Ruth 4:8-12. Final chapter – Our home with Christ is a clear conscience.

Ruth 4:8-12. Final chapter – Our home with Christ is a clear conscience.

Heb 10:15 And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,

The following is the New Covenant stated to Israel by the prophet Jeremiah.

Heb 10:16 "This is the covenant that I will make with them

After those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws upon their heart,

And upon their mind I will write them,"

He then says,

Heb 10:17 "And their sins and their lawless deeds

I will remember no more."

After saying this to the prophet, the Spirit witnesses to us:

Heb 10:18 Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.

Heb 10:19 Since therefore, brethren, we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus,

Heb 10:20 by a new and living way which [entrance] He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh,

Christ inaugurated for us an entrance so that we could walk the road of life.

The Greek word translated “way” (hodos) means highway, street, or road. Jesus used the word in a statement that has been significant in our study.

Joh 14:3-4

"And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. "And you know the way (hodos: road, the new and living way) where I am going."

Thomas replied, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?" And in one way, Thomas was correct. They didn’t know it yet, though they should have because Jesus is the way. What they didn’t understand is that His life would be theirs. This has been a great point of confusion in Christianity from the beginning. Satan has planned and performed his work well. The simplicity of the gift of Christ to us has been hidden and if it is spoken it is too often perverted by being mixed with lies.

Christ gave every believer eternal life and that life is a way and a truth that man could have never given himself, and full of glorious light.

The road (way) has always been there; it is eternal life or the life of God, true life, but the entrance was never there until Christ created it for us through His death and resurrection.

Heb 10:21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God,

Heb 10:22 let us draw near with a sincere [alethinos: true, genuine, or loyal] heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

Because our hearts are sprinkled clean and our bodies washed through the blood of Christ, draw near with a true or genuine heart and bold appropriation of all the privileges of sonship.

We are exhorted to draw near to the mercy seat as if we were perfectly clean and holy high priests, with full assurance. Sincere is too weak a word for this phrase. Sincerity is included, but with all that enters into a right attitude toward God as revealed in our Great High Priest, gladness, freedom, enthusiasm, bold appropriation of all the privileges of sonship.

The high priest was sprinkled with blood and washed with water before he could perform the services of the Tabernacle. Our own hearts must experience the same thing, cleaning our conscience so that we can serve Him with all the vigor of mature sons.

Can we imagine being clean, confident, holding on to all the privileges of being a son of God and a brother to the Great High Priest and then choosing a life of darkness, flesh, lust, etc.

This is why it is of utmost importance that we are fully educated by the word of God.

Now let’s look at John’s use of meno (abide/remain) and our Lord’s.

1Jo 2:1 My little children, I am writing these things to you that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;

1Jo 2:2 and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.

1Jo 2:3 And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments.

1Jo 2:4 The one who says, "I have come to know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him;

1Jo 2:5 but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him:

1Jo 2:6 the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.

1Jo 2:7 Beloved, I am not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word which you have heard.

1Jo 2:8 On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.

“old commandment” – the elder members of these congregations learned the truth years ago.

“new commandment” – church age mystery doctrines.

1Jo 2:9 The one who says he is in the light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now.

1Jo 2:10 The one who loves his brother abides in the light and there is no cause for stumbling in him.

1Jo 2:11 But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

Hate fills a man’s eyes with himself, and in that smoky vision, the man sees himself as above others. Man hates that which he doesn’t understand. He hates those who are stronger than him while he wishes more than anything to be the strong one. He hates that which is weak because he is weak. Hate fills a man with himself, and in this enormous universe of wonder and light, to see only yourself, is to be in great darkness.

The one who loves his brother with sacrificial agape love walks in the light. In the light he sees clearly and so does not stumble, which word means to fall into a trap. He is not sinless, it is just that he doesn’t stumble into what clear sight shows is a trap.

God is love and life and light. Light is Christ, the glory of God to mankind. If He didn’t love us, all would be alienated from God forever.

Sacrificial love amongst one another would be quite idiotic if we were alone in this universe. But of course, there is a God of all glory, Creator of the heavens and earth. The salvation of souls, calling sons to glory with Him, goodness and peace to mankind, are the good things that He is. They are a part of His essence or nature. God is love and so love is light as God is light.

By love I can see what is of value and virtue. By the love of God, I can actually see my neighbor, and see much more of him than what he can do for me or against me. Many people look at others only in the limited scope of how they can be affected by them. Being blind to the people around you is to be blind to the world. After all, it is not vital that I know the intimacies of rocks and trees or any material things of earth. The important part of this world is the people that are in it. Love opens my eyes to the world and to why God would do the ultimate in love, become a man and die for all fallen man.

Therefore, without love I cannot know the good – I am blind to it. Good is an absolute and it is defined by God. Mankind cannot determine it without possessing a heart filled with the love of God.