THE BLOOD OF CHRIST. Hebrews 9:13-14 The "blood of Christ" should always move our hearts. "Purge" (cleansing) is aimed at our worship in priestly service. That provides strong motivation to avoid defilement. Christ's blood can cleanse our consciences. We are freed from the sting of death and made alive to God so we can serve Him acceptably because of the blood of Christ. The power of sin has no authority over us because of the blood of Christ. It is foolish for a forgiven sinner to try to earn forgiveness when it has already been granted to us.
When our conscience is awakened by sin, we must turn to our heavenly Father in confession and accept the forgiveness He offers. Those who in the past brought innocent animals as substitutes for sin would look beyond the animals in faith and recognize that God accepted the sacrifice they made when they acted in accordance with His word. They were ceremonially accepted based on the future sacrifice Christ would make. When they understood that and looked ahead in faith, as Abraham did, they "rejoiced to see My (Jesus') day, and were glad."
The sacrifices the Israelites made provided ceremonial cleansing for the bodies of the priests and the people. On the Day of Atonement, Aaron offered a calf for himself and a goat for the sins of the people. The “ashes of a heifer” were used for outward purification of someone who had become ceremonially unclean by touching a corpse. These ceremonies were important because God had given the instructions, and they served to awaken consciences to the need for God. However, the cleansing was only external; it did not remove sin from a person. It did, however, make it possible for a defiled person to once again participate in the life and worship of God’s people.
In contrast, “How much more” the sacrifice of Christ was effective because He was “holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners.” He is able to cleanse our consciences—our inner selves. His cleansing power took effect on us when we put our trust in Him by faith, and it continues as we live and grow in faith. We became spiritually alive in Christ, and our souls were saved eternally. When He comes to “receive us unto Himself,” our bodies will also be changed to sinless immortality.
The three persons of the Godhead are involved in the cleansing of redeemed people. Our Lord “offered Himself without spot to God.” He filled the place God wants for us by taking our place in death and satisfying holy justice. Our sins have been removed through His personal sacrifice on our behalf. God the Son offered Himself; He chose to become “obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” The eternal Spirit, the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us, is the life of God that lived in Him, that He gave, and now lives in us, all because of the “Blood of Christ!”
Our consciences tell us what we truly are and deal with our past, but even more importantly, with our present—integrity or falsehood. We recognize when we are insincere, counterfeit, and untruthful. Our consciences are the part of our nature that controls our spiritual being, similar to how pain or relief controls our physical activities. The power of Christ’s blood, and what His death has achieved for us, enters our hearts and cleanses our consciences.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the visible reflection of the invisible God, both on earth and in heaven. The Holy Spirit, working through our Lord Jesus, testifies on earth about who He is, as well as the “water and the blood.” The result of these three witnesses to our spirits is that we don’t try to get favor with God because of dead works.
A clear conscience makes us fit to serve the Living God. To be able to serve Him is what we have been made for, and it is what makes life worth living. Because of Christ's death for us, our minds and souls are purified. We can approach God, worship, and serve Him with clear consciences. We are always able to enjoy and have free access to God’s presence.
For us, knowing that Christ's sacrifice has been made and accepted by a Righteous God transforms our lives into ones that genuinely seek to please Him. The cleansing of our hearts and lives brings us joy when we truly value Him. What He did is of infinite satisfaction to God, and our inability to please Him on our own does not create a barrier between Him and us. Conversely, any attempt to reach God through our own effort would be an insulting reflection on God Himself. Today, people honor and glorify self-achievement and self-effort. They believe they are successful if they have a lot of money, are physically strong and fit, and have become famous through sports or an invention they created.
In the scriptures, success is not measured in that way. When we have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as our own Savior from sin because of His sacrifice on the cross, and the blood of Christ has purified our conscience, then we understand in the kingdom of God the way up is down, the way to win is to lose, the way to get is to give. The way to live is to die.