Jesus' Last Will and Testament

February 10th, 2026
by Lance Waldie

Hebrews 9:15-22 For where a covenant is, there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it. 17 For a covenant is valid only when men are dead, for it is never in force while the one who made it lives. 18 Therefore even the first covenant was not inaugurated without blood. 19 For when every commandment had been spoken by Moses to all the people according to the Law, he took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, 20 saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded you.” 21 And in the same way he sprinkled both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry with the blood. 22 And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

Jesus Christ’s death was retroactive in its effectiveness for all pre-Jesus believers who trusted in God. He redeemed the transgressions (v. 15) that they committed under the old covenant, perfecting their salvation at His death. Of course “redemption” in v. 15 refers to people sold into the slavery of sin but purchased out of it. Jesus purchased the souls of those under the old covenant who had the faith of Abraham that God credited as righteousness (Gen. 15:6). God did so with His blood, or life, after becoming flesh in Christ and dying on the cross.

What Jesus accomplished in His death is akin to the annual Day of Atonement (Lev. 16) where the Israelites gathered together while the high priest made atonement for their sins by sprinkling blood on the Ark then later releasing the scapegoat that carried their sins far away into the wilderness. So, as the Day of Atonement atoned for the sins committed by Israel during the previous year, Jesus’ death forgives the sins of all believers who lived prior to His incarnation and subsequent death on the cross—from righteous Abel (Gen. 4) to every modern believer.

Since Jesus’ death was far superior to the death of goats and bulls on the Day of Atonement —working retroactively over thousands of years as opposed to just one year—He is therefore the “mediator of a new covenant.” Notably, the “covenant” in vv. 15-18 is akin to one’s last will and testament. Where a covenant (or will) has been promised, it can only be inaugurated through the death of the one whose will it is. Without death one’s will is worthless. So it was with God’s old covenant, and so it is with God’s new covenant. The old covenant was inaugurated with blood (Ex. 24:1-8) when God promised to bless Israel if they obeyed Him. Moses therefore took the blood of an animal and sprinkled it on the people (Ex. 24:8). Likewise, the new covenant was also enacted with blood—the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross, commemorated in the partaking of wine in the sacrament, or rite, of the Lord’s Supper (Luke 22:20).

Shed animal blood is a common theme throughout the OT, for God ordained that blood be shed before sin can be forgiven (v. 22; cf. Lev. 17:11). In God’s sovereign and merciful plan, the sprinkling of blood on something changes God’s relationship to it. Since mankind was sold into the slavery of sin in Genesis 3 after their rebellion, God promised to redeem all who place their trust in Him through the shed blood of His Son Jesus Christ. Through simple trust—the same simple faith of Abraham (Gen. 15:6), Jesus’ shed blood is sprinkled on the believer for salvation.

Food For Thought
So many reject the blood of Christ today and opt for being “good” people doing “good” works. But since we’ve sinned, falling short of God’s standard, we are incapable of being good people in God’s eyes, and our good works are actually dead works—compared to a menstrual cloth in Isaiah 64:6. This is why Jesus, God in flesh, came to earth. He was and is perfect, so He was and is able to be good in our place and offer the perfect sacrifice on our behalf for the forgiveness of our sins. All we need do is believe, trusting in His sacrifice for our sins.