Good morning. From chapter
9 of Hebrews: for if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer
sprinkling those who have been defiled, sanctify for the cleansing of the
flesh, how much more with the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered
Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to
serve the living God? And for this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant,
in order that since a death has taken place for the redemption of the
transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have
been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. Under the old
covenant sins were just covered over. It was a matter of following the
regulations. It did not cleanse your conscience. It took the blood of Jesus to
do that. The blood of Jesus did not just cover over sin; it eradicated it from
your very conscience. It's just as if you never sinned – justification. You can truly say "my
conscience is clear". When the devil tries to bring it up and harass you;
you can say "it's covered by the blood of Jesus". Don't let him bring
up things that have already been forgiven. Don't let him say "see what you
did". It's as if it never happened. You are free before God. Father today
and every day help us to walk in the freedom of Your forgiveness. Help us to
forgive those who wronged us; just as You forgave us.
Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me
Good morning. Paul then gives a list of a lot of things that he has gone through as an apostle. I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. There could be many people that you listen to either in church or through the Internet or other means; but there was only one person (as a general rule it was a person) that lead you to Christ. Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me. He was saying that just like a child imitates his or her father, they were to imitate him. He says that again seven chapters later. Since it is easy to forget some things about people we have not seen in a while, Paul says that he sent Timothy to them to remind them of his ways which are in Christ, just as he taught everywhere in every church. Some have become arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. I shall find ou...
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