Sin

1. Sin can be an action
2. Sins can be an object (I.e., the object used in committing a sin like an idol)
3. Sin can be a person [Gen 4:7]

Life

1. Life is access to blessings
2. Life is access to God’s presence
3. To enjoy life in this world, one needs a body

Death

1. Death is banishment [2Sam 14:14]
2. Life isn’t simply the existence of a soul, but access to God’s presence and to blessings.
3. When God drives a person away from His presence, it is called death.

Proximity to God Issues

1. Proximity to God is a delicate matter, as He can kill those close to Him who sin against Him [Exo 33:1-3, 5].
2. Being far from God comes with its drawbacks, as being far from Him cuts us off from blessings (and also exposes one to evil powers)

The Day of Atonement [Lev 16]

1. One goat was to be offered to Yahweh and another to Azazel
2. The sacrifices would cleanse the tabernacle
3. This means that the sins of the people defiled the tabernacle

Why Do We Need Jesus’ Intercession?

1. Two things take care of sins in Hebrews; the atonement of Jesus and His intercession.
2. We need Jesus’ intercession because the devil still has access to God’s presence
3. Job was not a Jew, yet he was accused by Satan
4. Which means Satan does not need the Law to accuse.
5. The Law makes it easy for Satan to accuse, but he still can
6. This means that Satan does not need the Law to accuse Christians

Why One Sacrifice is Sufficient

1. It is appointed for men to die ONCE [Heb 9:28]
2. The sacrifice represents us (sinners)
3. Since Jesus died for us, then we are dead
4. As far as the Law is concerned, we are dead, and it cannot judge us
5. The dead cannot sin, and we are dead in Christ and so, the requirement of the Law against those who sin is gone, as the Law calls for death, and we are already dead

The Problem of the Law

1. The Law is a shadow. It cannot produce the result that the true would produce [Heb 10:1].
   1. The Law could accomplish some things, but could not do the main job.
   2. The external rituals of the Law such as the anointing oil had effects
   3. The Lord Supper, the Baptism, Nazirite vows, laying on of hands, anointing people with oil, etc are all rituals in the New Covenant.
   4. The anointing with oil came from under the Law. This shows that those rituals, still have effect in the New Covenant.
   5. We must not disregard those rituals, but must understand them to know which can apply to us as New Covenant believers.
2. Not every part of the Law was a shadow. There were real aspects to the Law
   1. God was real
   2. The holy Spirit was real
   3. The Glory of God was real
   4. Sin was real.
   5. The Tabernacle was a shadow
   6. The feast days were shadows
3. The priesthood of the Law was ineffective because the accuser didn’t accuse from the tabernacle, where the high priest was, but accuses in God’s very presence
4. The mortality of the priests of the Law also limited their priesthood

The Problem with the Sacrifices of the Law

1. The Purpose of the sacrifices of the Law was to ratify the covenant
   1. There were various sacrifices under the Law, but they represented the One real sacrifice of the New Covenant
2. The blood is meant to bind the people and the tabernacle, under the terms of the covenant. The most appropriate blood would be that of the high priest [Heb 9:25], and the blood of bulls and goats is insufficient to do this.
3. Jesus’ sacrifice used His own blood.
4. The sacrifice is meant to make holy [Heb 2:11; 10:10; 13:12]