We must become very familiar with the truth; therefore, we must become immersed in God’s Word. We must know what we really believe and why we believe it. I cannot think of better place to start than a study of our redemption through the blood of Christ.

3 Then Moses came and recounted to the people all the words of the Lord and all the ordinances; and all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words which the Lord has spoken we will do!” 4 Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. Then he arose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain with twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel. 5 He sent young men of the sons of Israel, and they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as peace offerings to the Lord. 6 Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and the other half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. 7 Then he took the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people; and they said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!” 8 So Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.” Exodus 24:3-8 (NASB)

With the demise of the Biblical/Christian Worldview those of us who belong to the Lamb of God must stop assuming that our culture, our environment, knows or grasps what we mean when we talk about sin and God being Holy, Righteous, and Just. In Romans 1 we see that the natural Man knows the truth in his or her heart of hearts, but they suppress it. In turn, God gives them over or gives them up to a debased mind. This is spiritual blindness. These given over to their lusts and desires are no longer convicted of the evil of their sin. They lose their fear of God’s judgment. Over time, they become resentful and full of hate towards any who teach or preach the Gospel to them. This is why so many flock to some form of alternative “church” such as seeker-sensitive “churches.” There they are stroked and made to feel good without having to deal with the real Jesus. Their religion, Christless Christianity, is friends of the world and eager to welcome those of other ‘religions’ except for those troublesome orthodox Christians who preach the whole Gospel, the Law of God, and the truth about sin and total separation from God for the unredeemed.

Therefore, we must become prepared for this time. We must become very familiar with the truth; therefore, we must become immersed in God’s Word. We must know what we really believe and why we believe it. I cannot think of better place to start than a study of our redemption through the blood of Christ.

11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; 12 and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? Hebrews 9:11-14 (NASB)

In Hebrews 9:1-10 we learn of the Temple and the work of the Priests as they served the Lord in their day-by-day service. Then the writer of Hebrews begins in v11 to contrast the work of Christ in our redemption with the animal sacrificial system of the Old Covenant. Christ is the high priest of the good things that have and are to come. What good things? His single sacrifice is superior in a superior heavenly tabernacle (the very presence of God). It is superior to all of the sacrifices done under the Old Covenant because it brings complete forgiveness of sins, eternal salvation, purified consciences, and direct access to God as we will see as we unpack the rest of this passage.

Why is it important that the conscience of the believer is purified from dead works to serve the living God? The Mosaic sacrifices did not affect the conscience, but Christ’s sacrifice purifies believers to their innermost being. The conscience is a vital part of our hearts. The Holy Spirit uses it to convict us of sin. He also uses it to give us an inner justification as we rest in Christ. Genuine believers receive a purified conscience at salvation. However, it must learn what behaviors are right and wrong. This is why it is so critical for Christians to become immersed in the Word of God. Blessed is the man or woman whose conscience is not seared and yet does not condemn them. This is only possible with a purified conscience.

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