Bible Studies

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We continue with the comments under Heb. 9:23 here in Part 6.

The unique blood of Christ, by contrast, does cleanse and bring spiritual life in the spiritual/Spiritual dimension through the Righteous, Holy, Spirit of life, who indwells believers. Hebrews 10:19-22 show that "we have confidence to enter the holy place [heaven] by the blood of Jesus" and that we have this access "with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, HAVING OUR HEARTS SPRINKLED CLEAN FROM AN EVIL CONSCIENCE [my emphasis] and our bodies washed in pure water." We have access to the presence of God in heaven now in a preliminary, but very real, sense through the atoning death of the Lord Jesus Christ, through our being united with Him, and through the indwelling Holy Spirit of life. We will enter heaven in a fuller sense if we die before the Lord returns, and we will enter heaven in the full sense at the end of this age when we are glorified.

The writer of Hebrews is putting the emphasis on our being cleansed from sin and spiritual death, so we can enter the presence of God and live in His truth, righteousness, and holiness now, but it is also true that we will be forgiven for any sins we should commit after we become Christians, when we repent, through the shed blood of the Lamb of God (cf., e.g., 1 John 2:1, 2).

I'll quote a sentence from what F. F. Bruce ("Epistle to the Hebrews," page 210) says here: "What required to be cleansed was the defiled conscience of men and women; this is a cleansing that belongs to the spiritual sphere."]] (24) For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands [cf. Heb. 9:12; "not made with hands" (Heb. 9:11)], a mere copy [on "copy, copies," see Heb. 8:5; 9:23, 24] of the true one [cf. Heb. 8:2], but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us [cf. Heb. 7:25; Rom. 8:34]; (25) nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year [on the Day of Atonement; cf. Heb. 9:7 ("once a year");10:3 ("reminder of sins year by year"); contrast 9:12 ("entered...once for all"); 9:26 ("once at the consummation of the ages")] with blood that is not his own. (26) Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer [The verb "pascho" is used here of suffering death, as it often is in the New Testament; see Heb. 13:12, for example.] often since the foundation of the world [Having become a man (the God-man) through the virgin birth, Jesus could only die once, but, in accordance with God's salvation plan, that one Sacrifice totally solved the sin, spiritual death, Satan problem forever.]; but now once at the consummation of the ages [cf. 1 Cor. 10:11; Gal. 4:4, "But when the fullness of time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law."] He has been manifested [referring to His first coming; His coming again (His second coming) is mentioned in 9:28] TO PUT AWAY SIN [[my emphasis; the KJV; NKJV also translate "to put away sin

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