“For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant” ( Hebrews 9:15 )

The church I grew up in concluded their weekly services by singing the hymn, ‘Jesus Paid it All’. The refrain goes like this,

Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.

There are incredible truth in these words. Even as a young child I understood that Jesus made things right. I knew that He had settled the score, made the account balanced and washed us clean by His blood.

In fact, the previous verses in Hebrews 9 declare that the previous way of forgiveness, the shedding of the blood of bulls and goats, only cleansed on the outside. In contrast, Jesus’ blood entirely cleansed the heart of mankind and was able to clear the conscience from the guilt of sin, once for all. The debt was completely and utterly wiped out by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. The result was life, so that we could serve the living God ( Hebrews 9:14 ).

Because of this, Jesus is the mediator of a New Covenant. A mediator is the representative between two parties. A mediator negotiates for both parties until a resolution is reached. Jesus’ blood was the means to bring mankind and God together. Up until this time, mankind was held hostage under the accusation of death because of sin. At the right time, Jesus was born as a man, to die as a ransom for us. The cost was his blood, the result was redemption from all of the sins committed under the first covenant. If sins have been paid for, then there is no longer the threat of death.

Jesus’ cleansing blood is the reason and the means by which He is eternally the mediator of the New Covenant. In fact, Hebrews 12:24 tells us that Jesus’ blood speaks a better word for us than the blood of Abel. Abel was murdered by his brother Cain and his blood cried out to God from the ground ( Genesis 4 ). If Abel’s blood cried for restitution, then think how much more the blood of Christ speaks on our behalf before God. What it is saying is love, mercy, grace, favor, forgiveness and acceptance. What a marvelous thing!

Just as the words of the hymn declare, ‘Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow”, Jesus’ blood both washes us clean and guarantees the relationship we enjoy with the Father. Knowing that Christ is forever the mediator of the covenant of grace we enjoy, empowers us to live a life fully devoted to God, serving out of gratitude for all that He has done for us. Because Jesus Christ lives, we have received the fulfillment of the promise of an everlasting inheritance, He guarantees it!

“The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!” ( Hebrews 9:13-14 )

Jesus came to give life. This is an amazing truth. We once were dead, but Christ came to give us life and the life He gives is abundant.

If the blood of bulls and goats sanctified the Israelites for the purification of the body just think how much more surely the blood of Christ cleanses us. The Israelites only experienced a momentary cleansing and this was only for the outside of the body. However, Jesus’ blood works from the inside out. It purifies the heart of man, eliminating the eternal effects of sin and purging the conscience of the guilt and shame that results from sin.

This was possible because Jesus’ blood was unblemished by sin. He was perfect and sinless. He fulfilled the letter of the Law which qualified Him for being the perfect sacrifice. He became our sin so that we could have His righteousness ( II Corinthians 5:21 ). This is the best trade ever recorded in history!

The result for us is that we are able to serve the living God. We have been cleansed and our consciences have been purified from dead works. We stand before the Lord holy, righteous and completely justified. We are not like the Israelites who serve at an altar and continually adhere to lifeless observances and rituals. We come before the Most High God, changed and accepted. Cleansed and purified from within.

“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful” ( Hebrews 10:19-23 ).