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Hebrews 9:11-14 – Redemption

by Gary Sims
10/27/03
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The Epistles
Hebrews 9:11-14 – Redemption

Key Verses: (NRSV)
  • 11: “But when Christ came as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and perfect tent...” The writer of Hebrews is still comparing Christ, the High Priest, to the Jewish priests who would enter the tent that held the Ark of the Covenant.

  • 12: “He entered once for all into the Holy Place, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.” – On the Day of Atonement the high priest would enter the tabernacle and spread blood from a goat or a bull on the Ark in a sacrificial effort to expiate the sins of the people.

  • 14: “How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to worship the living God!” – Jesus sacrificed Himself so that we would be cleaned and forgiven for all time.
Points to Contemplate:
  • Do you need to be forgiven? When you sin is there a debt owed? Do you sense that to correct a wrong that a process of redemption is necessary? Are there things you can do in order to have your sins erased or do they simply keep piling up on top of each other, creating a heavier and heavier load for you to carry? The Day of Atonement in the Jewish faith is a day to erase all the sins from the previous year. God had established this procedure through the Law of Moses in order to help lift us from the burden of sin. The question presented by the writer of Hebrews is: Does it work?

  • Are you working hard at being good? Do you have a particular sin that seems to control your life? That whenever you feel that you might be able to manage its control, you slip right back into it as deeply as ever? Do you criticize and blame yourself for not being as holy as you should be? Does this tendency keep you from being able to worship and love God with your entire heart? Does its darkness cloud your view of His Holiness?

  • Have you given up? Have you come to the conclusion that you simply cannot become the type of person Christ is calling you to be? Are you resolved that you will always be burdened with imperfections and sin? If this is so, what does this have to say about the process of sanctification? Isn’t your relationship with Christ supposed to transform you into a Christ-like disciple? Are we not expecting God to mold us into His disciples, changing our hearts permanently into vessels filled with His love? If this is the expectation, how can you settle for anything less?

  • How important is Christ’s sacrifice for you? When you consider your sins, when you understand your failings, when you have given up and accepted your inability to change, is this a time to fully comprehend the value of His love? Are you able to accept His purification for your life as a gift that truly sets you free? Will you accept His gift as a personal act of redemption that erases every shortfall and blots out every transgression? Can you use His day on the cross as the basis for the transformation He has in store for you? Will you allow Him to make you holy and pure?
Promises of the Gospel:

Praise God for His love! Worship Him with all your heart! Through Christ we are assured, guaranteed, that our sins have been forgiven. Once and for all time, the darkness that wants to control us is erased. No other process of redemption ever tried by man has worked. There are no other rituals, acts of penance, or procedures of purification that can be done to effectively expunge our ungodliness. We are separated from God because of sin and would be forever banished from His presence if it were not for one amazing act of love. The blood of Christ has freed us from death and enables us to serve a living God; growing and transforming us to be more like Him with each passing moment. Hallelujah!

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