²⁰ saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you.” ²¹ Then likewise he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry. ²² And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.

9:20

saying,

The following sentence is a quotation from Moses in Exodus 24:8.

“This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you.”

When Moses received the Mosaic Covenant, he read the covenant to the congregation of Israel. They pledged obedience to that covenant.

9:21

Then likewise

These words indicate that what follows succeeded what occurred in verses 19 and 20. This took place later because the construction of the tabernacle did not exist at this time.

he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry.

The Old Testament sanctuary in the desert was sanctified by blood. All its furnishings were purified in this manner.

9:22

And

Verse 22 draws two conclusions: (1) the law demanded cleansing by blood, and (2) without blood, there is no forgiveness of sins.

according to the law almost all things are purified with blood,

The Mosaic law rested on the principle of shedding blood when dealing with sins.

The word “almost” indicates that not everything was cleansed by blood in the Old Testament; however, most things were. Some things were purified by water or fire.

and without shedding of blood there is no remission [emphatic].

The principle of shedding blood to forgive sins is a principle of the New Testament as well. More specifically, this is the principle of expiation by the shedding of blood. Thus, Christ needed to shed His blood to pay for sin. This is the only possible way to gain access to God.

PRINCIPLE:

Sacrificial death is God’s way of dealing with the sin problem.

APPLICATION:

There can be no forgiveness apart from the shedding of Christ’s blood. Christ’s sacrifice covers our past (He 9:22), present, and future relationship to God. Nothing can take that away from us (Jer 31:34; He 9:15).

God provided the removal of sin and eternal salvation through the New Covenant and His shed blood. The New Covenant is unalterable and final; it is the unbreakable seal of security for believers. The New Covenant was binding because the death of Christ sealed it.