Verse 12 says, “nor through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, entered once for all into the Holy of Holies, having found an eternal redemption.” In the old covenant, the blood of goats and calves only made atonement for people’s sins (Lev. 16:15-18); it never accomplished redemption for their sins, “for it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Heb. 10:4). In Hebrew, the root of the word for atonement means “cover.” Thus, “atonement” means to cover, not to take away sins. Since Christ as the Lamb of God took away the sin of the world (John 1:29) by offering Himself on the cross as the sacrifice for sins once for all (Heb. 9:14; 10:12), His blood, which He sprinkled in the heavenly tabernacle (12:24), has accomplished an eternal redemption for us, even the redemption of the transgressions under the first, the old, covenant (9:15), which transgressions were only covered by animal blood. Thus, we have been “redeemed with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Pet. 1:18-19).
Verse 14 says, “How much more shall the blood of Christ, Who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself spotless to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.” On the cross, Christ offered Himself to God in the human body (10:5, 10), which body is a matter of time. But He did it through the eternal Spirit, who is of eternity, without any limit of time. Hence, in the eyes of God, Christ as the Lamb of God was “slain from the foundation of the world” (Rev. 13:8). His offering of Himself was “once for all” (Heb. 7:27), and the redemption consummated through His death is eternal (9:12), having an eternal effect. The span of His redemption fully covers the span of sin.
The blood of Christ purifies our conscience to serve the living God. To serve the living God requires a blood-purified conscience. To worship in dead religion or to serve any dead thing other than God does not require our conscience to be purified. The conscience is the leading part of our spirit. The living God whom we desire to serve always comes to our spirit (John 4:24) by touching our conscience. He is righteous, holy, and living. Our defiled conscience needs to be purified so that we may serve Him in a living way. To worship God in our mind religiously does not require this.
Verse 14 speaks of “dead works” and “the living God.” Since we were dead (Eph. 2:1; Col. 2:13), whatever we did, bad or good, was dead works before the living God. Hebrews is not a book which teaches religion, but a book which reveals the living God (3:12; 9:14; 10:31; 12:22). To touch this living God we need to exercise our spirit (4:12) and have a blood-purified conscience. The blood of Christ was shed for the forgiveness of sins (Matt. 26:28). The new covenant was consummated with it (Heb. 10:29; Luke 22:20). It has accomplished eternal redemption for us (Heb. 9:12; Eph. 1:7; 1 Pet. 1:18-19), and has purchased the church for God (Acts 20:28). It washes us from our sins (Rev. 1:5; 1 John 1:7), purifies our conscience (Heb. 9:14), sanctifies us (13:12), and speaks better things for us (12:24). By this blood we enter the Holy of Holies (10:19) and overcome Satan the accuser (Rev. 12:10-11). Therefore, it is precious and better than the blood of goats and bulls (9:12-13). We must highly value it and should not regard it common as animal blood. If we do, we shall suffer punishment by God (10:29-31).
Verse 15 says, “And because of this He is Mediator of a new covenant, so that, death having taken place for redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, those who have been called might receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.” Christ is the Mediator of the new covenant and the Executor of the new testament. By His death Christ has consummated the new covenant. In His death He has left this new covenant with us as a bequeathed testament, a designated will. Now in His resurrection, as the Mediator of the new covenant, He is the Executor of the new testament, executing what has been accomplished in the new covenant and bequeathed in the new testament.
We have seen that all the promises of God have become accomplished facts in the new covenant through Christ’s redemptive work, and that all these accomplished facts have become bequests in the new testament. As the Mediator of the new covenant, Christ today in resurrection is enforcing the new covenant, and as the Executor of the new testament He is executing the new testament that all the bequests of the accomplished facts may become effective for us and that we may have the full enjoyment of them.
Today in His more excellent ministry with His kingly and divine priesthood, Christ as the Mediator is enforcing the new covenant, and as the Executor is executing the new testament so that the called saints might receive the promise of the eternal inheritance (v. 15). What is the eternal inheritance? It is God Himself with all that He is, has, has done, and will do. All this is our eternal inheritance for our enjoyment. The way through which we inherit this is the new covenant. The promise of the eternal inheritance is based on Christ’s eternal redemption, not on our work. It is different from the promise in 10:36, which is conditioned on our endurance and doing the will of God. The eternal inheritance in the promise here is by the eternal redemption of Christ, whereas the great reward (10:35) in the promise in 10:36 is for our endurance and doing the will of God. Through His redemptive work, Christ has secured for us this promised eternal inheritance. Now with His resurrection life He is bringing us, the called and redeemed ones, into participation in all the riches of this eternal inheritance, according to the new testament in the new covenant way, that is, in the way of the Holy of Holies.