One Sacrifice For Sins–Jim Nelson

  Posted on September 28, 2022  by   No comments

But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.  Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.  Hebrews 10:12-14

Adding anything to his sacrifice or taking anything from it denies its validity.  Any system to gain salvation through good deeds is essentially rejecting the significance of Christ’s death and spurring the Holy Spirit’s work.  Beware of anyone who tells you that Christ sacrifice still leaves you incomplete or that something else is needed to be acceptable to God.  When we believe in Christ, he makes us completely right with God.  Our loving relationship leads us to follow him in willing obedience and service.  He is pleased with our service, but we cannot be saved by our good deeds. We have been made perfect, yet we are “being made holy”. Though his death and resurrection, Christ, once for all made his believers perfect in God’s sight.

The fact that Jesus sat down after He ascended to the Father is proof that His work was completed.  The ministry of the priests in the tabernacle and temple was never done and never different: they offered the same sacrifice day after day.  This constant repetition was proof that the sacrifice did not take away sins.  What tens of thousands of animal sacrifices could not accomplish, Jesus accomplish with one sacrifice forever!

The phrase “sat down” refers us again to Psalm 110:1: “Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.”  Christ is in the place of exaltation and victories.  When He returns, He shall overcome every enemy and establish His righteous kingdom.  Those who have trusted Him need not fear, for they have been “perfected forever”.  Believers are “complete in Him” (Col. 2:10).  We have a perfect standing before God because of the finished work of Jesus Christ.

How do we know personally that we have this perfect standing before God?  Because of the witness of the Holy Spirit through the Word (Heb. 10:15-18).  The witness of the Spirit is based on the work of the Son and is given through the words of Scripture.

Your brother In Christ, Jim Nelson