Who will benefit from the redemption of Jesus Christ?
Who will benefit from the redemption of Jesus Christ?
*
Read the following verses carefully.
"For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the *sins* *committed under the first covenant." Hebrews* 9:15 (NIV)
"And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions *under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive* the promise of the eternal inheritance."
Hebrews 9:15 (NKJV)
The true meaning of this is that Jesus Christ died to give salvation to all who sinned under the first covenant also .
" This word is the most important passage in the Epistle to the Hebrews", the great scholar WILLIAM BARCLAY has written so in his book.
He also mentions that it is also a very difficult and incomprehensible scripture passage.
What does this really mean?
We all think that the crucifixion, the sufferings and the death of Jesus Christ will give eternal freedom only to those who believe in Him (under the new covenant).
To put it more clearly, it is a common belief that only New Testament believers who believe in the resurrection of Christ will receive eternal life.
But this is not the whole truth.
Warren Wiersbe, the greatest Bible commentator, writes about this, in this way.
“There was no final and complete redemption under the OT Covenant. Their transgression were covered by the blood of animals, but not cleansed until the sacrifice of Christ on the cross".
In other words,
(There was no complete redemption given to the Jews under the Old Covenant. Not only were their transgressions covered with the blood of animals, but they were not washed away until Christ was sacrificed on the cross.)
"The efficacy of Christ's atonement was *retrospective as well as prospective " this* the opinion of R.W. PINK.
The benefit of the *redemption of Jesus Christ is predated or the benefit of Christ is offered to Jews who eagerly look forward towards this and especially to the chosen Jews.*
We can understand this through the following scripture passages.
"They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them and that Rock was Christ".
1 Corinthians 10:3,4
"God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his *forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—"*
Romans 3:25.
Therefore, through this *we can understand that the Old Testament saints* *also will be redeemed_ only by the blood of Jesus Christ.*
It was just as *efficacious in taking away the transgressions of the believers before it was actually shed, as* it _is of cleansing believers today, nineteen centuries after it was shed. -_ R.W. PINK
And this can be clearly understood by reading Hebrews 11:40.
"Since God had planned something *better for us so that only together with us would they (the Jews) be made perfect* ."
Hebrews 11:40 (NIV)
The efficacy of Christ's atonement *was retrospective as well as prospective..* R.W. PINK – (Heb 9:15).
So *the benefit of redemption by Jesus Christ applies not only to us but also to the chosen Jews.*
Ezekiel Shanmugavel