The author of Hebrews comes to the end of His teaching on the superiority of Jesus to the Old Testament Ceremonial Law.

In Hebrews 10:1-18, the author summarizes for us the glory of Jesus' completed work in contrast to the continual, day-in-day-out work of the High Priests. In this summary, he points to two new considerations.

First, he teaches us of a holiness that comes through the work of Jesus for sinners. Believers are set apart as a holy people before God, and, through the blood of Jesus, are being made holy by the work of the Holy Spirit.

Second, he teaches that God prefers righteousness over ritual. It is the broken and contrite heart that God seeks over the following of ritual. And we know that Jesus is the only one who truly live His life seeking to do God's will with a focus on God's glory above all things.

As we move on to the the exhortations that the author gives in light of Jesus' superiority to all earthly attempts to reach redemption, we must search our hearts to make sure that we approach God in humility, rather than in the pride of our own "righteousness."

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What is so important about blood? Blood was used in the Ancient Near East to seal covenants, to bind the parties together in the covenant defined relationship. Leviticus 17:11 takes this one step further: Life comes through blood.

Throughout the history of God's people, the shedding of blood marked the redemption that God promised in Genesis 3. But the blood of animals was not enough.

Jesus' blood secures a more perfect redemption, a more perfect inheritance than the blood of bulls and goats ever could. His blood secures the representation that Jesus gives us before the Father in the true throne room. The shedding of His blood has put away our sins, once and for all. And Jesus' blood assures that God looks at us as righteous.

The combination of Jesus' divine and human natures secures for us an eternal redemption through His blood.

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We can get so caught up in the buildings and rituals of religious life that we forget to see the glory of Christ to which they point.

The author of Hebrews takes us on a brief tour of the Tabernacle and the Day of Atonement to show us how they pointed to the glory of Jesus' completed atonement. The Tabernacle showed God's glory with His people, while, at the same time, showing that this access to God was incomplete. The Day of Atonement showed God's providing the means for reconciliation and purification while, at the same time, showing that this purification was external only.

However, both the Tabernacle and the Day of Atonement pointed to our need for a better sacrifice. And Jesus is that once for all redemption to which the Old Covenant pointed. To turn your back on Jesus and seek access to and reconciliation with God in the things of this world is a dangerous and ineffective search.

If you would like to know more about the ministry of Fairlea Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church please visit https://arpchurchfairlea.org.