#DailyDevotion Jesus’ Blood Abrogates The Old Covenant & Enacts The New
Hebrews 9:15-22
15And He is the Mediator of a new testament (covenant]. By dying He paid the ransom to free people from the sins under the first covenant, and those who are called are to receive the everlasting inheritance promised them. 16Where there is a will, it must be shown that the one who made it died, 17since a will takes effect only when a person is dead. It is not in force as long as the one who made it is still living. 18That is why the first covenant was also dedicated with blood. 19When Moses had told all the people every commandment of the Law, he took the blood of calves and goats and some water, scarlet wool, and hyssop and sprinkled the scroll and all the people. 20“This is the blood of the covenant,” he said, “that God has ordered you to keep.” 21In the same way he sprinkled blood on the tabernacle and on everything used in the worship. 22According to the Law almost everything is cleansed by blood, and if no blood is poured out, no sins are forgiven.
The author of Hebrews tells us some important things here that we really need to understand and take to heart. Jesus is the Mediator of a new testament. In making the New Testament, the Old Testament is nullified. That means all the the testament, not just parts. It was not only the ritual laws, ceremonial laws, civil laws but also the moral laws that were fulfilled by Christ Jesus’ life, work, death, resurrection and ascension and completely, in total, put aside. The whole thing has been abrogated. It’s purpose today as even then was to point to Jesus Christ, the Son of God as our great High Priest and has High Priest, our Mediator between us and God the Father.
His death paid the ransom to free the people from their sins under the first covenant. Jesus says in Mark 10, “45Why, even the Son of Man didn’t come to be served but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many people.” Paul says in 1 Tim. 2, “6Who gave Himself as a ransom to free all people, and this was announced at the right times.” Jesus gave his life so we could receive an everlasting inheritance.
Now if there there is an inheritance someone has to die. The inheritance doesn’t come into force unless it’s maker dies. Covenants were were also cut in blood. You might remember in the covenant the LORD made with Abraham there were several animals cut in half which the LORD passed his presence through. The covenant the LORD made with Israel through Moses was dedicated with the blood of animals and that blood was sprinkled upon the scroll of the Law (Torah) and the people. That blood was sprinkled on everything on the tabernacle and everything used for worship. According to the Law, everything is cleansed with blood. By the pouring out of blood are sins forgiven.
In this New Testament it is Jesus’ blood that makes the enactment of the Testament in force. It is the pouring out of his blood that makes us holy and forgives all of our sins. His blood is sprinkled upon us when we are baptized by the water and the word. (Eph. 5) It washes us in the pastor’s absolution. We partake of it when we take the cup of the New Testament in his blood. Through these things Jesus makes us partakers of his New Testament, makes us his heirs and makes us his holy people.
Heavenly Father, ever make the blood of your Son Jesus Christ available for us so we may be made partakers of it and made heirs of this New Testament in his blood. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.