Hebrews

9:11-14

The Arguments, 2:10-12:29

2. Christ's high priestly sacrifice enables us to approach God, 7:1-10:25

vii] Christ's eternal redemption

The second point in the sermon, 7:1-10:25, advances with particular reference to the text, namely Jeremiah 31:31-34 - the promise of a better covenant that rests on better promises. In the sixth sub point, 9:1-10, our writer underlines the limitations of Israel's earthly tabernacle, now in v11-14, he speaks of the heavenly tabernacle where Christ enters with his perfect sacrifice for the cleansing of "our consciences", the gift of "eternal redemption" and our renewed service to "the living God."

paragenomenoV (paraginomai) aor. part. "when [Christ] came" - came, appear. The participle is adverbial, temporal. When Christ arrived on the scene, the heavenly scene that is, not the earthly or historical scene, although Kistemaker disagrees arguing that the reference is to Christ's entire earthly ministry.

genomenwn (ginomai) aor. part. "[the good things] that are already here" - of the [good things] having come about. The participle is adjectival modifying "the good things." The good things are all that Christ's priestly sacrifice has achieved for us, which were prefigured in the old covenant. "Of the bliss that was to be", Moffatt.

dia + gen. "went through" - With the genitive this preposition may be taken either as the means or agent by which something is done (the tabernacle is the instrument by which Christ entered the heavenlies), or it can be taken as an extension by which something or someone passes through an area or object (Christ arrived in the heavenlies by passing through the tabernacle). The second meaning is best.

skhnhV ou ceiropoihtou "tabernacle that is not man-made" - tent/tabernacle not made with hands. The meaning of the tabernacle is often spiritualized to mean Christ's body, the church etc. Yet this tabernacle, "not made with hands", is the spiritual reality of the earthly tent, within which space the priests performed Israel's cultic rites. As the high priest passed through this space to come into the holy of holies, so Christ has passed through the heavenly reality into the presence of the "Living God. So the imagery employed is of a heavenly tent, a divine canopy under which God dwells.

oude "he did not enter" - neither. "When Christ went through the heavenly tabernacle, he did not enter ..."

di aiJmatoV tragwn kai moscwn "by means of the blood of goats and calves" - Christ did not pass through the tent having offered an inferior blood-sacrifice. The writer generalizes the atonement blood-sacrifice which consisted of one bull, two rams and one he-goat.

de "but" - but, and. Here adversative, "but".

dia + gen. "by" - through, by means of. Here probably instrumental, "by means of", but possibly agency, "with".

tou idiou aiJmatoV "his own blood" - Again, the imagery is of the high priestly sacrificial offerings which enable him to move into the tabernacle's inner sanctuary. Christ's move is sanctioned by offering a sacrifice which is "his own."

efapax "once for all" - emphatic adverb used to emphasize the once only nature of Christ's sacrifice.

euJramenoV (euJriskw) mid. part. "having obtained" - having secured. Attendant circumstance participle expressing action accompanying the main verb "entered"; "he entered ... and secured ...". "Obtain" in the middle is common in classical use. Christ's sacrifice obtains for us ....

aiwnian lutrwsin "eternal redemption" - Christ's sacrifice obtains an eternal purchase out of slavery, unlike that of the earthly atonement sacrifice which achieves only limited results and must be repeated. "He took his own blood and obtained eternal salvation for us", TEV.

gar "-" - for. Causal. "For if the blood of goats and bulls ....", Moffatt.

ei "-" - if. Conditional clause 1st. class where the condition is assumed a reality, "if, as is the case, ..... then .." The apodosis is found in v14.

spodoV damalewV "the ashes of a heifer" - Referring to the sin offering where the sacrifice of a red heifer's ashes are sprinkled on the outside of the tabernacle and added to the water of ritual purification, Num.19:4ff. This was possibly a high priestly duty, although not part of the day of atonement rituals. Probably the writer assumes the ritual is a high priestly duty and therefore includes it.

rJantizousa (rJantizw) pres. part. "sprinkled" - The participle is adjectival, limiting "ashes", or "blood", or both. Of course, the writer may have in mind the sprinkling of the water of purification. For the writer, the details are unimportant since the effectiveness of the ritual is limited.

aJgiazei (aJgiazw) "sanctify" - The sanctification here is in the sense of the removal of cultic impurity. It is limited in that it is a "cleansing of the flesh" eg. the removal of cultic impurity caused by contact with a corpse, Num.19:11-23. The sanctification provided by Christ is of a totally different order in that it is of the inward being. "So physically purifies those who have become ritually unclean that they are rendered fit to enter God's presence in worship", Barclay.

posw/ mallon "how much more" - Dative of degree or difference, serving to introduce the apodosis of the conditional sentence commenced in v13. Emphasizing the positive side of the comparison.

eJauton "himself" - Unlike the cultic sacrifices, Jesus the high priest doesn't offer animal sacrifices; he offers himself.

dia pneumatoV aiwniou "through the eternal Spirit" - through eternal spirit. The NIV opts for the involvement of the Holy Spirit in Christ's sacrifice by capitalizing the word "Spirit". This trinitarian understanding of the passage is popular, but the writer is probably only making the point that Jesus sacrifice was not, in substance, just fleshly, as was the sacrifice of the animals. Christ's eternal spiritual being, his whole spiritual self, was sacrificed on the cross, not just his fleshly body. In this sense, his sacrifice was superior.

amwmon (oV) "unblemished" - spotless, blameless. The reference is clearly to the sacrificial animal being without physical blemish. In Christ's case, "unblemished" doesn't quite fit. Christ is morally "blameless" and the word is usually given this meaning when referring to Christ in the New Testament, eg. Eph.1:4, 5:27...

kaqariei (kaqarizw) fut. "cleanse [our conscience]" - will cleanse [our conscience]. "The future tense expresses certainty because its fulfilment is expected", Kistemaker. Is the writer here suggesting that as well as cleansing us from sin, Christ's sacrifice cleanses the conscience, cleanses the inner voice, cleanses the facility to distinguish between right and wrong? It is true that those who walk by the Spirit put to death the misdeeds of the flesh (although imperfectly). Believers are strengthened by the Spirit in their Christian walk. With Christ beside us we see sin for what it is and are better able to stand against temptation. Yet, the writer to the Hebrews is more likely focusing on the inward and spiritual purification that comes through Christ's sacrifice, as compared to the mere outward purification rendered by cultic animal sacrifice. So, the writer probably has in mind inward cleansing from sin.

hJmwn "our [conscience]" - of us. Variant "your".

nekrwn ergwn "acts that lead to death" - dead works. These are the works which separate us from God, works which cause inward spiritual defilement.

eiV to + inf. "so that [we may serve]" - for [to serve]. This construction usually forms a purpose clause, "in order that", which can be expressed as a hypothetical result, "so that", as NIV. This word "serve" is, at times, used of performing cultic rituals, eg. 8:5, yet not in the sense of adoration, but in the sense of doing, serving, performing religious duties. So, a meaning like "worship" is inappropriate. Those who are freed from the curse of death find themselves freed to be compassionate as He is compassionate. "So that we turn our backs on actions without any life in them and instead give ourselves up to the service of God", Cassirer.

Hebrews Introduction

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