Hebrews: The Daily Discipline of a Devoted LifeSample

You are probably familiar with the slogan for Sky TV – ‘believe in better.’ It was Rupert Murdoch’s aim to take television to a much higher plane through his satellite television company. Whether Murdoch has achieved his aims is a matter of conjecture. But, there is no doubt that the sacrifice of Christ is ‘better,’ in every way imaginable, than the Old Testament sacrificial system that preceded and foreshadowed it. 

• First, Jesus entered ‘the greater and more perfect tabernacle’ (v. 11). While Aaron brought blood into a tent in a desert, Jesus brought his blood right into the presence of God in heaven. Jesus’ sacrifice brings you and me right into God’s intimate, holy presence. 
• Second, Jesus entered that better tabernacle with better blood: not the blood of ‘goats and bulls’ (v. 13), but the blood of the perfect, eternal Son of God himself (vv. 12, 14). The one who died for us is of greater worth than all the sacrificial animals put together. 
• Third, the blood cleanses us more deeply than the Old Testament sacrifices did. The blood of sacrificial animals could only make you ‘outwardly clean’ (v. 13) in a ceremonial sense. But Jesus’ blood has the power to ‘cleanse our consciences’ (v. 14). It genuinely removes guilt from our souls, for all our sins – past, present and future. 
• Fourth, we now have a better covenant. The sacrifices of the first covenant could not truly forgive sins. But now that Christ’s sacrifice has fully dealt with sin, we can now receive ‘the promised eternal inheritance’ (v. 15) that Old Testament saints could only dream of. 
• Fifth, Jesus’ sacrifice is better in the sense that it is more complete. While Old Testament priests had to offer their sacrifices ‘again and again’ (v. 25), as a sign that they could never properly deal with sin, now Christ ‘has appeared once for all’ (v. 26). In one mighty, sweeping act of salvation, as Jesus sheds his blood and takes the punishment for every sin committed in the history of the human race, Jesus brings complete salvation. And he will come again a second time, as the great sin conqueror, ‘to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him’ (v. 28). Salvation is not just a past experience on our conversion day; it is a future hope. 

When you believe in Jesus, you ‘believe in better’. 

Reflection

You are saved in a most wonderful way, whether you understand all the dimensions of that salvation or not. But you will know Christ better if you take time to discover all that he has accomplished for you.