The writer of Hebrews has done a great service for the followers of Christ by illustrating the sacrifice of Christ through both the Jewish traditions of temple offerings and the more familiar parallel of an inheritance one receives as the beneficiary of a will or an estate. At the same time, the writer is careful to make a distinction between an old covenant and a new covenant. He especially endeavors to cite the superiority of the new will or testament, made possible by the sacrifice of Christ Jesus on the cross. It is a permanent will, not a temporary one.

Jewish rituals consisted of a priest who made sacrifices in the temple. At one point in Jewish history the sacrifice was made in the tabernacle in the wilderness as the Israelites wandered. Later it was made in the temple in Jerusalem. The sacrifices were in the form of animals whose blood was shed as a means of removing uncleanness for the year. But that animal blood sacrifice needed to be repeated each year by the priest for the people. Furthermore, it stood as a ceremonial cleansing whose effect was more outward, with little change on the heart of the one being cleansed. It was formal and ritual, leaving the inner man untouched.

By comparison the sacrifice Christ made on the cross was permanent and superior in every way. He was the perfect redeemer. Christ served like the high priest when he made the blood sacrifice. The tabernacle in which Christ offered the sacrifice of the new covenant was not the tabernacle made by the hands of men, but one made by God. Christ’s sacrifice was not made in the temple in Jerusalem, but on the hill of Golgotha before God himself. Christ Jesus was both the sacrifice and the sacrificer. Christ’s sacrifice cleanses the conscience and addresses the moral and spiritual life. Its effect is far deeper in its work, far superior to mere ritual.

God Provided the Perfect Inheritance
The Hebrew writer describes our inheritance as an eternal gift. God has done some phenomenal estate planning. He established a will—his final testament. He named us as the beneficiaries. Our inheritance is a place in Heaven in the presence of God. A will does not take effect while the one who made it is living. Therefore, it was necessary for Christ to die for the inheritance to be distributed to his loved ones.

Today the people who deal in wills, trusts, and other estate vehicles refer to these arrangements as “planned giving.” When we establish our wills, we must consider three things: people, possessions, and plans. Who are the people in our lives? What are the possessions we cherish? And what is the best plan to give our possessions to the special people in our lives?

God did some “planned giving.” First Peter 2:9 says, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God.” Who are the people beloved by our God? We are God’s people. What are the possessions God cherishes? He created the world and all who dwell therein. Everything in Heaven and on earth belongs to the One who made it. But beyond this earthly life he created an eternal Heaven where there is no death, sin, or sadness for those who love him. What is his plan for giving his eternal Heaven to his beloved people? He made a will, a covenant between God and humankind.

Christ Died to Take Away Our Sins
In order for the will to take effect, the one who made the will must die. The gospel of John records that “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (3:16). Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again. He died so that Heaven and eternal life may be our inheritance. Now he is waiting for us to join him in that inherited heavenly home.

Jesus Christ is our Redeemer. He is the Savior of humanity through his death on the cross. The priests in the temple offered a lamb on an altar so that the sins of Israel might be rolled forward year by year until Christ should come. But Christ came as the “lamb of God” to completely take away our sins. His sacrifice was not the blood of animals, but of his own precious blood. Jesus offered the perfect sacrifice and brought an end to animal sacrifice. He put away sin forever and made our eternal redemption through his blood. Our sins are forgiven and remembered no more, and we are the beneficiaries of an eternal inheritance.

* All Scripture quotations are from the New International Version, unless otherwise indicated.