“HERE AM I.” Hebrews 10:8-10 People often believe that some sins are serious while others are not. They choose which sins they will allow into their lives. The fact that a life was taken for sin, even in Old Testament sacrifices, shows how serious sin truly is. Every sacrifice made was costly. The sacrifice of Christ, when He gave His own life for us, demonstrated His love and should inspire us to serve faithfully and dedicate ourselves fully as a way of showing appreciation. The cost of His sacrifice is far greater than we can truly understand. God did not take pleasure in the four types of offerings listed here. His delight was in the person who presented them. His desire and pleasure are in those who draw near to Him with their hearts and souls. They seek to please Him and show their appreciation, obedience, and love for God by making their offerings and sacrifices. The only satisfaction God derived from the sacrifice itself was that it pointed forward to Calvary, where the perfect sacrifice for sin would be made. The shadow can provide a pleasing preview of the reality that is still to come.
The sacrifices offered according to the law had to be removed before the once-and-for-all sacrifice of Christ could be established. He accomplished this by fulfilling all the law required through the perfection of His person and work. The shadow had to give way to reality. The first had to disappear so the second could be seen. Christ came and did the Father’s will by sacrificing Himself, so the old system of animal sacrifices was done away with. The new and living way is through our Lord Jesus Christ, who made “one sacrifice for sins forever.”
It was God’s will that our Lord Jesus Christ was sacrificed on the cross as the final offering. No other sacrifices for sin hold any value or reason. His body was offered once for all for sin. Conviction of sin by the Holy Spirit does not remove our sins. Devotion to God or the dedication of our lives does not remove sins. It was the body of Christ, the man Christ Jesus, whose death and the shedding of His blood removed our sins and guilt. “He was made sin for us, who knew no sin (Himself).”
Our bodies and spirits now belong to Him because He purchased them with His own blood. He died to sin so that we might live to Him by faith. We are done with the old nature when we come to the cross by faith and accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior. We have died with Christ and are now made new in Him. His death in our place has brought permanent atonement for sin and restored our fellowship with God. We are being conformed to the image of our Lord Jesus Christ. What wonderful blessings the grace of God has brought us!
The elimination of the ceremonial law didn't mean the moral law as contained in the Ten Commandments was eliminated. That standard of righteousness had to be fulfilled for our acceptance by the Holy God, and Christ did that once for all when He died for us. The system of sacrifices and ceremonies was no longer needed after Christ died, was buried, and rose again. Even the moral law, which was given as a "schoolmaster" to bring us to God, is beyond our ability to fulfill. But our Lord Jesus did accomplish that for us. He has become the "One Sacrifice for sins forever…" [10:12]. As the Substitute for us, by His one offering, He has "perfected forever, them that are sanctified…" [10:14]. The Sacrifice He made has effectively cleansed us.