Hebrews Chapter Nine: Dead to Sin

OH MY GOSH I GOT A 3DS!!!! I'VE BEEN FREAKING OUT SINCE WEDNESDAY NIGHT WHEN THAT GUY AT TARGET OPENED THE GLASS DOOR AND TOOK OUT THIS BOX THAT HAD MY 3DS IN IT AND IT WAS MINE AND IT'S STILL MINE AND SO FAR I HAVEN'T WOKEN UP SO IT MUST NOT BE A DREAM! It's about time something good happens to me, I mean really. I have no games for it as of now, but you know, one thing at a time. It was totally worth the work, time, and money. I'm very impressed with it so far, I think the negativity surrounding the 3DS is blown out of proportion, but that's just me. I'll do an official review once I get some games and the excitement of finally having it has worn off, perhaps after Christmas sometime. I'm usually not lacking in money from my birthday (which happens to be on Thanksgiving this year) to Christmas, so I'll be able to purchase some games to review and talk about.

So, I'm running out of witty intros to each chapter of Hebrews. The initial blog intro that I do at the beginning is easy because it's usually something that's happened to me over the week. But, yeah, can I simply say, “Time for Hebrews nine” and be done with it? Okay, time for Hebrews nine.

1-5 I could maybe write a four page book on the significance behind the items mentioned in these verses alone, but I don't think that's the point. Perhaps it was the main focus at one time, but the book of Hebrews is not about the old covenant, but about the new covenant overtaking the old one. I see this brief list as a reminder that at one time in the past, these things were important for salvation itself. But now there's a new way of doing things.

6-10 Remember, only the priest was permitted into the inner room of the Tabernacle, and that once a year and with the shedding of blood. Limited access to the presence of God. This wasn't enough to truly cleanse God's people of their sin. There needed to be something more, something much more powerful and final to completely do away with sin.

11-12 Jesus used the power of his own perfect blood to enter eternal redemption for the whole world. It wasn't something that needed to be repeated, it wasn't a ceremony, an example, or a picture of things to come. It was the real thing.

13-14 If the ashes of an animal can make us “clean” on the outside, or basically, cleansed of sin from the past only, what can the blood of Jesus do? It's a rhetorical question, by the way. The blood of animals might have been enough to clear you of the acts of sin you committed, but what about tomorrow? What about next week? The blood of Christ not only washes away past acts, but the things you are going to do. It did away with sin entirely so we can more effectively serve God.

15 I pretty much love this verse. Any verse in the bible that talks about how we've been set free from sin is my favorite honestly. Think about this for a sec: we are set free from sin. No longer does it control us. No longer does it have power over us to make us do what it wants. We have the power over sin to say no. We have the power to run from sin!

"In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus."
-Romans 60:11

16-22 Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. Without blood or death, a will can't be put into effect. It's the same way with the covenants. There has to be bloodshed in order to remove sin.

23-26 Jesus doesn't enter the Holy of Holies where God's presence dwells to intercede for us. He went straight to the Father after he shed his own perfect blood for us. He's a direct connection to the source. So instead of having to sacrifice daily for a temporary, incomplete connection to God, Jesus gave himself as a one time sacrifice to open up a full connection (or at least as full as is attainable in our earthly bodies) to God himself.

27-28 I like this picture of us waiting for God to come. He already shed his blood so he can call us his own children, now we just have to wait until his return, when we will be taken to the Father and our promise of salvation will be complete.

What do you say after that? The end, that's what you say. Man, I need to stop putting off blog writing until Thursday night........