Hebrews 9:15 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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Hebrews 9:15

Comments

‘For this cause he (Christ) is the mediator’ between us and God; he represented us to God, and took the wrath of God for us, and offered up his perfections. A mediator is one who stands between two parties, or two people who are in a state of hostility and profound disagreement with each other, and the mediator must stand between them and join them together. Christ stands between God and man, and he joins the redeemed with the living God through his work on Calvary and his perfect life of righteousness. He entered into a human body and became our representative, our sin bearer, the one who would make possible our reconciliation with God.‘For this cause he is the mediator of the New Testament’ – now note this – ‘that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament’ – what are they? They are not all the sins committed by those who lived in Old Testament times, but they are all the sins that were committed by believers, people who truly trusted in God's mercy and his forgiveness. They were the people who understood that all those symbols in Old Testament worship pointed to what Christ would accomplish when he came, those who believed in mercy alone as the only way of salvation, and that they could deserve nothing. They were forgiven by God, on account of what Christ would do, and when he came, and suffered and died on Calvary, all the sins of Old Testament believers were included. They had been forgiven, on account of the suffering of Christ ‘for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament’, and he died also for our transgressions. Because our sins are forgiven and we are justified by faith, we can receive the promise of eternal life.

Application

How much the people of olden times could know! If only we could all be much more aware of these things. The holiness, the great holiness and unapproachability of God, our dependence upon Christ the mediator, our indebtedness to him for what he has done for us, his people. We ought to see it; we have so much more information than they had, but if only we could see as much as a pious father would have seen in ancient times, and explained to his boy or his girl. ‘We cannot enter the holy of holies on our own; only the mercy of God can admit us to what that represents, to heaven.’ If we could feel these things more deeply, how much more we would honour Christ, love him, pray to him, serve him, order our priorities for him.

Questions

Why does the word ‘testament’ appear here? It is the same Greek word that has been translated ‘covenant’ previously. The translators of the King James Version have decided that instead of translating the word ‘covenant’, from here on in this chapter they will now translate it ‘testament’, and the reason is that the inspired writer is going to proceed to give an illustration based on a will, and the covenant of God is now compared with a will or a testament such as any of us might make in order to leave property to our offspring or to anyone else when we die. The idea of an inheritance, an eternal inheritance, is also introduced in the verse and so it is logical that the word should now be translated ‘testament’. Of course we are still talking about a covenant, but now it is compared with a will and a legacy.

The word ‘inheritance’ is used in two ways in the Bible. First, it is used in an abnormal sense – the inheritance of heaven after you die. Normally you receive an inheritance after someone else dies, but here it is you who die. Abraham and the patriarchs were heirs of the promise: the land promises are actually a picture of heaven. Then secondly, we also inherit as part of the covenant of grace. Christ says, ‘If you believe in me, I will give you eternal life.’ That promise, is rather like a will. It could not be put into effect until after Christ died. The word will or testament is used in the more normal sense here. Christ had to die to make his will – the inheritance he promised to us – effective.

Outline

Purpose

Introduction

Hebrews 9:15 Commentary and Bible Study