A Bible Study in EasyEnglish (2800 word vocabulary) on the Book of Hebrews
Keith Simons
EasyEnglish is a system of simple English designed by Wycliffe Associates (UK).
Last part: Why did animals die as sacrifices? (Hebrews 9:13)
The author of Hebrews explained the Bible well; he was a good teacher. But his intention was not merely to explain and to teach. He wanted to influence his readers. In other words, he wanted to use words that would have a powerful effect on their lives (Hebrews 3:13).
He wrote his book about 20 or 30 years after Christ’s death. And he wrote it because he was worried about some Christians (Hebrews 5:11-12). Those Christians were not developing and becoming mature in their relationship with God. The author was afraid that they might neglect Christ’s work to save them (Hebrews 2:1-3). They still cared very much about other Christians (Hebrews 6:10). But they were starting to act as if Christ’s death was unimportant. Or, as if Christ was merely the great man who established their religion.
So the author showed how much Christ’s death matters. It mattered both for them then and for us now. He wrote about Israel’s system of priests. That system was neither complete nor perfect. But by it, God had said that his people could have a relationship with him. That system continued for about 1500 years. During all that time, God’s people were waiting for him to establish a new and better relationship with them.
And then, suddenly, God did it. He did it by means of Christ’s death. Christ died once, so that God’s people can be free from the power of sin (evil deeds) for all time (Hebrews 9:26).
It was not God’s intention to destroy what he had done by Israel’s priests, but rather to complete it (Matthew 5:17). They had offered the blood of animals as their sacrifices (gifts) to God. God accepted those gifts, and he allowed people to have a relationship with him because of those gifts.
But Christ offered a better and more perfect sacrifice. When he died, he offered his own blood. It was the blood of God’s perfect Son. God accepted that one, perfect sacrifice. And by it, people can receive a new and living relationship with him (Hebrews 10:19-20). It is not like the relationship that Israel’s priests and people had. They had to stay separate from God. Their sin did not allow them to be in the place where the holy God was present.
But Christ’s work is both complete and perfect. God can forgive all our sin because of Christ. It is only because of Christ’s death that we can serve God in a proper manner.
Without Christ and his death, the Christian religion has no value. But because of Christ’s death, we can have a real and living relationship with God.
© 2012, Keith Simons.