Without the blood there could be
no atonement, no covering of sin. Even the Passover required the blood on the
doors to cover them from the death that swept through Egypt that night.
Hebrews 9:19 – For when Moses had
spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood
of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled
both the book, and all the people,
precept – commandment, in particular those of the law.
After Moses had spoken every
commandment according to the law (of the old covenant) to all the people, he
took the blood of that covenant and sprinkled both the book of the law and the
people listening to the law (see Exodus Ch.20-23). (Note that the sprinkling of
the blood on the book isn’t mentioned specifically in the following passage,
yet must still be true from Hebrews 9:19.)
Exodus 24:3-8 – 3 And Moses came and told the people all the words of the
Lord, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and
said, All the words which the Lord hath said will we do. 4 And
Moses wrote all the words of the Lord, and rose up early in the morning, and
builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve
tribes of Israel. 5 And he sent young men of the children of
Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen
unto the Lord. 6 And Moses took half of the blood, and put [it]
in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on
the altar. 7 And he took the book of the covenant, and read
in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the Lord hath said will
we do, and be obedient. 8 And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled
[it] on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant,
which the Lord hath made with you concerning all these words.
Half the blood is sprinkled on the
altar; sprinkling is associated with atonement in Leviticus 16:14 – And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle
[it] with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy
seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times.
sprinkled – to be cleansed by sprinkling, hence to purify, cleanse
water, and scarlet wool, and
hyssop – not mentioned in the above
passage from Exodus but implied from other Old Testament passages. Eg. Exodus 12:22 – And ye shall take a
bunch of hyssop, and dip [it] in the blood that [is] in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with
the blood that [is] in the bason; and none of
you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning.
Hebrews 9:20 – Saying, This [is] the
blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.
the blood of the testament – Note that that same term is used with “aionios” (= eternal) added: “the blood of the everlasting covenant” (Hebrews 13:20b) where “covenant” is correctly used. It is called a
covenant in Hebrews 8:6 – But now hath he
obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a
better covenant, which was established upon better promises.
This is the blood that has been
sprinkled on the book of law and the people – Vs 19 above.
Saying – an exhortation; to point out something in words.
enjoined – commanded. That is, this covenant is not a contractual
agreement between equals, but rather one (God) retains the right to command
regarding it. Thus, man does not have any real say in the terms and conditions
of this covenant.
Hebrews 9:21 – Moreover he sprinkled
with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.
Moreover – two words meaning “But; moreover; and” + “likewise; in
like manner; in the same way”. That is, Moses also sprinkled blood on the tabernacle
and the ministry vessels in the same way as he had sprinkled the book and the
people, for the same reasons and purpose as well: to cleanse such by the
sprinkling of the blood. Everything connected to the old covenant had to be
sprinkled with the blood to purge it, to cleanse it, to purify it. The law
doesn’t specify blood for these things; in fact, it specifies oil, yet as
Hebrews points out, Moses must have done so!
Leviticus 8:10 – And Moses took the
anointing oil, and anointed the tabernacle and all that [was] therein,
and sanctified them.
Hebrews 9:22 – And almost all things
are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no
remission.
Just about everything that is
involved with the covenant must be purified with the blood, for everything that
requires purification involves uncleanness of some sort, and thus is an offense
to a holy God. Everything that comes into God’s presence must be holy as He is
holy, and almost all things are purged, that is, made holy, made acceptable to
a holy God, with the blood.
Some things were purified with water
….
Numbers 8:6-7 – 6 Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and
cleanse them. 7 And thus shalt thou do unto them, to cleanse
them: Sprinkle water of purifying upon them, and let them shave all their
flesh, and let them wash their clothes, and [so] make themselves clean.
…. and by fire …..
Zechariah 13:9a – And I will bring the
third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and
will try them as gold is tried:
Numbers 31:23 – Every
thing that may abide the fire, ye
shall make [it] go through the fire, and it shall be clean: nevertheless
it shall be purified with the water of separation: and all that abideth not the fire ye shall make go through the water.
But only by the shedding of blood
could there be remission (that is, forgiveness or pardon for sins). This is an
inviolable rule, an absolute truth, a doctrine, that without the shedding of
blood there can be no forgiveness for any sin, ever. And the blood of the new
covenant could only be that shed by Christ on the cross of Calvary. No other
gospel can have any effectiveness at all: not spiritual manifestations such as
tongues or “slaying in the spirit”; not the taking of mass nor confessions nor
baptisms nor any other church rite; not the attendance at church on any
particular day; not the “salvation” through the election before a person
may come to the cross of Jesus and believe, and so on. Only the shed blood,
only at the cross of Jesus!
Hebrews 9:23 – [It was] therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the
heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with
better sacrifices than these.
patterns – figure; copy; example for the purposes of imitation.
Translated “example” in Hebrews 8:5. Thus, it was necessary that the examples
or copies (for the purposes of imitation) of things in the heavens be purified
with blood (that is, the blood of animals). However, the real things (not the
copies) needed better (more useful; more serviceable; more advantageous; more
excellent) sacrifices. That which was accepted as purifying the copies on earth
(in the old covenant) was not sufficient for the purifying of heavenly things. The
two standards are explained here:
Hebrews 9:13-14 – 13 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: 14 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?
the heavenly things themselves – those things upon which all our earthly service rests.
Benson says: That is, the things whereof the
others were patterns, — the redemption, worship, salvation, and eternal glory
of the church.
Job 15:15 – 14 What [is] man, that he should be clean? and [he
which is] born of a woman, that he should be righteous? 15 Behold,
he putteth no trust in his saints; yea, the heavens
are not clean in his sight. 16 How much more abominable and
filthy [is] man, which drinketh iniquity like
water?
Hebrews 9:24 – For Christ is not
entered into the holy places made with hands, [which are] the figures of
the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:
For Christ is not a high priest of
the law of the first covenant which rested upon the things in the tabernacle
which were only figures (things made to resemble, copies) of the true. Such
things were made with the hands of men and thus couldn’t be anything other than
figures or copies. But Christ has entered into heaven itself, which we may
logically assume was not made with the hands of men, but by God who has built
all things.
Hebrews 3:4 – For every house is
builded by some [man]; but he that built all things [is] God.
Thus Christ is not entered into
that which is merely a copy of the real, but into the real or true itself; not
to offer a mere covering for sin as the blood of the old covenant did, but to
offer a better, more complete sacrifice for all sin, through the blood of the
new (eternal) covenant. And while the priesthood of the old covenant offered
blood which could never take away even one sin (Hebrews 10:4), Christ offered a
blood sacrifice which would be infinite in value and effectiveness, able to
take away all the sins of the whole world for all time.
John 1:29 – The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith,
Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
While the high priests of the old
covenant could only enter God’s presence in the Holy of Holies once each year,
with fear and trembling, Christ now continually appears in the very presence of
God as our advocate.
1 John 2:1-2 – 1 My little children, these things write I unto you,
that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the
Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 2 And he is the
propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for [the
sins of] the whole world.
Hebrews 9:25 – Nor yet that he
should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth
into the holy place every year with blood of others;
Nor does Christ need to offer
Himself often (frequently) as the high priest of the old covenant had to do
each year (on the Day of Atonement) with blood that belonged to another. That
is, the blood of something innocent had to be shed for the sake of those who
were not innocent but declared sinners in God’s sight. And this blood had to be
shed often because it wasn’t actually removing the sin but merely covering it,
somewhat like a fresh coat of paint on the outside wall of a house covers a
multitude of blemishes. If only we could get paint that only needed to be
applied once for all time! If only a blood sacrifice could be offered that
would take away the sins of all the world for all time! Once for all time! And
it was!
The first deaths in the Bible are
noted in the following verse, innocent blood shed for the sin of man. (Animals
had to die to provide their skins!)
Genesis 3:21 – Unto Adam also and to
his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
Hebrews 9:26 – For then must he
often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end
of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
For if Christ’s sacrifice were no
more effectual than the blood of animals, then He would have to suffer such
sacrifices each year from the beginning. He would have needed to apply a new
blood covering (atonement) for sin each year. However, now He has come as a man
(appeared to us) in order to not just cover sin but to put away (reject) all
sin through His once for all time atoning blood sacrifice on the cross.
Hebrews 7:27 – Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up
sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did
once, when he offered up himself.
Hebrews 9:27 – And as it is
appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
appointed – to be laid away, laid by, reserved; reserved for one,
awaiting him. Something that has been laid aside awaiting its future use.
That is, all men have a
reservation (an appointment) made with death; you can only die once! This is a
clear statement from the Bible that absolutely refutes reincarnation. It also
states clearly that the same applies to judgment; that is, you also have a
reservation made for the judgment, which also can only occur once. You neither
get a second chance to live and die properly, nor do you get a second chance to
prepare properly for the judgment. When it happens, you cannot change what happens!
It’s too late!
Note the verses that teach that
you cannot have a second chance at salvation either. If the first salvation you
received were insufficient, then no further sacrifice for sin remains available
for you.
Hebrews 10:26-27 – 26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the
knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more
sacrifice for sins, 27 But a certain fearful looking for of
judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
Hebrews 9:28 – So Christ was once
offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he
appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
once – once for all. It emphasises the finality of that one
offering.
Christ’s sacrifice was once only,
never to be repeated, ever!
bear – to carry or bring up; to put upon the altar; to bring to
the altar; to offer; to place on one’s self anything as a load to be carried; to
sustain, i.e. their punishment. It carries a sense of a sacrificial offering,
such as on the cross.
1 Peter 2:24a – Who his own self bare
our sins in his own body on the tree, where
“bare” is the same word used for “to bear” in Vs 28 above.
many – many; much; large. The term does not indicate in any way
whether it means all or some, but simply a large quantity. It can mean all of a
group, as in “There were many people at church today” which means that the
total attending was a large quantity, relatively speaking. Or it could mean a
large subset of the total, as in “Many of those present had colds”, that is, a
significant proportion but not necessarily all. It can also indicate a large
number as opposed to “few”. Thus “few” would then indicate a smaller number. If
the context demands that “many” be a proportion of the whole, then that is how
it should be interpreted. However, if no such indication is given, then it can
only be taken to mean a large number as opposed to “few”.
Consistency, however, demands that
other verses clearly teaching that Christ died for the sins of all
people without qualification must apply (Eg 1 John
2:2; 1 Timothy 2:4; 1 Timothy 4:10; 2 Peter 3:9); thus the only correct
interpretation is that Christ was offered to bear the sins of all
mankind, being a very large number of people.
And unto them that look for His
coming again, He will indeed appear the second time not to deal with sin this
time, but to receive those who are to be the heirs of salvation (Hebrews 1:14).
Also Revelation 22:20 – He which testifieth these things saith,
Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
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