Read Hebrews 9

Today’s Scripture: 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! Hebrews 9:14

The old covenant rituals could not change people’s hearts. This is not to say that worshippers did not have a spiritual experience if their hearts trusted God, but it does mean that the emphasis was on the external ceremonial cleansing. So long as the worshippers obeyed the prescribed regulations, they were declared clean. It was “the purifying of the flesh” but not the cleansing of the conscience.

We learned from Hebrews 8 that the ministry of the new covenant is

internal: “I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts”

(v. 10). The Holy Spirit of God does this work. But the Spirit could not

dwell within us if Jesus Christ had not paid for our sins. Cleansing our

consciences cannot be done by some external ceremony; it demands an

internal power. Because Jesus Christ is unblemished, He was able to offer the perfect sacrifice.

Something to Ponder

To what extent are you certain that internal changes have taken place in

your life? Explain.