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Wednesday October 23 - Out with the old
For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance... Hebrews 9:15
The Bible chapter we’ve been reading this week is a reminder of the Old Covenant between God and man that was mediated through sacrifices and priests. Within this elaborate system there was a sense of participation by the whole of the Jewish nation. Everyone had a part to play to ensure that they engaged with their need to have their sins atoned for.
But when we come to the New Covenant things changed. The need for human sin to be covered by a blood sacrifice remained but the responsibility for both the sacrifice and its presentation before God was now assumed by Jesus. The old order was dispensed with so that one final Mediator might bring the sacrificial system to completion.
History is full of stories of people who have given their lives to save others; for example, Godwin Ajala who reportedly held the door open for those fleeing from the World Trade Center during the 9/11 attacks. Sadly, he lost his life while assisting others.
Such accounts of heroism help to shape our understanding of the truth that Jesus has now become the One who mediates our salvation. (Romans 8:34 and Hebrews 7:25 explain these two aspects of Jesus’ intercession on our behalf.) We are totally reliant on Jesus’ sacrifice and role as High Priest to secure our righteousness before God.
Father God, thank you for sending Jesus to save me and to be the permanent Mediator of my righteousness. Amen
Thursday October 24 - No more Mr Nice Guy
The law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. Hebrews 9:22
People who know me well might find it hard to believe that once upon a time I was little more than a nominal churchgoer. I’d grown up in church and no doubt said and did all the right things, but looking back it’s clear that I wasn’t saved or, for that matter, aware of my need for salvation.
All that changed when at the age of 29 I had a life-transforming encounter with God in which I was baptised in the Holy Spirit. Not only did I become aware of God’s wonderful goodness to me, expressed through Jesus Christ, but it was also a massive wake-up call to realise that the superficial veneer of Mr Nice Guy, which being a churchgoer gave me, didn’t cut it with God.
The Bible certainly doesn’t mince its words in communicating our need of purification before a holy God. Without the atoning blood of Jesus, we remain in a perilous and unrighteous state.
It’s sometimes the case that Christians who have had a colourful past are given a platform as people who were particularly in need of forgiveness. The apostle Paul hit that delusion into the long grass with his categoric statement in Romans 3:23 that ‘all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’. Understanding this truth will help us to fully appreciate Jesus’ gift of righteousness.
Father God, I acknowledge my need of your forgiveness, and I thank you that I am saved through Jesus Christ. Amen.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
PRAYER FOR TODAY
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