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The Living GOD

Hebrews 9:13&14
13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:
14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Animal sacrifice is not unique to Israel. But, the transformative meaning GOD gives the ritual is unique! All the way back to the beginning we know that blood is LIFE itself. The sheding of blood is violent. Animal sacrifice was a BRUTAL custom. The practice all the way up to Jesus's day was a foreshadowing of the sacrifice the Son of God made for you and me.

The author of the book of Hebrews explains it to us; Jesus does it all! He is BOTH the priest and the sacrifice!! He volunteered to be crucified. It was not the Romans who bound Him there. It was not the nails that kept Him on the cross. It was His LOVE that fastened Him there. He became the sacrifice ‘without blemish,’ fulfilling in perfect moral purity the prescriptions of the ceremonial law, as designed by GOD. 

We read futher into the explanation in today's verses; "For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" 

Make no mistake about it; bulls, goats, heifers and LAMBS are all valuable commodities. They were valuable, useful and necessary. They were money in the bank. Sacrificing any of these and/or all of these was huge expense. All for forgiveness. The terrible cost of forgiveness.  God's forgiveness of us. Our forgiveness of others. Our forgiveness of ourselves. 

"...purge your conscience from DEAD WORKS to serve the living God?" In God's plan the Sacrifice does NOT stay dead, but comes back to LIFE and SAVES everyone who will believe in Him!!! He is the Living GOD!! AMEN!

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