Hebrews 10
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.' "[a] 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."[b] 17Then he adds:
"Their sins and lawless acts
I will remember no more."[c] 18And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin. 19Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
26If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. 28Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30For we know him who said, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay,"[d] and again, "The Lord will judge his people."[e] 31It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
32Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. 33Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. 34You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.
35So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. 36You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. 37For in just a very little while,
"He who is coming will come and will not delay.
38But my righteous one[f] will live by faith.
And if he shrinks back,
I will not be pleased with him."[g] 39But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.
Footnotes:
[a] Hebrews 10:7 Psalm 40:6-8 (see Septuagint)
[b] Hebrews 10:16 Jer. 31:33
[c] Hebrews 10:17 Jer. 31:34
[d] Hebrews 10:30 Deut. 32:35
[e] Hebrews 10:30 Deut. 32:36; Psalm 135:14
[f] Hebrews 10:38 One early manuscript But the righteous
[g] Hebrews 10:38 Hab. 2:3,4
6 comments:
Heb 10
I love this part.
NLT - 12But our High Priest offered himself to God as one sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down at the place of highest honor at God's right hand. 13There he waits until his enemies are humbled as a footstool under his feet. 14For by that one offering he perfected forever all those whom he is making holy.
Thank you father for this
17Then he adds,
"I will never again remember
their sins and lawless deeds."[b]
18Now when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices.
Guys the remaining verses 19-39 are extremely powerful and I will write on them tomorrow. Plus it gives others some time to catch up.
Father, Your grace goes beyond all comprehension. I truly can not grasp how forgiving You are. Give me the ability to have the heart of Christ and forgive those as you have forgiven me by changing me and my heart.
In Christ,
cas
i thought this chapter really gave me some insight into the culture of the time and helped me understand the old/new covenant thing more....how it was "law" to sacrifice animals and how the high priests did it dutifully.
I thought verses 26-31 were alarming. It really shows how we should fear God. When verse 26 talks about "deliberately keep sinning..." i took that to mean that you hear the word of God and you refuse to believe. BUT, how much more alarming is it if it means even as a believer, if you deliberately sin, you will face the "raging fire". wow, i hope this text refers to people who hear and dont believe!
Father God, thank you for these men who have come into my life. Although i have met very few of them face to face, i am so thankful that you have brought us together. I have needed a Bible Study. I have needed fellowship. I have needed a group who will pray with me and for me. I struggled getting myself into a rhythm of reading daily. And over time, you and these men have helped me get into the Word on a much more daily basis. Lord, please watch over these men in their daily walks. Strengthen us to do battle for you. Give us an attitude of Love that others can see and feel and start to experence you through. And dont ever let us tire of loving you and loving others. Amen.
Heb 10 19-39
This part of the chapter really spoke to me.
NLT-24Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds. 25And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near.
This makes me want to encourage you guys even more.
And timmcd, I actually took this verse a little differently.
NLT - 26Dear friends, if we deliberately continue sinning after we have received a full knowledge of the truth, there is no other sacrifice that will cover these sins.
I know that there are a few things (sins) that I continue to STRUGGLE with and the question is where does that put me in the grand scheme. Fact is, what it means is that I need more than ever to focus on things above. Christ-centeredness right. I guess I my point is this, at what point do you have to ask yourself what is you "real level of commitment" to this???? Am I a fully devoted follower of Christ? I know that I am certainly trying and that this is certainly helping me to really start to put things into perspective. Sorry to get so serious on you guys, but I feel sort of at a crossroads.
NLT - 32Don't ever forget those early days when you first learned about Christ. Remember how you remained faithful even though it meant terrible suffering. 33Sometimes you were exposed to public ridicule and were beaten, and sometimes you helped others who were suffering the same things. 34You suffered along with those who were thrown into jail. When all you owned was taken from you, you accepted it with joy. You knew you had better things waiting for you in eternity.
35Do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord, no matter what happens. Remember the great reward it brings you! 36Patient endurance is what you need now, so you will continue to do God's will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.
Would I be able to say this after enduring serious ridicule and tribulation?
My prayer is that we all can grow our roots deep down into the Lords nourishing ground. That all of our fulfillment comes from Him and the things that He has placed into our lives.
Father, make us point-men for You. Let us stand strong with Your word as a badge of honor. May we continue to learn how to encourage each other with OUTBURSTS of love and good deeds. Make us a strong band of brothers.
In Christ,
cas
Heb 10:
Lots and lots to digest in this one.
1) I want to agree with cas on v. 26, not that we're absolutely right, but I read this as if you say "I know the consequences, I know that Jesus paid for my sins, but I really don't want to give up sinning about XYZ", then that's really bad news. As cas alluded to there are things I still struggle with, but I think if its a case of flesh vs. spirit, that's the whole point, that we are trying to move towards the spirit driven, not the flesh driven.
2)22let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.
--We need to have full confidence in our salvation, and have that run throughout our bodies, embodied in all our actions.
3) 24And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Wow, its pretty clear that while we struggle with different challenges than in the time of this writing, it is clear that continual growth isn't something easy to take care of. Instead we need each other's help to stay motivated and focused on the Lord.
traveler-glad to see your post.
Father, thank you for these men, help me do my part to lift them up and encourage them that they may grow closer to You. Guide us in learning how to love You, each other, and others in the most Christ-like way we can. Continue to watch over jrs, and the young children in our lives, and grant us continued focus on You. We pray these things in Jesus' amazing name,
Amen
crb
Heb 10
I am always amazed by thoughts about eternity, and this case the few verses about the permanent nature of Christ's forgiveness and cleansing are truly amazing. 14, 17, 18
I had also been looking for a verse that addressed the "perfection" in Heaven, and verse 16 mentions this. what a "concidenence".
Father - Am continuously amazed at your strong, everlasting and all-encompassing forgiveness, in spite of my inability to show appriciation for this by changing my ways. Help me to focus on those areas of my life that I continue to (try to) isolate from you.
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