In the Old Covenant, the priest had to offer animal sacrifices over and over again, so that the shed blood washed away the sins for a short time. The blood that Jesus shed for us is so powerful, so majestic that it cleans us once and for all.
“And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)” (Hebrews 10:21-23; KJV)
What the Bible describes as “sprinkled”: we are made immaculate, holy and blameless in our true self, our God-created spirit (Genesis 1:26, Genesis 2:7), through the blood of Jesus (Colossians 1:22). We are a new creation from the moment we accepted Jesus as our Savior (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Where there’s no guilt remaining, a guilty conscience is unnecessary
God, who is righteousness, punishes every sin. Every single sin. Not a single sin remains unpunished.
The core of the Good News (Gospel) is this: We no longer need to get punished because Jesus was punished about 2,000 years ago. He took our punishment once and for all. The guilt, which we used to have before God, is paid by Jesus and nailed to the cross (Colossians 2:13-14).
Whoever has accepted Jesus as their Savior is freed from a guilty conscience. This is what God says about us Jesus-believers: “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.” (God in Hebrews 8:12; KJV). And so that no one can overlook it, God repeats His pledge a few pages later in the Bible: “And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.” (God in Hebrews 10:17; KJV)
So don’t be self-centered and feel guilty and condemned, but joyfully and gratefully receive the reconciliation with God through Jesus. There is no other way to heaven (John 14:6).
