“Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? ” Hebrews 9:11-14
How do we gain awareness of life? What are “dead works,” as described in Hebrews 9:14? What does a purged conscience look like? What does it mean to serve the living God?
First, we operate by the mercies of God. see Romans 12:1-2. Eleven previous chapters of the epistle of Paul to the Romans explains the mercies of God. In Chapter 1, God’s righteousness is said to be revealed from faith to faith, and the righteous live by faith. But, mankind suppresses the truth in unrighteousness. Then the wrath of God is revealed from heaven to these. This pictures the sad state of men under sin. Mankind, claiming to be wise, became fools. Ungodly men become judges of others, but practice the very same things. It is clear that, “None is righteous, no, not one” Rom 3:11 “no one understands; no one seeks for God.” Romans 1-3
However,
Men are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, Romans 3:24 “whom God put forward as a mercy-seat by his blood, to be received by faith.” Romans 3:25
Romans 4:6 teaches that righteousness is “apart from works.” And, “did not come through the law but through faith.” Romans 4:13. “justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:1
Faith gives us access into a grace to stand in. So, “those who receive (by faith), the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness, reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. “Romans 5: 1-17
Friends, “the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:” Romans 5:20
Romans 6 reiterates the principle of faith, “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him…” For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Then we yield our members in a firmly positioned gaze at Christ and His obedience in shedding His blood through death, and so completing the work of Salvation for mankind.
Romans 7 speaks of the struggle a believer might have if he tries to follow the law as a rule of life instead of faith. The reality of Christ’ “keeping” power delivers Paul in his struggle. Romans 8 opens with the words, “no condemnation.” for those in Christ.
Paul takes faith to another level and introduces us to “minding the things of the Spirit” and not the things of the flesh. Through the Spirit, we do mortify the deeds of the body We live. We are led by the Spirit of God, we are the sons of God. Not fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ.”
Chapters 9-11 are Paul’s specific word to the Jewish people, and then we are back at chapter 12.
So, by these “mercies” we present our bodies to be quickened by God. Yes we are alive from the dead. We are acceptable to God by faith. We are not conformed to this world, we are transformed by mind-renewal. In this blessed state, we prove the will of God ! The blood of Christ cleanses our conscience from dead (pre-faith) works, and we are free to operate in-sync with God Himself. All of it surrounds us with His love, the sphere in which faith functions. See Galatians 5:3. Love ya
