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Hebrews 9:15
ESV Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.
NIV 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.
NASB For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the violations that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.
CSB Therefore, he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called might receive the promise of the eternal inheritance, because a death has taken place for redemption from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.
NLT That is why he is the one who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them. For Christ died to set them free from the penalty of the sins they had committed under that first covenant.
KJV And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

What does Hebrews 9:15 mean?

The writer of Hebrews has been very careful to point out that God's plan was always to provide a "new covenant" for His people. Melchizedek's priesthood is one such proof (Hebrews 7:11). God's own decree to Jeremiah is another (Hebrews 8:8–9). The flaws and drawbacks of the old covenant were not an accident; rather, those were meant, by God, to help us understand the need for the new covenant (Hebrews 8:7). In recent verses, the writer has indicated that animal sacrifices have value, but that value is limited. They can provide ritual purity, but cannot change us on the inside. Those sacrifices cannot really remove the penalty of sin. The sacrifice of Christ, on the other hand, can accomplish what those other sacrifices cannot.

This makes the new covenant the "promised eternal inheritance" which God has always intended for mankind. The original audience of this letter was persecuted Jewish Christians. This reference to inheritance reminds them that following Christ is not an abandonment of their Jewish roots. Instead, it is a fulfillment of that heritage. The sacrifice of Christ, in fact, is the event which actually provides for forgiveness of all sins—including those which occurred during the ages before His birth.

According to this passage, animal sacrifice cannot fully atone for human sin. This is one reason that the priests of the old covenant had to constantly offer sacrifices. And, a sinful human priest has to offer sacrifice for his own sin. Christ, in contrast, offers a sacrifice which is completely human, completely sinless, and completely effective in what it accomplishes.

This is one of three places in the book of Hebrews where Jesus is described using the term mediator (Hebrews 8:6; 12:24). A mediator resolves a conflict between two sides.
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