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(15) And for this reason He is the Mediator of the
new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under
the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the
eternal inheritance. (16) For where there is a testament, there must also
of necessity be the death of the testator. (17) For a testament is in
force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives.
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Above all, it separates us from God. How can we be close to Him as long as we
are sinning? Something had to be done, first of all, to bridge the gap: The sins
had to be forgiven. Therefore, Jesus
Christ, when He qualified by being blameless, voluntarily offered Himself to
be the sacrifice that would overcome the division.
Before He did this, knowing He would die, He made out a will. He said, "When
I die, those who take advantage of My death will inherit what I have inherited."
The inheritance is to be in His Family! With it goes all the other promises: the
promises of the Holy
Spirit, eternal
life, all the gifts, continual forgiveness,
etc.
Whatever is needed, He will supply it. He will continue to stand between God
and us, for a priest is one who bridges the gap between different parties to
bring them together. He is saying, "When I am resurrected, I will always stand
in the gap and be there when you need Me, and I will administer the Spirit of
God."
Being brought close to God not only enables us to serve Him, it also enables
the Father to serve us. Because we are in His presence, He can distribute to us
the gifts than enable us to continue. Christ, then, is shown to be the Sacrifice
for forgiveness of sin; the Mediator of peace
between God and us; the Testator who died, passing on the benefits to us. These
benefits work to remove the flaw, allowing us to keep the terms of the New
Covenant.
We can then have a sustained and wonderful relationship with God. We can have
His laws written on our hearts (Hebrews 8:10) and so be transformed into His image,
qualified to share the inheritance of the promises with Him because we are like
Him.
— John W. Ritenbaugh
To learn more, see:
The Covenants, Grace and Law (Part 13)
Related Topics:
Eternal Life
Forgiveness
God's Holy Spirit
God's Laws Written in Hearts and Minds
Jesus Christ as Mediator
New Covenant
Reconciliation
Relationship to God
Relationship with God
Sin Causes Division
Sin Causes Separation from God
Sin Produces Separation
Sin Separates
Sin separates us from God
Transformed into His Likeness
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