Our Guilty Consciences Eased

February 6th, 2026
by Lance Waldie

Hebrews 9:11-14 But when Christ appeared a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands… not of this creation; 12 and not through the blood of goats and calves. But through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 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, 14 how much more will 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?

The tabernacle and all of its ministries to Israel was a symbol for comparing the new and old covenants. Having accurately taught about the tabernacle and the priests, the Hebrews author concludes once again by showing how Christ is superior to the old order. The old symbols accomplished temporal, external purpose. And it was good! But its goodness clearly pales in comparison to the greatness of the New Covenant founded and inaugurated by Jesus Christ.

The New Covenant in Christ ushered in three superior things in vv. 11-14. First, a new holy place (v. 11). The old Holy Place in the tabernacle was man-made with earthly materials, and it was the pathway to God in the Holy of Holies. But Christ’s sanctuary—His Holy Place, is heaven itself which is the dwelling place of God (Acts 7:48-50; 17:24). The old covenant priests went into the Holy Place for the people but not with the people. Jesus Christ, however, takes His children with Him all the way into heaven into the real presence of God. Ephesians 2:4-6 reveals that believers in Christ have already been taken to heaven, for at the time of belief they were raised with Christ and ushered into the Father’s presence. So, spiritually speaking, believers already live with God, for our citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20). There we will live forever.

Second, there is the new ministry (v. 12). The old ministry was concerned with the sacrifice of animals—the shedding of their blood to atone for man’s sins. God had graciously allowed man to have fellowship with Him when he sinned through the shedding of animal blood. But Jesus, as the Lamb of God, shed His own blood. In this sense, the Sacrificer was the Sacrifice! Contrary to the repetitive nature of having to sacrifice animals daily and annually to atone for sins, since Jesus was the perfect sacrifice, He sacrificed Himself once-for-all, obtaining eternal redemption as opposed to temporary atonement. Redemption can mean to either free or release by paying a ransom price, or it can refer to the act of buying something back by paying a ransom price. Since man is sinful, locked in sin and held captive to it, Christ paid the price needed to free us from the penalty of our sin. He did this not with an animal sacrifice but with His own blood.

Third, there is the new meaning (vv. 13-14). The old covenant sacrifices cleansed the external part of a sinner through the shedding of animal blood. But animal blood could not bring forgiveness of sins. God, however, allowed that ordinance to atone briefly for sins and point to a better sacrifice with a new significance. The perfection of Christ (Heb. 5:8-9) qualified Him as the perfect sacrifice. No animal could do that! It was His blood, offered to God through the Holy Spirit (v. 14)—unlike the human high priest who offered goat blood on the altar. Those inferior sacrifices could not cleanse a sinner’s guilty conscience from dead works. Christ’s does!

Food For Thought
As Christians, our sins ought to tug at our consciences; no good work should be able to make us feel better. It is only our reliance upon the shed blood of Christ that is able to ease our guilty consciences. Since the old order of dead works is inferior, if you’re relying upon works to make you right with God, then you’re no different than the deluded audience Hebrews addresses. Only Christ’s work on the cross matters. Only His, not ours. He obtains our salvation. We can’t.