Hebrews 9:24 (ESV) … “For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.”
The New Covenant Christian has reality! We are not depending on a high priest on earth who annually visits the holy of holies in a temporary sanctuary. We depend on the heavenly High Priest who has entered once and for all into the eternal sanctuary. There He represents us before God, and He always will.
Beware of trusting anything for your spiritual life that is “made with hands” (Heb. 9:24). It will not last. The tabernacle was replaced by Solomon’s temple, and that temple was destroyed by the Babylonians. When the Jews returned to their land after the Captivity, they rebuilt their temple; and King Herod, in later years, expanded and embellished it. But the Romans destroyed that temple, and it has never been rebuilt. Furthermore, since the genealogical records have been lost or destroyed, the Jews are not certain who can minister as priests. These things that are “made with hands” are perishable, but the things “not made with hands” are eternal.[i]
Those of us who are New Covenant believers are beneficiaries of the proactive power of Christ’s death, for he has paid for our sins. When he gave us the grace to believe, he activated his saving power in our lives—paying for our sins past, present and future.
In a rural village lived a doctor who was noted both for his professional skill and his devotion to Christ. After his death, his books were examined. Several entries had written across them in red ink: “Forgiven—too poor to pay.” Unfortunately, his wife was of a different disposition. Insisting that these debts be settled, she filed a suit before the proper court. When the case was being heard, the judge asked her, “Is this your husband’s handwriting in red?” She replied that it was. “Then,” said the judge, “not a court in the land can touch those whom he has forgiven.”
Jesus writes in bold crimson letters across our lives, “Forgiven!” “Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us” (Romans 8:33, 34).[ii]
[i] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 312). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
[ii] Hughes, R. K. (1993). Hebrews: an anchor for the soul (Vol. 1, p. 238). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.
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