Hebrews - Salvation before Jesus? - 2

"All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it." (Hebrews 11:13)

Dear Mrs. Kurtz,
How were people saved before Jesus? Were people who made sacrifices the only people who were saved? It talks in Hebrews about how He came and saved those who were "waiting" for Him. What does that mean?

Dear Friend,

I am excited to continue our discussion of this excellent question! Here is the next installment in the series of truths to ponder. Let's delve into the Word together again, shall we?

Sacrifices served a purpose, but did not forgive sins. 

"But only the high priest ever entered the Most Holy Place, and only once a year. And he always offered blood for his own sins and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. By these regulations the Holy Spirit revealed that the entrance to the Most Holy Place was not freely open as long as the Tabernacle and the system it represented were still in use." (Hebrews 9:7-8)

 This system was temporary and incomplete. It represented a promise of a greater sacrifice to come. 

"This is an illustration pointing to the present time. For the gifts and sacrifices that the priests offer are not able to cleanse the consciences of the people who bring them. For that old system deals only with food and drink and various cleansing ceremonies--physical regulations that were in effect only until a better system could be established." (Hebrews 9:9-10)

The sacrificial system was a reminder of the need for cleansing. All were waiting for the sacrifice that would finally and permanently complete the cleansing.

"So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered the greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven, which was not made by human hands and is not part of this created world. With His own blood--not the blood of goats and calves--He entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever." (Hebrews 9:11-12)

All the earthly system's procedures and implements could only point to the One who would present Himself as a sacrifice.

"Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer could cleanse people's bodies from ceremonial impurity. Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered Himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins. That is why He is the One who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant. Now when someone leaves a will, it is necessary to prove that the person who made it is dead. The will goes into effect only after the person's death. While the person who made it is still alive, the will cannot be put into effect." (Hebrews 9:13-17)

The blood of Christ cleanses not objects, but hearts. We are purified by the perfect blood sacrifice. We no longer are subject to the penalty of the law--death.

"That is why even the first covenant was put into effect with the blood of an animal. For after Moses had read each of God's commandments to all the people, he took the blood of calves and goats, along with water, and sprinkled both the book of God's law and all the people, using hyssop branches and scarlet wool. Then he said, 'This blood confirms the covenant God has made with you.' And in the same way, he sprinkled blood on the Tabernacle and on everything used for worship. In fact, according to the law of Moses, nearly everything was purified with blood. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. That is why the Tabernacle and everything in it, which were copies of things in heaven, had to be purified by the blood of animals. But the real things in heaven had to be purified with far better sacrifices than the blood of animals." (Hebrews 9:18-23)

Blood sealed the covenant, our bond with God. There is no forgiveness without the shedding of blood. Yet, it's not the blood of animals that cleanses us; it is the blood of Jesus, who offered Himself.

"For Christ did not enter into a holy place made with human hands, which was only a copy of the true one in heaven. He entered into heaven itself to appear now before God on our behalf. And He did not enter heaven to offer Himself again and again, like the high priest here on earth who enters the Most Holy Place year after year with the blood of an animal. If that had been necessary, Christ would have had to die again and again, ever since the world began. But now, once for all time, He has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by His own death as a sacrifice." (Hebrews 9:24-26)

Christ died once. His blood covered all sins, past, present, and future. The people of the Old Testament looked ahead to His sacrifice; we look back. Our eyes meet at Jesus, the focal point of all of time and eternity!

"And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for Him." (Hebrews 9:27-28)

Christ came once to deliver us from our sins; He will return to take us home with Him.

Jesus died willingly, a perfect sacrifice the sins of all men, past, present and future. 

"For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed His life, shedding His blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when He held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for He was looking ahead and including them in what He would do in the present time. God did this to demonstrate His righteousness, for He Himself is fair and just, and He makes sinners right in His sight when they believe in Jesus." (Romans 3:25-26)

"After all, is God the God of the Jews only? Isn't He also the God of the Gentiles? Of course He is. There is only one God, and He makes people right with Himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles." (Romans 3:29-30)

• Why was the blood of animals insufficient to forgive sin?
• In what ways was Jesus' sacrifice greater?
• Who may benefit from Jesus' death? Why?

Heavenly Father, Your Word is so full and rich with truth, thank You! Will You help us to understand all that we read and study? We thank You for Your great love for us.