What is the meaning of Hebrews 9:16? In the case of a will • A will (or covenant) sets forth promises that the benefactor wants fulfilled after his passing. • Scripture often equates God’s covenant with a legal will—promises guaranteed by His character (Galatians 3:15-17; Psalm 105:8-10). • Jesus spoke of “the new covenant in My blood” (Luke 22:20), clearly echoing this legal imagery. It is necessary • God’s covenants are not casual suggestions. They carry binding, legal necessity. • The Old Testament repeatedly shows God binding Himself with oath and sacrifice (Genesis 15:9-18; Exodus 24:3-8). • Necessity underscores certainty: what God decrees must come to pass (Numbers 23:19). To establish • “Establish” means to validate or put into force. • In earthly law a will is only executed when the proper requirement—proof of death—is met. • Likewise, the new covenant required a once-for-all validation (Hebrews 7:27; Hebrews 10:14). The death • Blood was the God-appointed proof that life was given (Leviticus 17:11). • Every old-covenant sacrifice pointed forward to the ultimate death that would truly “establish” forgiveness (Hebrews 9:22-23). • Jesus’ death fulfills and supersedes every previous sacrifice (John 1:29; 1 Peter 1:18-19). Of the one who made it • Only the death of the covenant-maker Himself could unlock its blessings. • Christ, both testator and mediator, chose to die so His heirs might live (Hebrews 2:9-10; Romans 8:17). • Because He rose, He also guarantees continual enforcement of His will (Hebrews 7:25; Revelation 1:18). summary Hebrews 9:16 teaches that, just as an earthly will is activated by the death of its maker, so the new covenant required the death of its Author. Jesus’ sacrificial death legally enacted every promised blessing—complete forgiveness, new life, and eternal inheritance—assuring believers that what God has willed for them is irrevocably theirs. |
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