Hebrews 10:1-18
Christ's Sacrifice Once for All
1The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. 2If it could, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. 3But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, 4because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
5Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:
"Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but a body you prepared for me;
6with burnt offerings and sin offerings
you were not pleased.
7Then I said, 'Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—
I have come to do your will, O God.' " 8First he said, "Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them" (although the law required them to be made). 9Then he said, "Here I am, I have come to do your will." He sets aside the first to establish the second. 10And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
11Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. 13Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, 14because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.
15The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says:
16"This is the covenant I will make with them
after that time, says the Lord.
I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them on their minds." 17Then he adds:
"Their sins and lawless acts
I will remember no more."
18And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin.
The Law of Moses were God's rules...Breaking one (or more) of the Law of Moses was a sin...The Law showed us, we are sinners...The Law made us aware of our sins...The Law of Moses could not save us...The Law could not take away sin...The Law had sacrifices set up to be a price we paid, for a sin we committed...
Before the Law of Moses we had sin...Sin continued after the Law of Moses...Sacrifice was payment for our sins...
When we sinned we made a sacrifice...When we sinned again, we brought another sacrifice to God...St. Paul tells us here that it is impossible for the blood of a goat or a bull to take away our sins...
When Christ came into this world, we learn (from Jesus) it is not sacrifices, offerings, and burnt offerings that God wants (even though the Law of Moses required these sacrifices be made)...Jesus, has been the only Man, to be able to do God's will continually...And by being able to do God's will (and not the will of the flesh and satan), we have been given the ultimate sacrifice by the body of Jesus Christ...When Jesus died for us, He sets aside the Law, the first covenant, and now are given a second covenant...The covenant of Jesus...God sent Jesus to us...He sent His Son to us, because we need Him...This covenant takes away our sins...He saves us...
But we sinned and continued to sin when Jesus came...We continued to sin, after He left the earth and ascended...
We are two faced...We must thank God daily that He understands this...We want to do good, but we just cannot carry it out (Romans 7:18)...Man wants the desires of this earth through his free will that God has given us...We don't pay much attention to God's will (or so it seems)...Jesus completely understands this and was able to follow God's will...We want many things whether it be a desire, a pleasure, a material thing, wealth, fame, or something even more evil in our eyes, like someone hurting someone, to gain something or for just the evil of it...We know that these things are wrong, but we still do them...Some things seem less evil to things that are more evil to us...Stealing a piece of inexpensive gum versus stealing a car...One sin seems less than the other...It appears that God has, at least, given us a moral conscious about this...The sins that we generally deem as more sinful, such as hurting a neighbor, or breaking the commandment on murder...We know that loving God, and loving our neighbor sums up the Ten Commandments...Hurting a neighbor, we know is bad...We judge the harm to others, or so it seems to me, as more sinful...The bible doesn't tell us about degrees of sin...A sin is a sin, and we are not the Judge...But it appears harming of a neighbor is very important to us, in how God created us...
The Holy Spirit of God is in us...This is the part of us that wants to do good...Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice...His death, this One sacrifice, has made perfect forever those who are being made holy...Sacrifice is now not needed...What is needed now is faith and belief in Jesus, the final ultimate sacrifice...Jesus came and died for our sins...
Jesus teaches us about forgiveness...He tells us we are to forgive others, over and over, as long as it takes...This gives us hope...We sin over and over again...Jesus He forgives us (of this sinning, over and over again)...He was talking to us when St. Peter ask Him how many times am I to forgive my brother when he sins against me...Jesus answered "I tell you not seven times, but seventy times seven" (Matthew 18:21-22)...He forgives us over and over...
We continue to sin today (again and again), centuries after Jesus left earth...
We are told in here in verse seventeen, our sins and lawless acts, He will remember no more...How great is a love like this...His grace is overwhelming...