Christ’s Sacrifice Once for All
Hebrews 10:1-14
” The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship. 2 If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshipers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared.
3 But instead, those sacrifices actually reminded them of their sins year after year. 4 For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
The beautiful practicality and wondrous mystery of God’s plan for redeeming mankind, can be seen so clearly here in the book of Hebrews. I love Hebrews, it explains so much of the purpose and freedom available to us through Jesus Christ. I once was captive to the wrong belief that I had to do something to make up for the sins I committed. That somehow, my good had to outweigh my bad on that eternal scale in heaven. But there is no scale, and we could never possibly do enough good to make up for the bad. Here we are told that the old system of sacrifices could never bring release from guilt to the conscience of the sinner, only Christ can do that. No I am not saying we should take God’s grace for granted, or not feel true remorse for our sins. What I am saying is, Christ is enough, Christ is all in all. Only Christ is acceptable to God, and we are only acceptable through Him
10 For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.
11 Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins. 12 But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 13 There he waits until his enemies are humbled and made a footstool under his feet.
Do you see here how we try to offer the same sacrifices day after day, again and again, but these could never take away sin. Only Christ can do this. And I believe some of us are still trying to offer those sacrifices. O the freedom that awaits those who truly lay it all down and rest in what Christ has already done. I cannot tell you the joy and peace that has permeated and my soul as I have released these things to His care and have learned to lean completely on Him.
14 For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy.
We can see in this verse that we live in kind of a time warp as believers. By Christ’s one offering, we are forever made perfect, But notice that it also says we are being made holy. We are participating in a process that is already completed. We are guaranteed to be perfected, we already are in Christ, but we still experience the process of being perfected. O the joyous mystery of God’s wonderful plan. Christ in me, Christ in You, the hope of all mankind. Lean, My sisters and brothers, yield to what already is, and experience true peace, true release.
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