“The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death,[c] so that we may serve the living God!” – Hebrews 9:13-14
Paul is writing to Greek-speaking Hebrew believers in this correspondence. They were referred to as ‘the diaspora’ which was a term applied to those Jews who settled outside of Palestine after the Babylonian exile. Paul is pointing out to them that they were more than just clean on the outside, which is all the yearly blood sacrifices provided for them. Having received Christ as their Messiah they were cleansed completely and totally of all sin. In addition to this good news, they were also told that the guilt they carried due to the ineffectiveness of the Old Testament sacrifices has been cleansed as well. No longer would they have to bear the guilt of misdeeds, for the blood of Christ covers all.
We believers today should rejoice in the fact that we have been made clean by the blood of Christ if we have accepted His grand gift of forgiveness. We need not carry the burden of shame for anything we have done in our past if it is under the blood. With a clear conscience we can worship God with no reservations because we are totally accepted by Him. His love is unconditional and has no end. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!
