Lent Day Nine
“New Covenant, New Relationship”
Hebrews 9:11–15 The Passion Translation
11 But now the Anointed One has become the King-Priest of every wonderful thing that has come. For he serves in a greater, more perfect heavenly tabernacle not made by men.
12 And he has entered once and forever into the Holiest Sanctuary of All, not with the blood of animal sacrifices, but the sacred blood of his own sacrifice. And he alone has made our salvation secure forever!
13 Under the old covenant the blood of bulls, goats, and the ashes of a heifer were sprinkled on those who were defiled and effectively cleansed them outwardly from their ceremonial impurities.
14 Yet how much more will the sacred blood of the Messiah thoroughly cleanse our consciences! For by the power of the eternal Spirit he has offered himself to God as the perfect Sacrifice that now frees us from our dead works to worship and serve the living God.
15 So Jesus is the One who has enacted a new covenant with a new relationship with God so that those who accept the invitation will receive the eternal inheritance he has promised to his heirs. For he died to release us from the guilt of the violations committed under the first covenant.
As a young teenager, I believed that, if I made time to go to church on any given Sunday, surely God would bless me so much more that week in all my endeavours and give me favour with my teachers and friends. On those weeks when I did not attend church, I always felt a vague fear and guilt that God may not be pleased with me and things would not turn out well. Can you imagine my joy then as a fifteen-year-old when I heard a speaker at a youth camp talk with such passion about the amazing love and grace of God in sending Jesus Christ to die for us? Can you imagine my relief when I realised I did not have to work to impress God in any way and, instead, was freely forgiven and welcomed into God’s family? In that moment, it felt as if a veil was lifted from my eyes. God knew me. God loved me. I mattered to God. How mind-blowing that was – and still is!
Recently, I met a man who spent much of his life working for a very legalistic church organisation where he never felt accepted by his peers – or by God. Eventually, he left, disillusioned. Years later, however, God spoke to him via a secular movie he watched during a long plane trip and showed him how often he had rejected God’s own ‘love letters’ to him and allowed bitterness to take hold instead. This man broke down and sobbed – and his life completely changed. That day, because of Jesus’ sacrifice for us, shedding his own blood on the cross, this man was freed from his past dead works to serve God in a completely new way (Hebrews 9:14). Yes, this man still regrets his wasted years but knows his conscience is cleansed because of Jesus and that he has a new relationship with God and a wonderful, eternal inheritance awaiting him (Hebrews 9:15).
As we approach this Easter, may we all take time to reflect on where we would be without Jesus’ sacrifice for us. May we truly leave behind our sin, our misunderstandings of God and our dead works, accept the gracious invitation offered each one of us to be part of the new covenant brought about through Jesus’ death, and step into a wonderful, new relationship with our loving Lord God.
Jo-Anne Berthelsen
Jo-Anne Berthelsen lives in Sydney, Australia. She holds degrees in Arts and Theology and has worked in teaching, editing and local church ministry. Jo-Anne loves encouraging others through both the written and spoken word and is a keen blogger