Dear Student of the Word,
This week I continue editing my study of Hebrews by sending you study six. It is remarkable to me that the writer of Hebrews was having to make such a passionate and complete case to convince believing Jews not to return to Judaism! Yet the pull of legalistic rituals and ethnic pride were powerful and believers who were looking for the 'good old days' of the Old Testament instead of faith in Christ. The writer saw this as an unacceptable option that would forfeit their eternal life in Christ! In this week's seven-day study, I wrote this on day five:
Part Six, Day Five
13 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. 14 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, so that we may serve the living God! 15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance-now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. 16 In the case of a will, it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it,
9:13&14 – The writer stated that first the blood of animals and then the blood of Jesus cleansed our conscience from acts that lead to death in order to serve God. Here are some thoughts on our conscience:
- It is a real component of every person and is proof to many of the existence of God; how else could someone have their conscience accuse them of wrongdoing when they haven’t even been taught that what they did was wrong? (see Romans 2:15).
- The conscience isn’t infallible; it may accuse or defend certain actions falsely;
- Some have a stronger conscience than others, but the stronger needs to act according to the level of the weaker conscience (see 1 Corinthians 8:10-12);
- The conscience needs to be educated concerning what is morally right and wrong;
- The conscience may be correct in its disposition, but should not have the final word as to what action is required (see 1 Corinthians 4:4-5).
I have taught that guilt is often a bad motivator; it often can lead you to do an incorrect or inappropriate thing. Don’t respond out of guilt; respond to the Spirit’s leading in your life and you will always do the proper thing.
In other words, if you have a guilty conscience, don’t ignore it, but also don’t accept it at face value. Paul wrote that his conscience did not bother him about a certain matter but he did not use that as his source of vindication:
“My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me” – 1 Corinthians 4:4.
9:15&16 – The Old Testament instituted a system of endless sacrifice. The New Testament focuses on one sacrifice, namely Christ, and the endless access that those who put their trust in Him have to the benefits of that one sacrifice. I heard someone say once that when you sin, you should run to God and not from Him That is the power of what Christ did for you and me. Thank you, Jesus.
A guilty conscience can cause you to run from the very source that will cleanse your conscience! Don’t allow guilt to ruin or run your life, no matter how badly you’ve messed up. Run to Jesus and access the forgiveness that is yours.
As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. For additional Bible studies, check out my website archive, which contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse New Testament studies, along with the unpublished daily devotional entitled A Daily Taste of Proverbs. Thank you and I hope you continue to enjoy this study of Hebrews from God's word.
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