OUR FATHER WHO MADE PROVISION TO CLEANSE OUR CONSCIENCES THROUGH CHRIST 

Hebrews chapter 9 verses 13 - 14 says this;

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. 

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!

In this passage, the writer of the book of Hebrews contrasts the power of the blood of goats ano m.

d bulls to cleanse those who were ceremonially unclean with the power of the blood of Christ to 11q our consciences.

Whereas the ceremonies in the man-made tabernacle were representatives or shadows of the spiritual tabernacle in heaven and were enacted to ceremonially cleanse those who were externally unclean, when Christ offered Himself as an unblemished sacrifice to God through the eternal Spirit, our internal consciences are cleansed when presented to God so that we can serve Him.

Also, whereas the priests had to conduct the ceremonial external cleansing by the blood of goats and bulls every year,  the blood of Christ was shed once and for all and for all time has the power to do the deep work of cleansing our consciences.

It is on the basis of the power of the blood of Christ that we can find forgiveness for as it says in Hebrews chapter 9 verse 22;

In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

The blood, having been shed to pay the penalty for sin, we, by believing in Christ's power to save us, find that His blood has covered our sin and we are acquitted in the courts of judgement. When we look at the court documents, we find that the Lord Jesus is the one paid the penalty and so when we go to inquire of our benefactor what we owe Him for paying the penalty of our sin, He tells us that we owe Him nothing.

So the Lord shed His own blood to pay our penalty of death and gain our complete exoneration in court and then does not hold us to repayment but rather writes off the debt we owe Him.

This is what forgiveness is. 

When this is clear to us, are we not moved to offer our lives to Him in love and gratitude for the immeasurable price He paid to save us and yet demanded nothing in return? And moreover, with our consciences cleaned, are we not fully able to serve the living God freely and joyfully?

Amen.

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