“… how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.”
(Hebrews 9:14)
No matter how “good” a person looks to the world, from God’s vantagepoint we all have a conscience that is defiled because of the Fall. This depraved state has nothing to do with how we act or what we think or feel. And no amount of giving, no amount of service, no amount of penance can remove the stain of guilt from our conscience.
We come out of the womb with this stain of sin and the sentence of death on us, and the attitudes that characteristically define us as we grow older include those of pride, jealousy, fear, self-pity, and bitterness. These all spring from this defiled conscience that we carry by nature so that left to ourselves, we are doomed in our depravity. Even our very best efforts can only be described as “dead works” (Heb. 9:14).
So, how can we then cleanse our guilty conscience that it may be pure before God? Hebrews 9:14 tells us. “How much more will the blood of Christ, who… offered Himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.”
The only means by which we obtain a clean, clear conscience is through the blood of Jesus Christ. We must have our “hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience,” (Heb. 10:22). This is how our conscience is “purged from dead works to serve the living God,” (Heb. 9:14). Christ’s blood is the only cleansing agent sufficient to purify a sinful heart.
This is the work of the Spirit of Christ and the water mentioned in Ezekiel, “I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean from all your filthiness,” (Ezekiel 36:25). Francis Whiddon, Westminster Divine, said, “These two, Christ’s blood and Christ’s Spirit, will cleanse the most foul sinner and the most defiled conscience.”
In one of his letters to the Corinthians, Paul reminds the Christians at Corinth of their wicked state before they met Christ – “fornicators, idolaters, effeminate, accusers of themselves with mankind, thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, extortioners,” (1 Cor. 6: 9-10), and then affirms that they had since been cleansed by the blood and Spirit of Christ. “But you are washed, but you are sanctified, but you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God,” (1 Cor. 6:11).
This is the “refiner’s fire and fuller’s soap,” mentioned in Malachi 3:2. It is that hyssop which “makes us as white as snow,” (Psalm 51:7), yes, even whiter than snow.
In addition, God makes other means of sanctifying grace available to us after regeneration which are likewise useful and necessary to keep our conscience clean, namely the Word, faith, and repentance.
Christ says, “Now are ye clean through the word that I have spoken unto you,” (John 15:3), that is to say, “the word accompanied with the power of my Spirit.” Likewise, we purify (sanctify) our hearts through the Spirit when we exercise faith in God and His promises (Acts 15:9). And as for repentance, when Judah defiled herself from disobedience, God calls her to repent as a way of cleansing. “Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean. Remove the evil of your deeds from My sight,” (Isa. 1:16) and then, “though your sins are as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow,” (Isa. 1:18).
We need not suffer the painful consequences of a guilty conscience. God provides cleansing and freedom through the purifying blood of Jesus and washing of water by the Word and His Spirit. What can wash away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus!
- Lord, the blood of Christ is the only means by which we can be cleansed and comforted. Paul says that Christ “by the blood of his cross has made peace and reconciled all things,” (Col. 1:20. If Christ’s blood is powerful enough to remove all enmity between me and You, between men and angels in heaven, and between men and all creatures on earth, I must embrace it as the most excellent means to purify my guilty conscience.
- The blood of Christ gives my soul all “boldness to enter into the holiest of all by a new and living way,” (Heb. 10:19) and gives me assurance of salvation before You.
- Both Your blood and Your Spirit are necessary for my cleansing. For this reason, they both are called (1 John 2:1; John 14:16) advocates. Lord Jesus, You are my advocate to the Father to procure peace for me. Holy Spirit, You are the Lord’s advocate to me to produce peace in me.
- Lord, I am thankful that such a Great Physician as Christ is my advocate. I am thankful that He sent the Holy Spirit to help me as well. “I will pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter,” (John 14:16). I am ever grateful that He can take my guilty conscience and make it clean. Amen!
Further References for Hebrews 9:14
1 Peter 3:18; Eph. 5:2; 1 Peter 1:19; 1 John 1:7; Titus 2:14; Rev. 1:5
