May 1932
218
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
gious nature and trusts the atoning blood of Christ, that soul finds the burden of sin lifted from the conscience and the life liberated from bondage. Conscience is purged from dead works and service, for the living God takes the place of religious formality. It can never be stated too frequently, or too emphatic ally, that there is a Man in heaven, the God-Man, who died for our sins, and who now lives in the power of an endless life. He forgives, clears, and cleanses freely and fully all who come to Him as sinners, and who receive Him as their personal Saviour (cf. John 1:12; 6 :37 ). This is the beginning of a vital Christian experience. In verse 15, the writer speaks of the death of Christ in relation to transgressions under the first covenant. He does not intend to restrict the atoning work of Christ to those ,sins only, but refers to those sins specially. The cross of Christ is timeless; it reaches back to all that is past and reaches forward to all that is to come. The for giveness of sins, before or since that cross became an his toric fact, is the result of the atoning work accomplished there. T h e V a l id it y o f t h e T e s t a m e n t s In verses 16 to 23, the subject of a last will, or testa ment, appears. A will or testament becomes valid and e f fective only by the death of the testator. This is true of both covenants, the old and the new. The first covenant was ratified by blood, which indicates the pouring out of lifq unto death. So it is with the new covenant. It becomes valid and effective through the blood of Christ. Man’s rela tionship, as a sinner, to the righteoiis government of God, and man’s fellowship with the righteous God Himself are based on the principle embodied in the words of verse 22,1 “ Without shedding of blood is no remission.” The shed ding of blood speaks of death, and death is God’s judg ment upon sin. In the very nature of things, a Holy God must judge sin and pass sentence upon it. That sentence is death. So, in the words of verse 15r redemption is by means of death. The promise of the eternal inheritance cannot be realized or experienced in any other way. The; will of God the Father provides for us a rich inheritance!: The work o f God the Son, who died for our sins, make's that will valid and effective. The witness o f God, the Holy Spirit, leads the believer into the appropriation and enjoy ment, of all that has been provided. Believe this and rejoice. . In verse 23, we note the contrast between “ the pattern of things in the heavens” and “ the heavenly things them selves.” The patterns under the old covenant foreshad owed on earth the method of pardon and acceptance be fore God in heaven. Like a great index finger, they pointed to “ the place called Calvary” and to “ the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.” The real ground for pardon in heaven was always the Lamb of God, slain before the foundation of the world, and one day slain before the eyes of the world. In the remaining verses of the chapter, mention is made of the three appearings of our Lord. In ver.se 26, “ he appeared to put away sin by thq sacrifice of himself.” In verse 24, he appears “ in the presence of God for us;” And according to verse 28, “ he shall appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” These three appearings we shall consider in our next lesson.
The two outstanding truths connected with Israel’s high priest and his services on the day of atonement may be expressed in the words, “ representation” and “propitia tion.” Aaron represented the people before God. Clothed in the garments divinely appointed, and by virtue o f the sacrifices offered, he was ceremonially perfect when he went into the most holy place and stood in the presence of God. On his shoulders and on his breastplate, he bore the names of the children of Israel (cf. Ex. 28:12, 29). The people were accepted in the person of their representative, So is it with the Christian believer. He is accepted in the Beloved, whose perfections are inherent and intrinsic. He appears “ in the presence of God for us” (v. 24). This reminds us of the words in 4:14, “We have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God.” In the matter of propitiation, the difference is just as great. In verse 26, we read that Christ appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. Underscore the two words “put away,” then believe with all your heart what those two words assert. If any doubt remains, turn to 1 John 2 :12 and read, “ Your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.”. This truth was graphically prefigured and fore shadowed,by the services on the day of atonement, ail of which were divinely ordered, Two goats were brought to the high priest. One was slain and its blood sprinkled with in the veil. Then Aaron placed his hands on the head of the live goat and confessed “ all the iniquities of the chil dren of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins” (Lev. 16 :2 !). In a figure, sins were transferred from the people to the substitute provided, then the live goat was led away into a solitary land. The propitiation was made in the sacrifice of the first goat, which was slain. This indicated the divine judgment upon sin, which is death. So “ Christ died fdr our sins.” The result of the sacrifice was the put ting away.o f sin as represented by the live goat sent into a solitary land. The requirements of the divine holiness and'the need of sinners are both met in the work of our substitute Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. '1 . A C o n s c ie n c e P urged The contrast presented in verses 13 and 14 should be carefully considered. The blood of the Old Testament sacrifices could effect only a ceremonial cleansing, but the blood of Christ purifies the conscience from dead works to serve the living God. Dead works may be regarded as the burden of effort to atone for one’s own sins. The hu man conscience is burdened with a sense of guilt, and attempts are made religiously to remove this burden. In the Epistle to the Romans, the apostle speaks of those who “ being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” The Redeemer has met every requirement of the divine righteousness, and to those who receive Him, He becomes “ the Lord, our righteousness.” Not knowing that salvation is a gracious provision, many religious people endeavor to attain merit by the observance of religious rites, by sacraments, by keeping Lent, and by trying to be good: This is all to be classified as dead works. Trying to be good will not save you, but being saved will make you good. When a soul turns from all human efforts of a reli
“CHRIST .BEING COME AN HIGH PRIEST . . . OBTAINED REDEMPTION FOR US.”
Made with FlippingBook Online document