The Holiest of All By Andrew Murray

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IboUest or ail 313
with sin put away by the sacrifice of Himself, and an open
path to the beginning of a new life in the favour and power of
God.
Now follow two verses which have caused no little difficulty.
In English we have for one word in Greek two words of entirely
different meaning. The word "covenant,"
a treaty between two
parties, and
"
testament," the last will by which one party leaves
his property to another, are the same in Greek. Through the
whole of Scripture the word may always
best be translated
"covenant,"
with the exception of the two following verses. Here
the argument renders the meaning
"testament" or "will"
necessary.
For where a testament is, there must of necessity be the death
of him that made it. For a testament is of force where there
hath been death : for doth it ever avail while he that made
it liveth ? It is as if the author turns aside for a moment, led
to it
by what he had just
inheritance, to use the other meaning
said of them who receive the eternal
of the Greek word in
order to prove how, in every connection, a death is
indispens
able. He had spoken of Christ s death as the sacrifice by which
the covenant was ratified. To confirm the thought he adds :
When one who has made a testament dies, he passes away, and
the heir takes his place, even so Jesus, the Heir of all things,
in His death gave up all, that we might stand in His place, and
inherit all."
Would God that our hearts might take it in. A death having
taken place ! Now the covenant is sure. The redemption of past
transgressions is sure we
; may now claim and take the promise
of the eternal inheritance. A death having taken place I Now
the testament avails. The maker of the testament has died, to
of all He had and all He won for
put us in complete possession
us. And, praise God ! He lives again, as no other maker of a