If you try something and you do not get the results that you desired, what do you do? You might try again a couple more times, but if you still fail to get your desired results, you will stop and try something else, especially if that way is guaranteed to work. We also usually like to choose the superior product over any lesser competitive products. Go with the best, the proven product, the one that works, not with something else. This goes for not only our material world, but also with our spiritual life, as well, as the writer of the epistle to the Hebrews wrote in our Scripture passage today. Let’s look into God’s Word.
As our passage opens, the writer describes the sacrifices for sin that were made throughout the Old Testament. Animals, usually lambs, goats, and sometimes cattle, were brought to the priests on a regular basis to be sacrificed for sin. Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the High Priest would go into the Holy of Holies on behalf of the people of the nation to make atonement for their sins. However, these Old Testament sacrifices could not remove any sins (vs. 1-4). These sacrifices had to be repeated and repeated, as individuals would continually sin. Also, the High Priest would offer sacrifices each and every year on the Day of Atonement. The constant repetition was a continual reminder of the deficiency of these sacrifices to truly remove sin. Animal sacrifices cannot take away sin (vs. 11). They only provided a temporary way to deal with people’s sins until Jesus came.
If animal sacrifices cannot remove sin, what can people do? What can we do, as we all have sins, and need help? Where can we turn? It is only through Jesus Christ that we can find permanent, powerful sin-destroying forgiveness for our sins. Christ’s offering of His life was a once-for-all sacrifice for our sins (vs. 10). His one-time death was sufficient to atone for our sins, and is superior to all of the sacrifices of the Old Testament Levitical system. With Jesus’ death sin was removed, and God remembers our sins no more.
The Old Testament priests had to continually repeat their animal sacrifices as these sacrifices couldn’t remove sin. Jesus’ sacrifice was once-for-all. His sacrifice effectively cleansed us from the stain of sin, so it didn't have to be repeated over and over. On the one hand is the ineffective, inferior way, the animal sacrifice. On the other hand is the sacrifice of Jesus, His Blood, which is effective to forgive sins. One works, the other doesn’t. After accepting for ourselves the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, nothing else is needed to make us acceptable to God. We become completely right with Him. The way to please God is not by keeping laws, but by coming to Him through Jesus Christ in faith to be forgiven, and then following Him in loving obedience.
Through the Old Testament sacrificial system, only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies behind the veil with the animal blood, and only once a year. Individuals could not approach God directly. However, because of the High Priestly ministry of Jesus, and His finished sacrifice, believers can enter boldly into the presence of God (vs. 19). We can come into God’s presence with confidence if we draw near through the Blood of Jesus. His death removed the curtain that divided the Most Holy Place. Now all believers may walk into God’s presence at any time.
As our passage concludes, we are reminded that Jesus Christ is our great High Priest (vs. 21-22). Not only did He make atonement for our sins with His own Blood, He is also in the presence of God right now, standing up in defense for us (Romans 8:34). In the presence of God, in defiance of Satan, Jesus Christ rises to our defense. He is our great High Priest and our Advocate. As the closing verse assures us, we can trust Jesus, because the One who made these promises is faithful.
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