“But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God” (Heb. 10:12). He is seated because, as far as our acceptance and position before God are concerned, there is nothing more required either to do, or say. “…By his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us” (Heb. 9:12).
THE above is today’s first paragraph to our continuing read of Chapter 25—Sins and Conscience, picking up where we left off in the previous post. There are two things that our author continues to repeat, 1) the deep well of blessings, nay – the infinite well of blessings owned in our position (union) in Christ, and 2) reminding us over and over again that we need to always keep that fact in mind like a laser focus as it impacts our ever-changing condition (communion) in Christ!
“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature…” 2Peter 1:2-4
Our Union in Christ (Position) is our all-sufficient ground for growth. Christ is our all-in-all for faith and practice, and none else.
With that said, let’s get to today’s reading with prayer, “Lord, make me to trust you fully, abide in Jesus only, and be guided by the Spirit Holy.”
IN the joy of the Lord,
Joe
Neh. 8:10, Isa. 30:15 & Job 2:10
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Chapter 26—Sins and Conscience – Part 2
“But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God” (Heb. 10:12). He is seated because, as far as our acceptance and position before God are concerned, there is nothing more required either to do, or say. “…By his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us” (Heb. 9:12).
As our Advocate, the Lord Jesus is before the Father, maintaining us in fellowship with Him. There, in our position, we are “perfected forever” (Heb. 10:14). Here, in our condition, indwelt by the principle of sin, we are often overcome by its power. Nevertheless, by the ministry of the Spirit our condition is being perfected, or matured.
When we sin in word, thought or deed, consciously or unconsciously, our heavenly Advocate speaks to the Father on our behalf. His faithful intercession is justly founded upon His perfect work and Person, and thereby our right of position in our Father’s presence is forever maintained. Although our sins are never imputed to us, they do defile us and hinder our fellowship with the Father.
Even though God fully and justly accepts the atonement of His Son on our behalf, He in no way passes over or tolerates our sins. He has not only provided His Son as our Savior, but also as our Advocate. “If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1). Even though God fully and justly accepts the atonement of His Son on our behalf, He in no way passes over or tolerates our sins. He has not only provided His Son as our Savior, but also as our Advocate. “If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1). Further, He has given us the responsibility and privilege of confessing our sins. “…He that is washed [atonement] needeth not save to wash his feet [confession]…” (John 13:10). For, “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
Not only do we have an Advocate in heaven before the Father, but we also have an Advocate within our spirit. The word “Comforter” in John 14:16 is rendered “advocate” in 1 John 2:1. We need, and have, a dual advocacy! When we sin, the Lord Jesus intercedes for us on the ground of His having borne the judgment of that very sin. The indwelling Spirit acts upon our conscience to produce confession. Thereby we have the assurance of the sin having been forgiven, the unrighteousness cleansed, and our fellowship with the Father completely restored.
“So too the (Holy) Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance. And He Who searches the hearts of men knows what is in the mind of the (Holy) Spirit—what His intent is—because the Spirit intercedes and pleads [before God] in behalf of the saints according to and in harmony with God’s will” (Rom. 8:26, 27, Amp.). “He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake” (Ps. 23:3).
…..to be continued
