Understanding God’s Word Ministry

Ministry of the New Covenant

Hebrews 9, 2 Corinthians 4

Dying to Self, So That the Life of Christ Can Be Revealed

The Stages of Our Salvation Experience

The Body of Christ Submitting to the Head of the Church (Christ who is in the Heavenlies)

Hebrews 9:20-27

The Resurrected Christ, Mediator of the New Testament (Promises Became Accomplished Facts Through Christ Death)

Hebrews 9
Hebrews 9:16–25 (AV 2005)
THE NEW COVENANT
16 For where a Testament is (Covenant), there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. (This refers to the death of Christ, Who was charged to make a New Covenant on the part of man.)17 For a Testament is of force after men are dead (this tells us in no uncertain terms that the death of Christ on the Cross was a legal matter): otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator lives. (This simply means it is not valid until the individual to whom the Will belongs dies, as is the case of any Testament or Will.)18 Whereupon neither the First Testament (Old Covenant) was dedicated without blood (but it was only the blood of animals).19 For when Moses had spoken every Precept to all the people according to the Law (this was referred to as the “Law of Moses”), he took the blood of calves and of goats (proclaims the seal of the Old Covenant, which was “shed blood”; of course, it was a Type of the Shed Blood of Christ), with water (as the blood witnessed to the nature of His Atoning Death [Jn. 19:34], the water witnessed to His full and proper humanity [Jn. 19:34]), and scarlet wool (wool is normally white, which symbolizes the Righteousness of Christ; however, it was dyed red, which portrayed the fact that it took the Blood of Christ to make this Righteousness available to man), and hyssop (a bushy plant, which typified His Death on the Cross as a man; in Egypt the blood was applied to the doorpost with hyssop [Ex. 12:22]), and sprinkled both the Book, and all the people (referred to the Book of Leviticus, with the Tribe of Levi Ordained for Tabernacle Service, pertaining to the people; the sprinkling of the blood was the ratification of the Covenant, and symbolized the Blood of Christ which would ultimately be shed and applied by Faith to the hearts and lives of believing sinners [the blood was mixed with water]),20 Saying, This is the Blood of the Testament (presents that which made the Old Covenant valid) which God has enjoined upon you. (This presents the fact that everything in the First Covenant, exactly as in the New Covenant, is all of God and not at all of man.)21 Moreover he sprinkled with Blood both the Tabernacle, and all the Vessels of the Ministry. (This particular Verse portrays the awfulness of sin, and that it has contaminated everything on this Earth.)22 And almost all things are by the Law purged with blood (some few things were purged with water, but almost all with blood); and without shedding of blood is no remission. (The shed Blood of Christ on the Cross is the only solution for the sins, the ills, and the problems of this world. The problem of the world, and of the Church as well, is that it has ever sought to substitute something else. But let all know, it is alone the Cross! the Cross! the Cross!)23 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the Heavens should be purified with these (everything that pertained to the Tabernacle and all of its Sacred Vessels was a copy of that which was in Heaven; inasmuch as the Vessels and the Tabernacle were touched by men, they had to be purified by Blood, i.e., “animal blood”); but the Heavenly things themselves with better Sacrifices than these. (If man were to enter Heaven, the abode of God, there would have to be a better Sacrifice than that of animal blood.)24 For Christ is not entered into the Holy Places made with hands (Christ did not enter the earthly Tabernacle or Temple, regarding the offering up of His Precious Blood on the Mercy Seat), which are the figures of the true (presents the fact that these “figures” were only temporary); but into Heaven itself, now to appear in the Presence of God for us (presents the purpose and reason for the Cross; all of it was done “for us”):25 Nor yet that He should offer Himself often (refers to the fact that the one Sacrifice of Christ, which was the Offering of Himself on the Cross, was eternally sufficient for the cleansing from all sin—past, present, and future; It will never need to be repeated), as the High Priest enters into the Holy Place every year with blood of others (refers to the High Priest of Israel of Old, who went into the Holy of Holies once a year on the Great Day of Atonement, carrying animal blood);
 
~JSM

Counting All as Loss in Order to Gain Christ

Philippians 3
FALSE TEACHERS
FINALLY, my Brethren, rejoice in the Lord (as long as they keep their eyes on Christ and the Cross, they can keep rejoicing). To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe. (This presents the Apostle now turning his attention to the Judaizers, who might at any time turn their attention toward Philippi.)2 Beware of dogs (the Apostle is addressing the Judaizers, who were Jews from Jerusalem that claimed Christ, but insisted on Believers keeping the Law as well; all of this was diametrically opposed to Paul’s Gospel of Grace, in which the Law of Moses had no part; as well, by the use of the word “dogs,” the Apostle was using the worst slur), beware of evil workers (they denigrated the Cross), beware of the concision. (This presents a Greek word Paul uses as a play upon the Greek word “Circumcision,” which was at the heart of the Law Gospel of the Judaizers.)3 For we are the Circumcision (refers to the true Circumcision, which is that of the heart), which worship God in the Spirit (would have been better translated, “which worship by the Spirit of God”), and rejoice in Christ Jesus (refers not only to Who Christ is, but what He has done for us at the Cross), and have no confidence in the flesh (in things other than the Cross, which alone is the guarantee of Salvation and Victory).4 Though I might also have confidence in the flesh (refers to human attainments). If any other man thinks that he has whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more (the Apostle knows what he’s talking about regarding Judaism):
PAUL
5 Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel (he was a pure-blooded Jew), of the Tribe of Benjamin (Benjamin was the only Tribe that stayed with Judah at the time of the division of the nation), an Hebrew of the Hebrews (goes all the way back to Abraham); as touching the Law, a Pharisee (in fact, Paul had been the hope of the Pharisees, touted to take the place of Gamaliel);6 Concerning zeal, persecuting the Church (he thought he was doing God a service); touching the Righteousness which is in the Law, blameless. (He thought he was earning merit with God by persecuting the Church.)7 But what things were gain to me (Paul was speaking of his privileges as a Jew), those I counted loss for Christ. (All must be given up for Christ, and Christ is worth all we give up, and a thousand times more.)8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord (the knowledge of the Lord Jesus which Paul gained through the experience of intimate companionship and communion with Him): for Whom I have suffered the loss of all things (“For Whose sake I have been caused to forfeit”), and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ (next to Christ, everything else is nothing),9 And be found in Him (to be united with Christ by a living Faith, which has as its Object the Cross of Christ), not having my own Righteousness (“not having any Righteousness which can be called my own”), which is of the Law (pertains to Law-keeping; he was done with that), but that which is through the Faith of Christ (what He did at the Cross), the Righteousness which is of God by Faith (a spotless Righteousness made possible by the Cross, and imputed by God to all who exhibit Faith in Christ and the Cross):10 That I may know Him (referring to what Christ did at the Cross), and the power of His Resurrection (refers to being raised with Him in “Newness of Life” [Rom. 6:3–5]), and the fellowship of His sufferings (regarding our Trust and Faith placed in what He did for us at the Cross), being made conformable unto His death (to conform to what He did for us at the Cross, understanding that this is the only means of Salvation and Sanctification);11 If by any means I might attain unto the Resurrection of the dead. (This does not refer to the coming Resurrection, but rather the Believing sinner being baptized into the death of Christ [refers to the Crucifixion], and raised in “Newness of Life,” which gives victory over all sin [Rom. 6:3–5, 11, 14].)
Swaggart, J. (2005). The Expositor’s Study Bible (p. 2076). Jimmy Swaggart Ministries.

The Termination of the Natural Life in Order to be Used By God.

Hebrews 9
the Mercy Seat):8 The Holy Spirit this signifying (the Holy Spirit was both the Divine Author of the Levitical system of worship, and its Interpreter), that the way into the Holiest of all was not yet made manifest (proclaims the fact [and by the Holy Spirit, at that] that access to God was blocked while the Law was enforced, except in the most limited way), while as the First Tabernacle was yet standing (show the limitations of the Levitical system):9 Which was a figure for the time then present (refers to the Tabernacle being a representation of Heavenly realities), in which were offered both Gifts and Sacrifices, that could not make him who did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience (portrays the weakness of the First Covenant, in that it was based on animal blood, which was insufficient; in other words, the conscience of the Jew was still heavy with realization that sin had only been covered, not taken away; only the Cross could take away sin [Jn. 1:29]);10 Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal Ordinances (refers to the entirety of the Levitical system, which could only present types and shadows), imposed on them until the time of Reformation. (The Cross, to which all of this pointed, would address all of this once and for all.)11 But Christ being come (the little word “but” is the pivot upon which all the arguments swing) an High Priest (presented by the Apostle to show how marvelously the one Offering of our Lord Jesus Christ transcends all the types and shadows of the old) of good things to come (should have been translated, “of the good things realized”), by a greater and more perfect Tabernacle (presents Christ Himself as the more perfect Tabernacle), not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building (Christ is not a flimsy structure like the Tabernacle of old);12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves (proclaims by the fact of the continued need of more Sacrifices that it was not properly effected), but by His Own Blood (presents the price paid) He entered in once into the Holy Place (presents Christ doing what no other Priest had ever done; He offered a Sacrifice that was complete, which means it would never have to be repeated; thereby, the Heavenly Tabernacle was opened to Him; and if opened to Him, it was opened to us as well), having obtained Eternal Redemption for us. (This proclaims what was accomplished by the giving of Himself on the Cross.)13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats (presents Paul turning again to the Levitical Sacrifices as an example), and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, Sanctifies to the purifying of the flesh (in these animal Sacrifices, Paul proclaims the effect of an external purification, a cleansing from ritual defilement, but that was as far as it went; as should be obvious, animal Sacrifices could not take away sins):14 How much more shall the Blood of Christ (while the Sacrifice of animals could cleanse from ceremonial defilement, only the Blood of Christ could cleanse from actual sin; so that throws out every proposed solution other than the Cross), Who through the Eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God (in this phrase, we learn Christ did not die until the Holy Spirit told Him to die; in fact, no man took His Life from Him; He laid it down freely [Jn. 10:17–18]; as well, the fact that Jesus “offered Himself without spot to God” shoots down the unscriptural Doctrine that “Jesus died Spiritually” on the Cross; had He died Spiritually, meaning He became a sinner on the Cross, He could not have offered Himself without spot to God, as should be obvious; God could only accept a perfect Sacrifice; when He died on the Cross, He took upon Himself the sin penalty of the human race, which was physical death; inasmuch as His Offering of Himself was Perfect, God accepted it as payment in full for all sin—past, present, and future, at least for those who will believe [Jn. 3:16]), purge your conscience from dead works to serve the Living God? (“Dead works” are anything other than simple Faith in the Cross of Christ, i.e., “the Blood of Christ.”)
 The Expositor’s Study Bible (pp. 2131–2132). Jimmy Swaggart Ministries.

The Resurrected Life of Christ Revealed Through You

Hebrews 9