Hebrews 10:1-18
Q.1. What made the sacrifices offered under the Old Covenant inadequate? What changed with the offering of Jesus? – (Heb.10:1-10)
Since the sacrificial system was merely a ‘shadow’ of the supreme sacrifice of Jesus for sinners all this animal blood could at best ‘cover’ sin but could never atone for sin. Animal sacrifices could never make sinners perfect before a holy God, so had to be repeated year by year. The inadequacy of the blood of bulls and goats paved the way for God’s Son to achieve His Fathers will and plan to intervene for lost sinners – By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all (Heb.10:10). Through Christ’s broken body and shed blood by one single sacrifice, He has cleansed believers from the guilt of sin. So precious is God’s Son that He is valuable enough to save all the penitent throughout the ages.
Q.2. How does the writer explain the sufficiency of the sacrifice of Jesus? How does the Holy Spirit apply the victory of Christ to believers? (Heb.10:11-18)
The writer brought a recurrent theme throughout his explanation, as he contrasted the sacrifice of Christ with that of the myriad of animal sacrifices – 12 but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God … 14 For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified … 17 And their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more. 18 Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin (Heb.10:12, 14, 17-18). The writer made a further appeal to his readers as he pointed them to what the Holy Spirit testified in the Scriptures that they knew so well. These Scriptures promised a new Covenant that would prove to be unbreakable – 15 The Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after saying, 16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws upon their heart, and on their minds, I will write them” (Heb.10:15-16). By God’s gracious action, all sins under the blood of Christ’s New Covenant would be remembered no more [This is a precious reading to me personally because it was the Scripture, I expounded the night my parents received the Lord. They never departed from these truths].