World English Bible translation
Every priest indeed stands day by day ministering and often offering the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins, 10:12 but he, when he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; 10:13 from that time waiting until his enemies are made the footstool of his feet. 10:14 For by one offering he has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. 10:15 The Holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after saying, 10:16 "This is the covenant that I will make with them: 'I will put my laws on their heart,
I will also write them on their mind;'"
then he says,
10:17 "I will remember their sins and their iniquities no more." Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.Today's Lesson
Today's Scripture is a pivotal portion of the Epistle to the Hebrews. If the recipients of this letter accept this one logical point, then everything else in this letter follows. The author has discussed the differences between the two covenants in regard to the priests and the tabernacle. Now he completes the comparisons by comparing the sacrifices of the Old and New Covenant.
Under the Old Covenant the priest offers sacrifices day after day. These sacrifices could never take away sins because they could never cleanse the conscience of the sinner. But under the New Covenant the sacrifice of Jesus Christ has already perfected forever anyone who will be saved. Because His work has already been accomplished, Jesus sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. This is to show that there is no longer work to accomplish. It is finished.
What does it mean that, "by one offering he has perfected forever those who are being sanctified?" The sacrifice of Jesus Christ was a one-time event. It happened on a single day almost 2000 years ago. It is an event that will never again be repeated. But from the first apostles to countless men and women today, many people have expressed their faith that this one event has cleansed their conscience of sin in precisely the fashion that the writer of Hebrews declares that the sacrifices of the Old Covenant could not accomplish.
Whenever we place our faith and trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross we enter into the New Covenant by faith. God promises to remember our sins and iniquities no more. Once sin separated us from God in the same way that God was separated from the people by the veils within the tabernacle. Now, through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the veil has been ripped apart. Now we can enter directly into the presence of God. And when we do, with His own hand He will write His laws on our heart and on our mind.
Our experience of the perfection that God gives to us is limited to our faith. We will not feel perfect. Our sin is only too visible to us, especially as we draw closer to God. But God has written, "I will remember their sins and their iniquities no more." Each of us must decide if we are to believe what we see or if we will believe what God has promised. This is the essence of faith.
Will you trust in the complete sacrifice of Christ? Will you trust that God sees you as perfect in His Son?
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