An Approving Conscience Devotion 8 of 11

"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: 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?" (Hebrews 9:14). "Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water" (Hebrews 10:22)

THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CHRIST'S BLOOD

How radically the old covenant differs from the glory of the new covenant. Those in Christ experience cleansing and purification. As it is written, "And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Spirit, even as he did unto us; and put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith" (Acts 15:8-9). This is purification from a defiling conscience. The appointed means of obtaining this benefit is personal faith. This is how we "receive the reconciliation" (Rom. 5:11). The blood of Christ provides the basis for a cleansed conscience. This is the clear teaching of Scripture. "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?" (Heb. 9:14). How is it that Christ's blood could affect what the multiplicity of animal sacrifices could not affect? It is simply that Jesus took sin away, putting it away by the sacrifice of Himself. As it is written, "but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself" (Heb. 9:26). Jesus was truly "the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). Bearing our sins "in His body on the tree," Jesus made an "end" of them, effectually removing them from the face of God (1 Pet. 2:24; Dan. 9:24). God witnessed the unspeakable "travail" of Christ's soul, as the Savior "poured" it out in voluntary death. The clear word of Scripture is that He was "satisfied" with what He saw. "Yet it pleased THE LORD to bruise HIM; HE (God) hath put HIM (Christ) to grief: when thou shalt make HIS soul an offering for sin, HE shall see HIS seed, HE shall prolong HIS days, and the pleasure of THE LORD shall prosper in HIS hand. HE (God) shall see of the travail of HIS (Christ's) soul, and shall be satisfied: by HIS knowledge shall MY RIGHTEOUS SERVANT justify many; for HE shall bear their iniquities" (Isa. 53:10-11). Remarkably, there are sixteen references to Deity in these two verses. This passage deals with the very heart of our salvation, emphasizing the predominate role of Deity in the rescue of the human race. Review the passage carefully. All of the liabilities belong to humanity. Sin was the cause ("offering for sin"), and justification is the result (justify many"). Jesus did it all by Himself!