Expressions of Faith. Happy New Year!

It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence.

Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.

Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

 Hebrews 9:23-28

Original or Copy?

The King James Version of the Bible calls them “patterns” instead of “copies” in the NIV. KJV also uses “types and shadows” for the concept elsewhere. The Message uses the phrase “secondary practices that point to the realities of heaven.”

Regardless of the terminology, the terms refer to the physical structure and furnishings of the Tabernacle built under Moses’ direction.

The author of Hebrews makes it clear that Jesus is not a copy of anything.

As our High Priest, doesn’t visit the Holy of Holies once each year as earthly High Priest “copies” did.

Jesus lives in the Holy of Holies.

As the sacrifice for our sins, His death was “once for all.” (9:26b)

Verse 27 parallels Jesus’ one-time sacrifice and humanities one-time death.

That’s good news.

It’s also the only way to gain eternal life.

Why not start the New Year

 as a “new creation?”

The Apostle Paul explains how to do that.

And he [Jesus] died for all, that those who live might live no longer for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once regarded Christ from a human point of view, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come.

2 Corinthians 5:15-17 (RSV)

 Let me be the first to wish you
 Happy New Year as a new creation! 

Next Expression of Faith: Spur Others

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