The Pulpit Commentary — Hebrews — Section 249

IV. A MORE THOROUGH OLEANSINO, (Vers. 13, 14.) The writer concedes that the Levities) sin offerings did purify. One purpose of t,heir appointment was that they might effect legal or ceremonial cleansing. "'fhe blood of goats and bulls," which wa11 presented for the collected guilt of Israel once a year, consecrated the ,Jew ceremonialiy i.o the worship and service of Jehovah. In like manner the sprinkling of" the ashes of ,1, red heifer,'' mixed with water, removed legal defilement from the person who had t.ouched II dead body (Numb. xix. 2-9). But the blood of Christ purifies from a deeper pollution, It cleanses the "conscience." It is the God-provided solvent for the 9tains of sin. It can " Cleanse the etuff'd bosom of that perilous ■tuft' Which weighs upon the heart." This blood purifies from "dead works "-those deeds which are done by dead souls, and which, however excellent soqie of them may appear when viewed in themselves, are vet of no avail to recommend to the Divine favour. Under the new covenant the conscience is cleansed so thoroughly that the service of God becomes a constant joy to the believer's soul. The Divine statutes become his" songs,'' and he learns to" run in the way of God's commandments." V. A MORE BLESSED REDEMPTION. Some of the positive elements of the Christian salvation are indicated in these verses. Those had not been" made manifest" under the old covenant. 1. Perfect access to God. The subject of access is the nerve-thought of this whole section of the treatise. The worshipper under the new covenant, being cleansed through the "one offering" of Christ, is admitted into the immediate presence of Jehovah. He stands within the" second veil,'' that veil being now" rent in twain" (Rom. v. l, 2). 2. Full freedom to serve God. (Ver. 14.) A guilt-stained soul can perform only " dead works; " but the spirit that is washed in the blood of Christ's atonement begins immediately to be of use to its Redeemer. Our High Priest has shed his blood, not only to render us safe, but to make ns holy ; not only to deliver us from God's wrath, but from our own wickedness. So soon as Christ destroys "the body of sin " within us, we discover that it is our " reasonable service" to present our persons "a living sacrifice." 3. The gift of eternal life. (Ver.12.) The gospel salvation redeems both soul and body, finally and for ever. It saves, not only from the curse of the Law, but from a.11 evil. "Eternal redemption" expresses the sum total of the benefits which accrue from Christ's mediation, and includes the consummation of the plan of grace in the heavenly world. It denotes" the salvation which is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory." Vers. 15-22.-Ratijication by blood. Here the writer pauses in his argument regarding the superiority of Christ's sacrifice to the sacrifices of the Law, and direct? attention to an important point of similarity between the old covenant and the new. This passage is a serious crux. It has perplexed the most eminent commentators. The great question is, whether liu1911/C'IJ should be translated "covenant" or" testament" in vers.16 and 17. For ourselves, we have come to the conclusion that as this Greek word does not bear the meaning of "testament" or" will" in any other part of Scripture, an.d as it is unquestionably used in the sense of "covenant" in the immediate context (eh. viii. 6-13), as well as in vers. 15, 18-20 of this very passage, we are compelled, in spite of opposing considerations, to attach to the word the sense of "covenant" in vers. 16 and 17 also. Moses did not make a will at Mount Sinai, the provisions of which could only be carried into effect after his death. Neither did Christ speak of a will when he instituted the Lord's Supper in the upper room-using the words of Moses. The one reforence throughout the para.graph before us is to a covenant, or rather to t_he two covenants which are being compared and contrasted in this sect1ou of the treatise. It i:; most unfortunate that the two great parts into wJ:1.1ch Holy Scripture is divided should be designated among the English-speaking nations by the word "testameuts,'' which is confessedly a mistranslation. Rathe1, the Hebrew oracles ought to have been called " The Book of the Old Covenant ; " and the Christian Scriptures "The Book of the New Covenant." I. lN OLDEN TIMES COVENANTS WERE SEALED BY THE DEATH OF VICTIMS. " For where a covenant is, there must of necessity be the death 01 the ratifying victim. Fur  240 'l'HE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. [en. IX, 1-28.