“For on the one hand there is an annulling of the former commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness, for the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.” Heb. 7:18-19. We see that the old covenant was faulted for making nothing perfect: “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.” Heb. 10:4. But the blood of the new covenant—the offering in the body—could take away sins. This is the covenant with which Jesus came. “Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: ‘Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. “Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come—in the volume of the book it is written of Me—to do Your will, O God.’” “He takes away the first that He may establish the second. By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Christ once for all. And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.” According to the flesh, Jesus was born of the seed of David. Rom. 1:3. In that flesh dwelt nothing good. Rom. 7:18. The law was powerless against the desires of the flesh; therefore God had to send His Son in a flesh like David’s, on account of sin, and condemn sin in the flesh. Rom. 8:3-4. Thus an offering took place in the body which took away sin, and the righteous requirement of the law, “You shall not covet,” was fulfilled. This is precisely the reason for Jesus’ coming. Matt. 5:17. This took place in Jesus “that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” This offering in His body enabled Him to do the will of God. Thereby He took away the first—the animal sacrifices which could not take away sins—and established the second—“to do Your will, O God.” Through this offering in His body—not My will, but Your will be done—Jesus brought forth the blood of the new covenant; and God brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, “that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant.” Heb. 10:19-20, 13:20. Jesus calls those who hear His voice “My sheep.” By bringing this sacrifice in His own body, He consecrated a new and living way for us through the veil, that is, His flesh. There He is our forerunner. Heb. 6:19-20. We read previously, “By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ.” Then we have also presented our body as a living, holy, and acceptable sacrifice to God, which is our spiritual service. Then our only interest will be to “prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Jesus came not only with water—the forgiveness of sins, an external purification—but He came with water and blood, the mortification of sin in the flesh; and the Spirit is the One who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. 1 John 5:6-12. If we follow Jesus on this new and living way—the offering in the new covenant—we also come in the blood of Jesus and have boldness to enter into the Holiest of All. Through this blood of the new covenant we also become Jesus’ brethren and heirs of God. They are the ones Jesus will fetch at the rapture. We see what the works of the flesh are by reading Galatians 5:19-21, and Paul says “that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Just think of the offerings that have to be brought in these bodies so they can live in verse 22. However, no one belongs to Christ unless he has crucified his flesh with its passions and desires and walks in the Spirit. Then he also has the Spirit as a witness. Vs. 24-25; Rom. 8:16. We read that “every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.” This is also what all these so-called priests do in these days. The first thing people do in their worship service is to confess their sins. This also applies to all religious work. They perform a lot of mission work and sacrifice a lot of money and time, as well as their body, through hard work. But they do not understand anything about the sacrifices in the body—the offering that takes away sins—so they can be one just as the Father and the Son are one. They know nothing of this development; that is why there is envy and division and strife behind all this form of godliness. 2 Tim. 3; 1 Cor. 13. God be praised for the gospel which gives us the opportunity to grow and develop in the Spirit of Christ, to come to the same life and the same unity that exists between the Father and the Son. 1 John 1:1-4. In Colossians 3:22-24 we have a good example of what it means to “present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service.” If this servant—in those days he was a slave—wanted to follow Paul’s exhortation, he had to bring a tremendous sacrifice in the body so he could bear the fruit of the Spirit, that which was acceptable to God. Then this slave would be a full-time worker for God—the very thing so many preachers boast of when they give up their earthly work to travel around and preach. Paul writes to the slave: “Were you called while a slave? Do not be concerned about it.” If he had had less opportunity to partake of divine nature, he would have had reason to be concerned, because that is the most precious promise we have, and that is what really matters in the resurrection. We are all on the same level and have the same possibilities to “win the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” whether we are man or woman, slave or free; because the only thing that matters is the offering of the body—following Jesus on the new and living way.Sigurd Bratlie