Hebrews 10:1-18 Made Perfect by One Sacrifice

Bible Study Series: Jesus in Hebrews - Better by Far!

Bible Study Lesson: Hebrews 10 - Made Perfect by One Sacrifice!

by I Gordon

Hello! We are in Hebrews 10 today looking at how believers are made perfect by one sacrifice. Now that sounds pretty good doesn't it? So no dilly-dally... Here is what we will focus on:

• Why could the law not make anyone perfect - and what actually does 'perfect' mean? 
• What is the despair of perpetual guilt? How was this the case under the law and why is this no way to live the Christin life? 
• How can the believer be perfect from on sacrifice, yet still being made holy? And why is it important to grasp this concept?
• The believer is complete in Christ and all things have become new - what does this mean and why is it the starting point, not the goal, of the Christian life? 

Let's dive right in on this important truth!

Stop looking at the shadow when the real thing is here!

Heb 10:1-4  The 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.  (2)  If 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.  (3)  But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins,  (4)  because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

Now we have talked about 'the shadow' in a previous message and we see here that the law is only a shadow of the good things to come. So what are shadows useful for? Shadows can be useful to some degree. I can actually look quite tall when just looking at my shadow! They obviously give an outline and point to the fact that there is something real that is causing that shadow, but you don't want to be oohing and awing over the shadow when the real thing is available! If I arrived at your house and you ignored me and made a big deal about my shadow... well, that would be... odd! Again, if you were very interested in a photo of me, but not me, well that would be placed in the odd category as well! As our text says, the law with its ongoing sacrificial system, was a shadow and a picture but not the reality itself. The reality is Christ. All these things pointed to Jesus and His work on our behalf. He is the real thing so we don't want to be in awe of the shadow when the real thing is here! 

In my country, and in some other countries normally following the Westminster style parliamentary system, we have a shadow government / shadow cabinet. This means that for all of the ministers in government, the opposition will appoint someone in the same role as a 'shadow minister', who will mirror the positions of each individual member of the Cabinet. So for example, for the real minister of education in Government, the opposition party will appoint their shadow minister of education. These shadow ministers go through the motions, putting forth their policies and plans, but without any power! It is basically all pretending for they are not in government and can't implement anything. To be fair, it often seems like their role is simply to disagree with anything, and everything, that the actual minister in Government says! This illustration provides a useful way to see the difference between law and life, religion and reality. They can look similar outwardly but the latter, through Christ's life in the believer, has power while the former (trying to live by the law and outward religion) simply goes through the motions like the shadow ministerwith no ability to change anything. 

The writer of Hebrews tells us that those under the Old Testament law went through the motions with the same sacrifices made year after year, but without any ability to be made perfect. 

So not only did the Israelites not feel perfect or complete, these annual sacrifices just became an annual reminder that they were guilty sinners. Thus, they remained in a state of guilt concerning their sins. The sacrifice on Yom Kippur, the day of atonement, would cover their sins but come the 11th of Tishrei (the day after the day of Atonement) any sins committed required another sacrifice and the guilt remained. So in short, they could never feel like they were teleióō. They never felt complete, fulfilled, perfect or having arrived. They were just reminded of their sin. 

The sacrifices were utterly unable to perfect the worshipers, that is, they never gave the people a perfect conscience as far as sin was concerned. The Israelites never enjoyed the consciousness of being cleared forever from the guilt of sin. They never had complete rest of conscience.
William MacDonald, Believers Bible Commentary

The despair of perpetual guilt

This aspect of perpetual guilt is well illustrated in the book 'Growing in Grace' by Bob George. Bob George tells the story of a Stewart who was convicted of manslaughter after killing Susan in a drunk-driving accident. He was also found guilty in a civil lawsuit brought against him by Susan's parents. Yet though they had sued for 1.5 million dollars, they were willing to settle for $936 - to the relief of Stewart! But the payment had to come in an unusual way. Each Friday, the day Susan had been killed, Stewart was to write a check for $1 and send it to Susan's parents. This would continue for all 52 weeks of the year, and for the next 18 years straight (which was Susan's age when killed). 

Stewart's initial relief at only having to pay $936 soon turned to despair and then depression. Each check, written and posted week after week, became a constant reminder of what he had done. He was perpetually reminded of his guilt in taking someone's life through his reckless behavior. After some time he went to court himself to fight this 'cruel punishment', and yet Susan's parents were adamant that a cheque for $1 would be written and posted each week. Bob George writes the following application for this story:

Think about Stewart's situation. As long as he is required to remember his crime and continue to pay a weekly debt to Susan's family, what do you think are the chances that he could ever develop a positive personal relationship with them? None! Paying that weekly check forces Stewart to concentrate on his past and produces continued guilt and regret... Over the years I have met many Pastors and other Christian leaders who wonder why their people will not give themselves freely to God for His use. It is no mystery to me. In many cases, it is because they are dealing with God on the same basis as Stewart is with Susan's family. They believe there is an unpaid debt between them and God , and that He must therefore be angry with them. As a result, they avoid Him. Their understanding of forgiveness of their sins is more like the atonement offered under the Old Covenant than the completed work of Christ. They believe they are forgiven up to date, but they are still paying on the balance. 

Clearly this is not the way to live and God had something better planned than that! Let's have a look.

God's final sacrifice: A body was prepared

Heb 10:5-10  Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me;  (6)  with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased.  (7)  Then I said, 'Here I am--it is written about me in the scroll-- I have come to do your will, O God.' "  (8)  First 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).  (9)  Then he said, "Here I am, I have come to do your will." He sets aside the first to establish the second.  (10)  And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Before delving into this passage, let me ask you a question. Could God just forgive sin without a sacrifice? Could He just decide to forgive it, forget it and let it go? If so, what would that say about His holiness and justice? While you are pondering that, let me ask another - Could you or I die for humanity so that they would be forgiven? Or could an angel have died to pay for the sins of humanity? Ok, enough questions! Apart from the fact that angels can't die, it was man who brought sin in, so man had to pay the debt. You and I couldn't die for the sin of humanity because we are sinners and owe a debt ourselves! Our death and eternal separation from God would be the wages paid for our sins alone, not anyone else's. Now God's love would have forgiven the sinner, but God' justice prevented the forgiveness. God's justice would have judged the sinner but God' love prevented the judgment. A catch-22 right? An unsolvable problem? Well it would be for you and I but not for God. He had a solution decided upon before the creation of the world, and that involved Him becoming a man to pay the price Himself!  

So the author of Hebrews says "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. Then I said, 'Here I am--it is written about me in the scroll-- I have come to do your will, O God.'" This is a quote from Psalm 40 and he tells us that Psalm 40 records the words of the Lord Jesus. This key truly unlocks the Psalm in a new way and viewed through this lens we can see aspects of Jesus' life, death and resurrection. I'll include a quick overview of the Psalm in the small print.¹  

But the part of Psalm 40 quoted contrasted God's lack of desire for the sacrifice of bulls and goats² with the coming of the true sacrifice, Jesus Christ. It says a body was prepared for me (Jesus). That is, though always existing as God, He had to come as a man, in a physical human body, to pay mankind's debt. Now there is a textual variation in this quote. A.C Gaebelien explains:

The sentence, “A body hast Thou prepared Me,” is the Septuagint translation, or paraphrase, of the Hebrew, “ears hast Thou digged for Me” (Psa_40:6). This reading, or interpretation, is here fully sanctioned by the Holy Spirit. The ear is for learning, and the opened ear stands for obedience (Isa_50:5). In taking on the human body He took the form of a servant. See also Exo_21:1-36. And thus He offered Himself, as One who had the power to do so, out of love for the glory of God, to do His will. He undertook of His own free will the accomplishment of all the will of God and He took on the prepared body in incarnation in order to accomplish the eternal will of God. In this prepared body He lived that blessed life of obedience, suffering from man for God, and then He gave that body, according to the will of God, in His death, when He suffered from God for man, in being made sin for us.
A.C Gaebelein

So let's just note some points on this passage:

'Here I am--it is written about me in the scroll-- I have come to do your will, O God.' ...  And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

• 'Here I am...' - He set aside all sacrifices when He came and offered His body to be the sacrifice. He stepped into time and space when the 'fullness of time' had come, yet this was planned even before the foundation of the world. And His whole life was one of saying 'here I am Father. What would you have me to do?' 
• Here I am--it is written about me in the scroll - Where in the scroll? Everywhere! The whole book is essentially about Him whether we see it or not! At the right time the Savior, long promised through so many prophecies, was born on this planet and His whole life, death and resurrection fulfilled the scriptures. As He said after the resurrection 'And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.' (Luk 24:27)
• 'And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all' - He came to do His Father's will, not His own. And that will lead Him directly on a path leading to the cross. And through His sacrifice, those who trust in Him have been made holy. Once for all. We are forever set apart in God's family! 

Perfected, yet being made perfect

Heb 10:11-14  Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.  (12)  But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.  (13)  Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool,  (14)  because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

Scripture is clear that the Old Testament sacrifices could never take away sins. And this goes for the future as well. If the third Jewish temple is made and the sacrifices begin again, which it will according to Bible prophecy, please be clear that these cannot take away sin! They never were God's final and perfect solution. Jesus' sacrifice was and is. He offered Himself once and for all time and look what it says: 'by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.' Wow! The very thing that couldn't happen to people living under the law, that is they could never be made 'perfect', Christ has done for all that believe. And note how long this state of perfection lasts: FOREVER! This is one of scriptures' great promises! 

Just as a recap, look at how Hebrews shows the steps required for perfection: 

1. Firstly, there had to be a perfect representative for mankind. Someone that had lived a sinless life. And this perfection would come through many sufferings.
   Heb 2:10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings. 
2. Having been made perfect, Jesus could then offer salvation and His perfect standing to those that were certainly not perfect in themselves!
   Heb 5:9 And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation 
3. But as the law (and our efforts to keep it) made nothing perfect, we had to come through Him who is perfect - our better hope!
   Heb 7:19 (for the Law made nothing perfect), and on the other hand there is a bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.
4. The continual sacrificial system God gave under the law couldn't make one perfect
   Heb 10:1 For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near. 
5. But faith in Jesus' one and final sacrifice makes one perfect forever!
   Heb 10:14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.
6. Thus, when we are given a glimpse into the heavenly realm, we see the saints in their state of perfection before God
   Heb 12:23 ...to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect...

Now you will also note the second part - these same believers are in a process of being made holy. You are holy, and you are being made holy. Maybe you have noted that about yourself? Maybe you have seen that the Lord is still working on you and you aren't the finished article just yet? But if you are a born again Christian, you have been made perfect forever already. So how does that work? Well, one is speaking of your standing before the Lord and the other is your ongoing state and daily experience in this life. Another way of saying it, is that 'made perfect forever' speaks of your position, and 'being made holy' speaks of your practice in this life. In theological terms it is the difference between justification and sanctification³.   

They have been perfected in a twofold sense. First, they have a perfect standing before God; they stand before the Father in all the acceptability of His beloved Son. Second, they have a perfect conscience as far as the guilt and penalty of sin are concerned; they know that the price has been paid in full and that God will not demand payment a second time.
William MacDonald, Believer's Bible Commentary

Now Christians can often get this round the wrong way and think that our sanctification leads to our justification with God. They may know that is not theologically correct but still live their lives that way - and they obviously don't experience peace doing so! But always remember that the Christian life is 'becoming what you are'. God has given believers a perfect standing before Him and then, and from that starting point, it is worked out in our life. As believers, we tend to see our current state and practice very easily. Because, well, we live with ourselves! We know ourselves. Simply put, I know me and I don't always like what I see! But what is not always seen as clearly, which is emphasized in this chapter, is our standing before the Lord in a state of perfection. And again, for a truly born again believer, that is forever! And that, dear believer, is something to praise God about! 

How God made our state of perfection possible

Heb 10:15-18  The 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.  (17)  Then he adds: "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more."  (18)  And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin.

The author now quotes from Jeremiah 31, again showing the blessing of the new covenant. The basis of this new covenant was that our sins and lawless acts He will remember no more! Why is there no longer any sacrifice for sin? Because there are no longer any sins to atone for! They have been forgiven. God now holds out His hand saying to all sinners 'Come. Accept my sacrifice on your behalf.' And He has given believer's the ministry of reconciliation. 

2Co 5:17-21  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!  (18)  All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:  (19)  that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.  (20)  We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.  (21)  God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

The light goes on concerning the believer's position

I enjoyed the following quote concerning how Bible teacher William MacDonald came to see what 'all things are new' means... Maybe it will help you!  

Please allow me to illustrate how the distinction between standing and state helped me through a difficult period in my life. After I was saved, I used to hear people quote 2 Corinthians 5:17 when they gave their testimony: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
They would tell of the wonderful transformation that had taken place in their lives—how all the old things had passed away and all things had become new. I would sit there and think, “I wish I could say that all the old things had passed away in my life, and that all things had become new.” But it wasn't so. I still had some of the old habits, some evil thoughts, displays of anger, and many other graveclothes from my pre-converted days. At times I doubted my salvation.
Then one day I noticed the phrase “in Christ,” and my heart leaped with joy. I realized that the verse was talking about my position—not my practice. And of course “in Christ,” it was all true. In Him all the old things had indeed passed away—condemnation, the dominion of Satan, the fear of death, and so forth. In Him everything was new—forgiveness, acceptance, justification, sanctification, and a host of other blessings. From that time on, this verse has held no terror for me. I love it. And the knowledge of what I am in Christ makes me want to live for Him as the Lord of my life.
Here's the Difference, by William MacDonald

And Jesus will present us to the Father in this state of perfection⁴:

Jud 1:24-25  To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy--  (25)  to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

Conclusion 

So what have we seen? We have seen that man owed a debt he couldn't pay and God paid a debt He didn't owe. We have seen what humanity couldn't do, what angels couldn't do, what the sacrifices under the law couldn't do... God did! A human body was prepared for Him and He stepped into time-space, being born to a virgin. And through living a perfect life, He qualified to die the perfect death. And not for Himself but for everyone else so that they too could have that perfect standing before the Father. Believer's were made perfect by that one sacrifice. And as Colossians says:         

Col 2:9-10 'For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;  and you are complete in Him...'

And I love what C.H.M writes on this (which I have quoted before):

"Ye are complete in him." This, surely, comprehends everything. What could be added to one who is "complete" Could "philosophy, "the tradition of men," "the rudiments of the world," "meats, drinks, holy days, new moons," "Sabbaths" "Touch not" this, "taste not that, "handle not" the other, "the commandments and doctrines of men," "days and months, and times, and years," could any of these things, or all of them put together, add a single jot or tittle to one whom God has pronounced "complete?"... Nor is this completeness to be, by any means, viewed as a matter of attainment, some point which we have not yet reached, but after which we must diligently strive, and of the possession of which we cannot be sure until we lie upon a bed of death, or stand before a throne of judgement. It is the portion of the feeblest, the most inexperienced, and the most unlettered (poorly educated, illiterate) child of God. The very weakest saint is included in the apostolic "ye." All the people of God "are complete in Christ." The apostle does not say, "you will be," "you may be," "hope that you may be," "pray that you may be:" no; he, by the Holy Ghost, states, in the most absolute and unqualified manner, that "you are complete." This is the true Christian starting-point: and for man to make a goal of what God makes a starting-point is to upset everything.⁵ 
Charles Henry Macintosh

I love that last line: "You are complete. This is the true Christian starting-point: and for man to make a goal of what God makes a starting-point is to upset everything." Too many make a daily goal out of that which God gives us freely from the beginning! They live like Stewart in a constant state of guilt thinking that they have to keep making payments and amends. But our position of being 'complete' or 'perfect' in Christ is the true starting point of Christian living, not the goal that we are aiming for. And understanding our position in Christ releases us to truly live for Christ. It is incredibly freeing! Like the bond slaves in the Old Testament who were given their freedom but chose to continue serving their master, so in our freedom we choose to live with, and for, the One who gave us this liberty.

I trust that is you!

God bless.

FOOTNOTES