“And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,
waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet.
For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.”
Hebrews 10:11-14
Reading through the beginning of this chapter, I wonder if there was a certain comfort in the consistent demonstration of sacrifice of bulls and goats under the old covenant. Because in a sense, it gave people a way to actively work for their forgiveness. When guilt from previously confessed sin plagued someone, they could offer another sacrifice. Because doesn’t guilt from past sin sometimes compel us to try to do the same thing? Even if we’ve repented and asked for forgiveness before, the reminder of who we were can get stuck on repeat in our minds and cause us to feel like more is required of us to truly be forgiven.
But in Christ, no more sacrifices are needed. “Where there is forgiveness of [sin and lawless deeds], there is no longer any offering for sin” (Hebrews 10:18). Forgiveness is already ours when we confess our sins to the Lord and trust in Christ. No other offering is needed and no other sacrifices could be sufficient. If Jesus wasn’t enough, we have no hope.
But He was. He is.
The sufficiency of Christ, of His work on the cross, is declared with His words, “It is finished” (John 19:30). His sacrifice was enough. We don’t have to keep trying to make up for our wrongs. We choose to trust His work, His salvation, His forgiveness. Our God made salvation entirely dependent on Him so He would get the glory.
And that is wonderful news for us. Because in this sacrifice, the only sacrifice needed, the only one that could be enough to cover us, we are able to “draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:22).
Hold fast to the confession of your hope, believer. He who promised is faithful. To save, to forgive, to cleanse from all unrighteousness, and to see you safely home to dwell in His glorious, joy-filled presence forever (John 3:16-17; 1 John 1:9; 2 Timothy 4:18; Deuteronomy 33:27a).
“And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,
‘This is the covenant that I will make with them
after those days, declares the LORD:
I will put my laws on their hearts,
and write them on their minds,’
then he adds,
‘I will remember their sins and lawless deeds no more.’”
Hebrews 10:15-17
In Pleasant Places 