Hebrews 9:1 ¶ Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary. 2 For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary. 3 And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all; 4 Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; 5 And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly. 6 Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God. 7 But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:
To underscore the preeminent role Jesus
Christ plays as our High Priest it is emphasized how the first part of the
Tabernacle in which the priests served contained furniture and vessels. But
only the High Priest went past the second veil into the Holiest part of the
tabernacle. With blood he made sacrifice for the sins of the people. This
clearly parallels what Christ did by making Himself the supreme sacrifice for
sins.
Read Exodus, beginning in chapter 26 and also
read Leviticus, chapter 16. I talked about this in my comments on those books.
Hebrews 9:8 ¶
The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was
not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing: 9 Which was a figure for the time then
present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make
him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience; 10 Which stood only in meats and drinks,
and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the
time of reformation. 11 But Christ being
come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect
tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; 12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but
by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained
eternal redemption for us. 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?
We
see here some of the Holy Ghost’s activity, the mind of God acting on His
creation. The Spirit of God is one agency by which God works in His creation. There is named the Spirit of God as in Genesis, chapter 1,
and elsewhere as well as the Spirit of
Christ.
Romans 8:9 But ye are not in
the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now
if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
1Peter 1:11 Searching what, or
what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it
testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should
follow.
This is the Holy Ghost as a person with the
Spirit being Himself in operation.
Luke 4:1 And Jesus being full
of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the
wilderness,
John 1:33 And I knew him not:
but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom
thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he
which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.
John 7:39 (But this spake he of
the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost
was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
Acts 2:4 And they were all
filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the
Spirit gave them utterance.
1Corinthians 12:3 Wherefore I
give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus
accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy
Ghost.
When
the Holy Spirit’s operative work is spoken of the impersonal pronoun it can be used.
Romans 8:16 The Spirit itself
beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:..26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our
infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the
Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be
uttered.
But
as a third part of God the Holy Ghost is referred to as he.
John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost,
whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring
all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
The
Spirit is the mind and heart of God just as the spirit of man includes the
heart, reason, emotions, intellect, and talents. For
contexts where the Spirit of God or the spirit of man can be synonymous with
mind please see the following;
Romans 8:27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what
is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh
intercession for the saints according to the
will of God.
1Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor
ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God
hath prepared for them that love him. 10
But God hath revealed them
unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the
deep things of God. 11 For what man
knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit
of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might
know the things that are freely given to us of God. 13 Which things also we speak, not in the words
which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy
Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual
things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man receiveth not the things
of the Spirit of God: for they are
foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually
discerned. 15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he
himself is judged of no man. 16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that
he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
Ephesians 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
Philippians 1:27 Only let your conversation be as it becometh
the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may
hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in
one spirit, with one mind striving together for the
faith of the gospel;
2Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit
of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Now for the heart, and we must understand that all of our
decisions include our invisible minds and hearts. Here are just a couple of
examples.
Exodus 35:21 And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one
whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the LORD’S offering
to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and
for the holy garments.
Deuteronomy 2:30 But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us
pass by him: for the LORD thy God hardened his spirit, and made his heart
obstinate, that he might deliver him into thy hand, as appeareth this day.
God the Father is the soul of God, the seat of will and
self-identity, while the Holy Ghost is the very mind and heart of God moving in
creation called the Holy Spirit in action as the Spirit of God and the Spirit
of Christ, and the Son of God is God’s physical existence, His image, His body.
It is through the latter that He connected with us and it is there, at the Lord
Jesus Christ, that we who have bodies commune with God. Without the physical
image of God as our Saviour there is no connection in our minds and hearts, in
our spirits with an invisible, incorporeal God of the universe. It is through
Christ that we reach God and through Him only.
The very mind of God has formed the earth and the heavens and we
learn controls all reality and events. Nothing can happen unless God either
causes it directly or permits it to be done. From the most basic cell function
to a wisp of a breeze and from the evil that men do to the formation of a
distant galaxy all things flow from either His perfect, direct will or His
permissive will. Look around you and see the mind of God at work every day.
Pray for His mercy, accept His love, and give Him the glory.
The Holy Ghost gave the men who wrote the
Bible wisdom and understanding to write, while in their own style and under
their own limited knowledge, what God wanted man and womankind to have. It was
typically not word for word dictation.
Job 32:8
But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth
them understanding.
2Timothy 3:16
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
Under the Law God spoke to Moses directly and
yet we see that this is attributed to God’s very own mind, the Holy Ghost. The
Holy Ghost shows us that the holiest of all was yet to be revealed although, as
I have shown in my Bible studies, the Lord Jesus Christ is made apparent all
through the Old Testament.
The gifts and sacrifices of the Tabernacle
could not make men perfect, as neither could the physical things they performed
at God’s instruction. It would take Jesus Christ to do that, not through the
blood of goats and calves but through and by His own blood did He make eternal
redemption for us.
We are God’s and He purchased us with His own blood.
Acts 20:28 Take heed
therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost
hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased
with his own blood.
Revelation 1:5 And from
Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead,
and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us
from our sins in his own blood,
He cleansed us from our sins, our dead works,
to serve God. We are no longer under bondage to sin against God.
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. 16
For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the
death of the testator. 17 For a
testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength
at all while the testator liveth. 18
Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without
blood. 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, 20
Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath
enjoined unto you. 21 Moreover he
sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.
22 And almost all things are by the law
purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
You’ve heard of the phrase “Last Will and
Testament” haven’t you. In the order imposed by the God who created all things
and in His ministry of reconciling mankind to Himself there is no forgiveness
without the shedding of blood. Here are some thoughts of mine on remission and
forgiveness from my comments on Romans.
Romans 3:25 Whom God hath
set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his
righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance
of God; 26 To declare, I say, at this
time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which
believeth in Jesus.
In the ancient world it was a well-known practice to try to
propitiate a god through a sacrifice or a ritual. The idea was to appease the
god’s anger and to try to obtain his or her favor and avoid their anger and the
consequence of their wrath. Christ is the only propitiation for God’s righteous
anger against the rebelliousness of mankind. By trusting in His righteousness
and by faith in His blood we obtain remission or forgiveness of sins, based
totally on God’s patience, restraint, and tolerance. It is Christ who justifies
us, renders us legally unblameable for past sins against God before God our
judge.
In English remission is the cancellation of a debt and remission
is linked as a synonym with forgiveness in the Bible with both words several
times translated from the same Greek word. Remission is important to understand
God’s forgiveness for the debt we owed to God is cancelled by the remissions of
sins because of His forgiveness. Remission goes along here with justifying the
believer due to the legal aspects of both words.
Modern definitions of remission include, “the cancellation of a
debt, charge, or penalty,” or, “a temporary recovery from a disease or the pain
associated with it,” and, “forgiveness of sins.”
In the era the King James
Bible was translated there was a thesaurus called Thesaurus Linguae Romanae et
Britannicae. This
was compiled by Thomas Cooper in 1584. In it, remit, meant, “to acquit one of
his debt; to forgive…”, and, “to pardon and remit the punishment one has
deserved.”
In 1587 Thomas Thomas’ Dictionarium Linguae Latinae et
Anglicanae had, “to
remit, or forgive, to pardon.” Remission in those early dictionaries and thesaurus
in Early Modern English is listed as synonymous with forgiveness or pardon.[1]
What does the Bible say? Clearly, in the
verse in Romans we know that Christ’s shed blood is required for the
forgiveness of our sins.
Ephesians 1:7 In whom we have
redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches
of his grace;
Colossians 1:14 In whom we have
redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
John the Baptist preached the
baptism of repentance to the Jews for the remission of sins to prepare them for the
Messiah.
Mark 1:4 John did baptize in
the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
And when Peter faced the proselyte Jews
after the Resurrection he told them that they must receive this baptism of
repentance to receive the Holy Ghost.
Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto
them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for
the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the
gift of the Holy Ghost.
But, what about the Christian? Does remission mean forgiveness and was this a
special authority given to the Apostles only or was it for all
Christians?
The use of the word remission has to do with a debt that is cancelled.
Many would say that remission and forgiveness are
distinct and that if sins are remitted they not completely removed. But it
is clear that remission and forgiveness are
synonyms. Remission is used
by the Holy Spirit’s guidance after Christ’s resurrection so the
bond of forgiveness and remission is completed. So, it is incorrect to say that
remission only applies to the yearly setting aside of sin and does not apply to
the believer as the word is used very clearly in Romans and elsewhere where it
is a reference to what results as a consequence of forgiveness.
This
teaches us another very important point about forgiveness. Forgiveness,
remission, involves the cancellation of a debt and the forgoing of a punishment
that is rightly due but in and of itself does not imply restoration. Not
punishing mankind to eternal misery is not quite the same thing as giving him
fellowship with His Creator for eternity, our eternal inheritance. That is the
gift of God as we have seen. He does not forbear our punishment by
non-existence. That isn’t the alternative. The alternative to eternal suffering
is eternal fellowship with Him, eternal life.
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. 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: 25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often,
as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;
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. 27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die,
but after this the judgment: 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.
This is an amazing conclusion to chapter 9 of
Hebrews. Basically, the need and requirement for all sacrifices to God
involving blood and death ended with Christ’s sacrifice, the once and for all
sacrifice that saved all those who would look to Him for salvation. This He
will accomplish, He has accomplished. We will see Him face to face when we
enter the heavenly realm.
The tabernacle on earth, the Holy of Holies,
were made with human hands. They were only pictures of the truth. Christ served
as our High Priest, offering up Himself as the ultimate and final sacrifice.
Genesis 22:8
And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt
offering: so they went both of them together.
As Paul explained in chapter 6, there can be
only one sacrifice, one salvation. For you or I to be able to lose our salvation
would require Christ to be sacrificed a separate time, requiring His suffering for
all human time, an absurdity. Christ died once. You are saved once. It is for
ever. There is no reincarnation as you live once and, as a Christian, die only once,
then have eternal life with your Creator. Praise God!
[1] Ian Lancashire, editor, Lexicons
of Early Modern English, University of Toronto, https://leme.library.utoronto.ca/search/quick (accessed 1.21.2021)
