The Blood Covenant

‘The greatest miracle is forgiveness of sins’ – Johan Maasbach (I read these words on a poster at the Johan Maasbach Wereldzending in Den Haag). The Book of Hebrews spells out the differences between the blood used in the Old Covenant and the blood in the New Covenant.

1. The first Covenant inaugurated without blood; the second with blood. (Heb 9:19, 20)
2. Animal sacrifice was a substitute; Christ’s blood was the real thing.
3. Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin, because life is in the blood, so the first Covenant there was no remission, only a covering of sin. (Heb 9:22, 23)
4. The tabernacle and its utensils on earth were cleansed with the sprinkling of animal blood; the heavenly tabernacle and its utensils with the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus.
5. God was not pleased with the fact that animal blood could not take away sins; but He is pleased with the blood of Jesus that takes away the sins of the world. (Lev 16:16)

The question arises why did the heavenly tabernacle and altar also need cleansing if heaven is perfect? The earthly tabernacle stood in the midst of a sinful people, so it had to be cleansed continually. But the heavenly tabernacle only needed to be cleansed once, because Jesus blood is the perfect eternal sacrifice. The Church on earth is in contact with the Church in Heaven, called the Church of the Firstborn (or Mt. Zion, or the Heavenly Jerusalem) (Heb 10:22-24) so the Church on earth still have people that sin and it affects the heavenly Church. But the blood of Jesus is more efficacious than the blood of bulls and goats. The blood of Jesus takes sins away.

1. Jesus entered the Holy of Holies once for all and made a new and living way for us to enter into God’s presence even though we are not perfect yet; the old Testament priest had to go in continually but sins were not taken away, only covered. (Heb 10:19-22)
2. God took away the old way of rituals to make way for a new and living way of serving Him (Heb 10:4) Yet people insist on keeping the Jewish feasts and observing certain days and laws concerning food and drink as if God is still interested in those things. He has abolished the old and established the new. The old way is obsolete and the new one is the only way to serve God!

The privileges of the New Testament Believer

1. He is regenerated from within
2. The laws are written in his heart
3. He is circumcised in the heart
4. He is equipped for ministry
5. He is perfected and sanctified by faith
6. God forgives and forgets his confessed sins
7. Jesus is His advocate and takes away his sins

The word ‘new’ in the phrase, ‘new and living way’ actually means the following: the Greek words pros = near and ‘phenein’= newly slain, as compared to the old slain. Doing things in the Old Covenant way like the Jews in the wilderness and before Christ is entering a Dead End Street through dead works. Doing things in a new and living way that Christ opened up for us is so much better!

Jesus entered through the veil – the veil is His flesh. His broken body opened up the way into the Holy of Holies. His body is the Church. Although we are being perfected we are still far from perfect, but through this broken body of believers we enter into the Holy Presence of God as a Royal Priesthood of believers to offer up our acceptable sacrifices unto God!

Let us draw near with a true (genuine) heart  (Heb 9:14) in the full assurance of faith with our conscience cleansed from sin and dead works and let us hold fast to the profession of our faith in Christ Jesus and His New Covenant and never go back to the Old Covenant way of doing things. There is no use for the old ancient practices like the Jews anymore. Christ has become our Feast! We celebrate Jesus every Sunday when we meet to have communion and fellowship with God and with one another! In the New Covenant God forgives and forgets our sins – as we have fellowship the Blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sins! (I John 1:7)