Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before,
The Holy Ghost is a witness to believers, testifying to them of what Christ has done and of the covenant God promised. His witness is the new-covenant promise that the Lord will put His laws into hearts and write them in minds, and will remember sins and iniquities no more. By Christ's one offering of His body those who are sanctified are perfected forever and receive forgiveness, so that no more offering for sin remains. Through His blood and priestly work believers may enter the holiest with boldness by the new and living way, and are called to draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith and to hold fast their profession without wavering because He who promised is faithful. This witnessed covenant is to be deeply understood and lived, giving spiritual life to the soul, changing character, and leading to obedience, love and good works, and to assembling together and exhorting one another as the day approaches.
Spirit's Witness and Promise
The Holy Spirit is a witness to believers, testifying to them personally of what Christ has accomplished and of the covenant God promised to establish. That witness centers on Christ taking away the first sacrifices that could never take away sins in order to establish the second through the once-for-all offering of His body. It is directed to those who are sanctified, assuring them of their standing before God through that work.
The content of the witness is the new-covenant promise spoken after this testimony, that after those days the Lord will put His laws into hearts and write them in minds. Joined to that inward writing is His pledge to remember sins and iniquities no more. By this the Spirit bears witness to believers that God Himself undertakes both their transformation within and their full pardon.
The same witness confirms that by Christ's one offering those who are sanctified are perfected forever and receive forgiveness. This perfection rests on His one offering for sins forever, after which He sat down at the right hand of God to expect His enemies to be made His footstool. Where such remission is given, no more offering for sin remains to be made. Having offered Himself once as a sacrifice, Christ at His second appearing declares that there is to be no more sacrifice for sin.
Christ's Offering and Priesthood
What the Spirit witnesses to is Christ removing the first order of sacrifices, which could never take away sins, in order to establish the second by the once-for-all offering of His own body. By that single offering for sins forever He sat down on the right hand of God to wait until His enemies are made His footstool. He now stands in the presence of God as High Priest over the house of God.
Through His blood and priestly work believers may enter the holiest, the true tabernacle not made with hands. They enter with boldness by the new and living way consecrated through His flesh, with Him as their Head. Through Jesus' blood they may therefore draw near to God with full assurance.
The same humanity of Christ that was veiled on earth in sorrow and grief will appear glorified when He descends from heaven triumphant and exalted. His priestly character will then be revealed as One who has taken the blood of His own atonement into the holiest of all and sprinkled it upon the mercy seat and upon His own garments and blessed the people. His suffering in Gethsemane and laying down His life so believers might not perish but have eternal life shows the love of God.
Living the Witnessed Covenant
The witness gives spiritual life to the soul and is to be deeply understood and appropriated for a sound Christian experience, for growth in grace, for daily conversion to a life of simple obedience, for dependence on the Lord rather than on human agencies, and for a consecrated life spent seeking to save souls that are ready to perish. Because He who promised is faithful, the covenant assurance calls believers to draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and to hold fast the profession of faith without wavering. Through Jesus' blood and His work as High Priest this drawing near rests on full assurance that God writes His laws in hearts and minds and remembers sins no more, so that no further offering for sin is needed.
Believers are therefore to consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works, not forsaking the assembling of themselves together but exhorting one another, so much the more as they see the day approaching. Those thus sanctified and perfected forever by the one offering are children of light who live and speak and act to please God and become His representatives in the world, made a spectacle to the world and to angels and to men. They wear no yoke of bondage but know no other yoke than that of Christ, which means keeping the Father's commandments as Christ kept them, with their sins and iniquities remembered no more.
The Spirit makes the truth powerful and changes character and habits, so that those who submit to His work are changed from sinners into children of God. God desires people to possess all that has been provided at such immense cost by being doers of the Word and working in partnership with Christ. Great truths accomplish little when they are not lived and are powerless to influence without a deeper appreciation of truth. The love shown by Christ in suffering and laying down His life so believers might not perish but have eternal life calls believers to lay down their lives for the brethren.
The Holy Ghost is a witness to believers, testifying to them of what Christ has done and of the covenant God promised. His witness is the new-covenant promise that the Lord will put His laws into hearts and write them in minds, and will remember sins and iniquities no more. By Christ's one offering of His body those who are sanctified are perfected forever and receive forgiveness, so that no more offering for sin remains. Through His blood and priestly work believers may enter the holiest with boldness by the new and living way, and are called to draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith and to hold fast their profession without wavering because He who promised is faithful. This witnessed covenant is to be deeply understood and lived, giving spiritual life to the soul, changing character, and leading to obedience, love and good works, and to assembling together and exhorting one another as the day approaches.
Spirit's Witness and Promise
The Holy Spirit is a witness to believers, testifying to them personally of what Christ has accomplished and of the covenant God promised to establish. That witness centers on Christ taking away the first sacrifices that could never take away sins in order to establish the second through the once-for-all offering of His body. It is directed to those who are sanctified, assuring them of their standing before God through that work.
The content of the witness is the new-covenant promise spoken after this testimony, that after those days the Lord will put His laws into hearts and write them in minds. Joined to that inward writing is His pledge to remember sins and iniquities no more. By this the Spirit bears witness to believers that God Himself undertakes both their transformation within and their full pardon.
The same witness confirms that by Christ's one offering those who are sanctified are perfected forever and receive forgiveness. This perfection rests on His one offering for sins forever, after which He sat down at the right hand of God to expect His enemies to be made His footstool. Where such remission is given, no more offering for sin remains to be made. Having offered Himself once as a sacrifice, Christ at His second appearing declares that there is to be no more sacrifice for sin.
Christ's Offering and Priesthood
What the Spirit witnesses to is Christ removing the first order of sacrifices, which could never take away sins, in order to establish the second by the once-for-all offering of His own body. By that single offering for sins forever He sat down on the right hand of God to wait until His enemies are made His footstool. He now stands in the presence of God as High Priest over the house of God.
Through His blood and priestly work believers may enter the holiest, the true tabernacle not made with hands. They enter with boldness by the new and living way consecrated through His flesh, with Him as their Head. Through Jesus' blood they may therefore draw near to God with full assurance.
The same humanity of Christ that was veiled on earth in sorrow and grief will appear glorified when He descends from heaven triumphant and exalted. His priestly character will then be revealed as One who has taken the blood of His own atonement into the holiest of all and sprinkled it upon the mercy seat and upon His own garments and blessed the people. His suffering in Gethsemane and laying down His life so believers might not perish but have eternal life shows the love of God.
Living the Witnessed Covenant
The witness gives spiritual life to the soul and is to be deeply understood and appropriated for a sound Christian experience, for growth in grace, for daily conversion to a life of simple obedience, for dependence on the Lord rather than on human agencies, and for a consecrated life spent seeking to save souls that are ready to perish. Because He who promised is faithful, the covenant assurance calls believers to draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and to hold fast the profession of faith without wavering. Through Jesus' blood and His work as High Priest this drawing near rests on full assurance that God writes His laws in hearts and minds and remembers sins no more, so that no further offering for sin is needed.
Believers are therefore to consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works, not forsaking the assembling of themselves together but exhorting one another, so much the more as they see the day approaching. Those thus sanctified and perfected forever by the one offering are children of light who live and speak and act to please God and become His representatives in the world, made a spectacle to the world and to angels and to men. They wear no yoke of bondage but know no other yoke than that of Christ, which means keeping the Father's commandments as Christ kept them, with their sins and iniquities remembered no more.
The Spirit makes the truth powerful and changes character and habits, so that those who submit to His work are changed from sinners into children of God. God desires people to possess all that has been provided at such immense cost by being doers of the Word and working in partnership with Christ. Great truths accomplish little when they are not lived and are powerless to influence without a deeper appreciation of truth. The love shown by Christ in suffering and laying down His life so believers might not perish but have eternal life calls believers to lay down their lives for the brethren.