# how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse our conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
The author uses this question to emphasize that Christ's sacrifice was the most powerful. AT: "then certainly Christ's blood will cleanse our conscience even more from dead works to serve the living God! Because, through the eternal Spirit, he offered himself without blemish to God." (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])
This is a small sin or moral fault spoken of here as if it were a small, unusual spot or defect on Christ's body. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
Here "conscience" refers to a person's feeling of guilt. Believers no longer have to feel guilty for the sins they have committed because Jesus sacrificed himself and has forgiven them. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
Here "cleanse" stands for the action of relieving our consciences from guilt for the sins we have committed. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
# dead works
Sinful deeds are spoken of as if they belonged to the world of the dead. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
"to take away the sins of those who were under the first covenant." Possible meanings are 1) here "their sins" is a metonym for the guilt of their sins. AT: "to take away the guilt of those who were under the first covenant" or 2) here "their sins" is a metonym for the punishment for their sins. AT: "to take away the punisment for sins of those who were under the first covenant" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
Receiving what God has promised believers is spoken of as if it were inheriting property and wealth from a family member. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
See in Reader
