A Better Sacrifice—Once and For All
Photo by The New York Public Library on Unsplash
Freedom through Reconciliation
An earlier post explored the eternal freedom believers have in Jesus. Those who trust in Him and trust in His redemptive work on the cross.
Freedom is not just a concept; it's something we experience. A person might be able to define freedom, yet still not experience it. We can also become so accustomed to freedom that we take it for granted.
In America, freedom is a guaranteed right by law. But it's more than that. It's a privilege. The freedoms we enjoy came at the cost of many lives over many years.
Political freedom is not the same as civil rights, but one guarantees the other. Spiritual freedom and personal freedom are not the same, but spiritual freedom can produce genuine freedom.
The grace of God provides true freedom for anyone who trusts in the Lord. However, this liberty should not be undervalued or exploited for personal indulgence.
God opened the door to a true, genuine freedom when Jesus offered Himself once for all on the cross. He did so to remove the consequence of sin, which is death. Theologically, this is called atonement—when God reconciled us through the death of His Son, Jesus.
Being reconciled to God restores our relationship with God, leading to eternal freedom. Every believer ought to have full assurance of this completed work of redemption by Jesus on the cross.
Scripture Text
Christ didn’t go into a holy place made by human hands. He didn’t go into a model of the real thing. Instead, he went into heaven to appear in God’s presence on our behalf. Every year the chief priest went into the holy place to make a sacrifice with blood that isn’t his own. [vss 24-25]
However, Christ didn’t go into heaven to sacrifice himself again and again. Otherwise, he would have had to suffer many times since the world was created. But now, at the end of the ages, he has appeared once to remove sin by his sacrifice. [vss 25-26]
People die once, and after that they are judged. Likewise, Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of humanity, and after that he will appear a second time. This time he will not deal with sin, but he will save those who eagerly wait for him. [vss 27-28] (Hebrews 9:24-28 GW)
[Context– Hebrews 9]
Key Phrase —
Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of humanity.
Dig Deeper Into the Text—
What did the chief (high) priest do every year? How is this contrasted with what Christ did?
If Jesus was like the former high (chief) priests (under the Old Covenant), what would He have to keep doing and why?
What are we told about death and judgment? How is this relevant to believers for what Christ did as our High (Chief) Priest?
How often was Jesus sacrificed, and for what purpose? What is the purpose of Jesus returning a second time?
Things to Consider—
Once. Once is all the Lord Jesus needed to offer Himself as the perfect reconciling sacrifice for humanity. Only once!
This is because the atoning sacrifice of Jesus was sufficient for all people, all sin, forever. It was an incomparably better sacrifice than the many sacrifices made on the Day of Atonement. Better because He was free from sin Himself. Unlike us. Unlike the high priests under the Old Covenant.
Under the Old Covenant, there was a provision for atonement for all Israel, but only once a year. This Day of Atonement needed to be repeated every year and involved many sacrifices with much blood on the altar (see Leviticus Chapter 16).
Jesus doesn’t need to suffer death many times, and we don’t need to “get saved” more than once. As believers, we need to have assurance of forgiveness and cleansing from sin, once and for all.
We need to live our lives trusting in Him daily, assured of God’s forgiveness. God sends His Spirit to dwell in us when we trust in Jesus and His better sacrifice (see Romans 8:15-16; 2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13).
By faith, we trust in the resurrected Lord Jesus, victorious over sin and death. And by faith, we await His return. We do this when we honor Him with our life in our relationships with others and how we live each day.
Answer These Questions to Apply God’s Word in Your Life—
Do you understand why Jesus only needed to die once as a reconciling offering for humanity’s sin, once and for all, for all sin, people, and time?
Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus? If not, what holds you back from that?
Are you ready to see Jesus return a second time?
How are you honoring the Lord with your daily life?
Here’s a link to a free study guide for the book of Hebrews— Study Guide and Study Questions for Hebrews
