Phil Rowlands

Hello, my friends!

Today, as we continue in Hebrews, I'd like to share some thoughts with you about the incredible power of the new covenant and how it frees us from the burden of guilt and sin-consciousness. This is a topic that's close to my heart, as I've seen firsthand how destructive guilt can be in the lives of believers who don't fully grasp the liberating truth of what Jesus has accomplished for us. I was personally in that boat for many years under legalism and condemnation, propagated from poor teaching that was rife in churches over the past 30 years and unfortunately, still is today.

Friends, did you know that many Christians struggle with feelings of guilt and unworthiness, even though we have the most amazing message of forgiveness and grace? It's sad but true. The gospel is meant to set us free, yet so many believers remain bound by condemnation and a sin focus. Why is this? Often, it's because we've mixed old covenant thinking with new covenant truth. We've inherited religious traditions that keep drawing our attention back to our sins and shortcomings, rather than fixing our eyes on Jesus and what He has done.

Let's look at how the old covenant system actually reinforced guilt, rather than removing it. Under the old covenant, there were three key elements that kept people sin-conscious: the priesthood, the sanctuary, and the law. The priests had to continually offer sacrifices for the people's sins. But this repetition only served as a reminder of sin, year after year. The sanctuary was divided by a veil, symbolising the separation between God and man due to sin. And the law, while righteous and good, could only reveal sin – it had no power to remove it.

Friends, can you see how this system, though given by God for a purpose, could never bring about the close, intimate relationship with God that we were created for? It was always meant to be temporary, pointing ahead to something far better. And that something better is Jesus Christ and the new covenant He established through His blood!

Under the new covenant, we have a new High Priest – Jesus Himself. Hebrews tells us that He offered Himself as the perfect, once-for-all sacrifice for our sins. Unlike the old covenant priests who had to stand daily offering sacrifices, Jesus sat down at the right hand of the Father, having completed His work. What a powerful picture of the finality and sufficiency of His sacrifice!

Not only that, but we now have access to a new sanctuary. No longer are we shut out from God's presence by a veil. Through faith in Christ, we are seated with Him in heavenly places. We don't have to come in and out of God's presence – we live there constantly! And the law? While still good and holy, it no longer condemns us. We are no longer under law, but under grace. Christ has fulfilled all of its demands on our behalf.

“For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified” (Hebrews 10:14). What an astounding statement! Through His one sacrifice, Jesus has made us perfect in God's sight. Not just forgiven, but perfected. How can this be? It's because when the Father looks at us, He sees us clothed in the perfect righteousness of His Son. We are completely identified with Christ in His life, death, and resurrection.

Friends, do you realise the implications of this truth? It means there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. None! When accusation comes – whether from Satan, others, or our own conscience – we have an Advocate with the Father. Jesus Himself stands to defend us and declare us righteous. Even when we stumble and fall, He doesn't condemn us. His grace leads us to repentance and change.

Under the new covenant, God says “Their sins and lawless deeds I will remember no more” (Hebrews 8:12). Think about that – the Creator of the universe chooses to forget our sins! He will never bring them up or hold them against us. Religion may try to remind us of our failures, but God has forgotten them. Isn't that liberating?

So how do we live in light of this amazing truth? We shift our focus from sin-consciousness to Christ-consciousness. Rather than constantly examining ourselves for sin, we fix our eyes on Jesus and His finished work. We remember what He has done for us through the symbols of the new covenant – the bread and the cup. These don't remind us of our sins, but of His body broken and blood shed to make us righteous.

The Holy Spirit also plays a vital role in this. Jesus said He would bring to our remembrance all that Christ taught. So, He's constantly working to reinforce our righteousness-consciousness, reminding us of who we are in Christ. When we stumble, He convicts us of our righteousness, not of our sin, so we inherently then assume living more in line with the life of Christ within us rather than our old sin nature.

Friends, I want to encourage you today – if you've been living under the weight of condemnation and guilt, it's time to lay that burden down. Jesus bore it all at Calvary. You are forgiven, cleansed, and declared righteous in God's sight. Nothing can separate you from His love. Let that truth sink deep into your heart and transform the way you see yourself and relate to God.

Does this mean we become careless about sin? Not at all! When we truly grasp the magnitude of God's grace and what it cost Him, it produces deep gratitude and a desire to please Him. We don't avoid sin out of fear of punishment, but out of love for the One who gave everything for us. As we behold Christ's glory, we are transformed into His image from glory to glory.

In the old covenant, the high priest had to first offer sacrifices for his own sins before he could represent the people. But Jesus, our perfect High Priest, was without sin. He lived a life of complete obedience to the Father, fulfilling all righteousness on our behalf. When He offered Himself as a sacrifice, it wasn't just His death that paid for our sins – His perfect life was credited to our account.

Friends, this is why the Bible says we are the righteousness of God in Christ. It's not about our performance or our ability to keep the law. It's about Jesus' perfect obedience being imputed to us. When God looks at us, He sees the righteousness of His Son. What an incredible exchange! Our sin for His righteousness. And furthermore, when God looks at us He sees the new creation that we are, that is every bit as righteous and holy as Christ Jesus, we were born again, born righteous and holy, Amen!

Now, let's consider the new sanctuary we have access to. In the old covenant, the earthly tabernacle was just a shadow of the heavenly reality. But now, through Christ, we have direct access to the throne of grace. We don't need an earthly priest to mediate for us – Jesus is our mediator, and through Him, we can approach God with confidence.

This truth should revolutionise our prayer life. We don't come before God trembling in fear, wondering if He'll accept us. We come boldly, knowing we are welcome because of Christ. We are children coming to our loving Father, not suspects approaching a stern judge. How differently would we pray if we truly believed this?

Friends, the new covenant also brings a new way of relating to the law. The law is good and holy, but it was never meant to make us righteous. Its purpose was to reveal our need for a Saviour. Now that Christ has come, we are no longer under the law's condemning power. We are under grace. This doesn't mean we disregard God's moral standards – rather, we find that as we walk in the Spirit, we naturally fulfill the righteous requirement of the law.

Think about it this way: the law is like a mirror that shows us our dirt, but it can't clean us. Only the blood of Jesus can do that. Once we're cleansed, we don't throw away the mirror – we use it to remind us of who we are in Christ and to guide our walk with Him.

One of the most beautiful aspects of the new covenant is God's promise to remember our sins no more. In the old covenant, there was a constant reminder of sins. But now, God chooses to forget our transgressions. This doesn't mean He becomes forgetful – it means He chooses not to hold our sins against us or bring them up again. If God has forgotten our sins, why do we keep remembering them? Let's follow His example and focus on who we are in Christ rather than who we were in sin.

The symbols of the new covenant – the bread and the cup – are powerful reminders of this truth. When we partake of communion, we're not meant to focus on our sins and unworthiness. We're meant to remember Christ's body broken for us and His blood shed for our forgiveness. It's a celebration of our acceptance, not an occasion for morbid introspection.

As we conclude, let me remind you of the incredible standing you have in Christ. You are forgiven, cleansed, and declared righteous. You have direct access to the Father. You are no longer under condemnation. You are loved with an everlasting love. These are not just nice sentiments – they are rock-solid truths based on the finished work of Christ.

Be blessed today my brothers and sisters. May you walk in the freedom and joy that comes from knowing you are fully accepted and beloved by your heavenly Father. May you rest secure in your identity as a child of God, clothed in the righteousness of Christ. And may that assurance empower you to live boldly for Him, extending to others the same grace you've received.

Phil