Now when these things were thus
ordained, the priests went always
into the first tabernacle,
accomplishing the service of God.
but into the second went the
high priest alone once every year,
not without blood, which he offered
for himself, and for the errors of the
people; the Holy Spirit signifying,
that the way into the holiest of all
was not yet made manifest, while
as the first tabernacle was yet
standing: which was a figure for
the time then present, in which were
offered both gifts and sacrifices, that
could not make him that did the
service perfect, as pertaining to the
conscience
Hebrews 9:6-9
As we grow in knowledge we grow in our faith and in our continual growth in sanctification, we grow into Authentic Christians with Authentic Biblical Faith. Not just any knowledge, rather the knowledge that come by means of Scripture rightly translated and not be some man(s) presupposition founded on poor exegetical study. Many people throughout the years who aligned with Christianity did not thoroughly understand what God has revealed and added to what they learned what they believed a verse, or narrative, meant and taught this as truth. It is not that many of those men did not believe in Jesus Christ, or followed good Biblical morals, it is that they did believe and did attempt to be a "good" Christian. It is that they did not remove from their thinking error because that error fit their theological bent. Last blog I wrote about the Neo-Orthodox and how they followed teaching that was not Scriptural. It is not that those men as with Karl Barth and others did not believe that Jesus was our Savior and is God, it is that they added their own belief that is leading people to practice and believe what Scripture does not teach. Often there is a holding on to practices and beliefs of a denomination or religious body even while rejecting other practices and beliefs. Examples of this can be seen in such "Christian" Churches that teach Modalism, or teach mysticism, or the need to practice some spiritual gift: i.e., speaking in gibberish tongues, or healing ministries, or the need to empty oneself and to meditate in this emptiness (as do the Buddhist, and Hinduism religion teach), to teach a prosperity religion, etc., all of this not found in Scripture for an Authentic Christian to practice and believe. but it is taught as truth and many fall prey to such heresy. Take for instance Jehovah Witnesses founded by Charles Taze Russell who could not hold to the idea of hell as taught and practiced by other denominations, or that Jesus was God, and prophesied times for events that did not occur but then gave that problem a spiritual bent: they too call themselves, "Christian." The Greek Orthodox do not believe in "Sola Scriptora" among many other things and still, even though leaving the Roman Catholic Church, still have many of those same practices, albeit some are renamed. May not be heresy, but it is not according to Scripture.
Why all this about various doctrines and practices? The early Christians faced similar problems and those men inspired by the Holy Spirit to write wrote to confront error and they used Scripture to interpret Scripture and so should we do the same.
The writer of Hebrews is going about this problem in regards to who Jesus Christ is gives examples recorded in the Old Scripture that point to Jesus Christ. The tabernacle was a figure for something else, and that else was about Jesus Christ. The priests who serviced in that tabernacle did so to accomplish the will of God, the service that presented to God sacrifices for the people. Not that service or sacrifices made them perfect, this cannot be done by anything natural, rather to present to God in faith that His required sacrifice would be accepted for the sins of the people. Now, the most Holy Place where the high priest entered into once a year did so by bringing into that tabernacle blood, which he offered first for himself and then for the errors of the people. This sacrifice points to the sacrifice of blood offered on the cross by Jesus Christ and the picture of the old tabernacle was that the high priest had to do this once each year whereby Jesus only needed to sacrifice His blood once for all time. The picture was only a picture pointing to a future event. The sacrifices and gifts brought to the temple pictured a future event and they brought to the temple those things commanded by God in faith that they would do what they were intended to do: show their faith, to show that something was needed to remove from their sins but this had to be done regularly. With the actual, the reality of that which was pictured was that by Jesus pouring out His blood, and entering into the High Place sitting at the right hand of God there was no longer any sacrifice for sins needed: it was done once and for all time.
So, what are we to do? It is not by doing that saves you or removes sin from you so those teaching a doctrine of works are wrong and leading people to believe that they are accepted by God by means of their works are misled and have a different idea of God and of Jesus Christ than what is taught in Scripture. Jesus is the High Priest foreshadowed in the Old Testament, therefore, you must believe upon Him as to who He is and testified to be in Scripture, not man's idea. First, then, believe and you will be saved: "and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent ye, and believe the gospel" (Mark 1:15). Upon our belief there must be manifested that this is authentic and this is done by obedience and by obedience your life becomes sanctified, not by doing some special work, rather by doing what we are commanded to do: live a life according to what Jesus laid out for all believers to live and that is found in Scripture rightly translated and interpreted, nothing added, do what Scripture says to do and do not do that which Scripture says not to do. Our natural self cringes at this but the natural must be turned into the spiritual be sacrifice. This does not mean works, no it is denying oneself and this is the true sacrifice to God, it means the deliberate commitment of yourself whom God has saved. Sanctification means more that deliverance from sin, it means the deliberate commitment of yourself, no matter what it costs, to God. Become a living sacrifice, sacrifice the natural to the spiritual otherwise you will be mocking God and will often cause a person to live an undisciplined life and refuse to discipline ourselves, physically, morally, or mentally. If not sacrificing yourself to God only ruin is ahead of your personal life for God. This may mean that you leave the denomination you are now in, or that religion that you are in, and as you come to know the difference between false teaching and truthful teaching you will not reach the level of being an Authentic Christian. This is serious business!
Only be thou strong and very
courageous, that thou mayest
observe to do according to all the law,'
which Moses my servant commanded thee:
turn not from it to the right hand or to the
left, that thou mayest prosper
whithersoever thou goest.
Joshua 1:7
Obedience God's requirement
Richard L. Crumb
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