“Our Hearts Sprinkled from
an Evil Conscience”
“Let us draw near with a
true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil
conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” Heb. 10:22
The highest and holiest ideas in the Bible are treated in
the 10th chapter of Hebrews.
But many professors of Christ know nothing of them – they can only quote
the verses about “not forsaking the assembly…”
And they know the phrase “our bodies washed with pure water” as
another proof text on baptism. But they
only dabble on the surface of things – the merest external traditions like
church attendance and baptism – and to them the rest of the chapter – and all
of the book – are just foggy references to the Old Testament sacrifices. “Having our hearts sprinkled from an evil
conscience” carries no real meaning to them, and they believe we really
shouldn’t talk about sprinkling anyway.
The Methodists might overhear us and get some encouragement out of it.
Perhaps I am reaching too far. But I want to draw an
important lesson. Please take a few minutes today to follow the inspired
writer’s train of thought about the cross of Christ and the conscience.
Our problem is the fact of sin. The Bible is clear about it. We need the forgiveness of God and He is the
only one who provides it. On our own, we
cannot escape sin. No matter what
we do, we will fail and fall short of the glory of God. When we come to Christ, and are added to his
church, we are not thereby immune to sin.
In fact, we now feel it perhaps even more, if we are honest with
ourselves. Before we became Christians,
we were blatantly sinful transgressors with little concern about it. Now we are struggling and failing and “knowing
to do good and doing it not”… and we feel ashamed about it – that is, we
have an evil conscience! [The word translated
“evil” may also carry the meaning of painful or grievous or shameful.] The closer we draw to God, the more aware we
are of how we fall short of his glory… We are all failing in some respects, and we
bear the guilt of that. We need our guilty consciences cleansed!
Now this is, I think,
exactly what the Hebrew writer is dealing with here. Remember that they were tempted to give up on
the struggle in Christ and pull back (10:39).
They were tempted to be drawn back to the OT sacrificial system. He tells them those sacrifices offered year
by year “can never make perfect them that draw nigh” (10:1-4). Note this, that if the worshippers had been
truly cleansed, they would have no more “conscience of sins”. But the sacrifices just made remembrance of
sins year after year. They had this same
problem we just mentioned – guilty conscience about sin. They needed a clear conscience! But it is impossible that the blood of bulls and
goats could do that!
So what is the solution to
the guilty conscience? The sprinkling of
the blood of Christ! See how this is
developed in chapter 10. When Jesus came
into the world, he understood what God really wanted: not sacrifices and
offerings, but “Lo, I have come to do thy will, O God” (10:5-9). The sacrifice of Jesus- giving himself to do
the fathers will, sanctifying himself to that; offering himself once for all, and
by that death, also setting us apart by the will of God (10:10). He summed up all things for us – “perfected
forever them that are sanctified” (10:14).
The author of a new covenant, he makes it possible that the laws of God
are written on our hearts and minds, and our sins and iniquities are remembered
no more. Note carefully what this
means. When we by faith in Christ
surrender ourselves to do the will of God - like he did in his life and death –
then our weaknesses, fumblings and failings are “remembered no more”. He will use them to his glory. We have boldness to enter the holy place by
the blood of Jesus (10:19), and we draw near with fullness of faith and clear conscience
(“hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience”) by that blood.
Let the beauty of that sink
in. The glory of it! A pure heart and a
clean conscience on the part of weak and wavering men and women! A salvation by grace through faith - at once
upholding the holiness and righteousness of God, but also pouring out his love
and mercy and goodness! A salvation that
humbles us, but at the same time lifts us up!
All by the blood of Christ, which cleanses the conscience (9:14)!
So what should we do? Let us
hold fast the confession of our hope, and consider one another to provoke unto
love and good works, and don’t forsake our assembling together, but exhort one
another… (10:23-25).
Let’s be clear about one
question. Such a gospel might lead a man
to say, “Sin doesn’t matter. God’s grace covers me. I can do what I want. Since I am freely forgiven, why not indulge
myself. Shouldn’t I sin, that grace may
abound?” Now it is very interesting that
the Hebrew writer anticipates this very point.
10:26-29. “For if we sin willfully after that we have received the
knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins…” One who does so tramples the Son of God under
his feet, counts “the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified an
unholy thing” and does “despite to the
Spirit of grace”. Larry Walker, October
2013
No comments:
Post a Comment