Daily Writing

Sunday, 27 January 2019

By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Hebrews 10:10

The words, “by that will,” are speaking of the will of God as cited from the psalm. Those words said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.” It was God’s will that sent Christ Jesus into the world. Christ then accomplished what God willed Him to do. This “will” then begins to be explained with the words, “we have been sanctified.” It was God’s will that man would be sanctified through the coming of Christ, without which we would remain unholy and forever lost.

The verb translated as “have been sanctified” is in the perfect tense. Thus, this is not speaking of progressive sanctification, as if it were an ongoing process. Rather, it is the full and complete sanctification necessary for man to stand holy once again before God. This corresponds to Paul’s words of Romans 15:16, which speaks of the sanctification of the Gentiles –

“…that I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.”

The sanctification is complete, and it is fully sufficient for man – both Jew and Gentile – to be acceptable to God. Of this, Vincent’s Word Studies states, “…as having become partakers of the spirit of Christ. This is the work of the eternal spirit, whose will is the very will of God. It draws men into its own sphere, and makes them partakers of its holiness.” With this understanding, the author then explains how that state of sanctification comes about. It is “through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ.”

This refers back to verse 10:5 where the author cited the psalm saying, “But a body You have prepared for Me.” The body of Christ was given to replace the ineffectual sacrifices and offerings of the Old Covenant. Those were, as it said in verse 10:9, taken away (because the law was taken away) in order to establish the New Covenant through the sacrifice of Christ Jesus. That is “the offering of the body of Jesus Christ.” And it is, “once for all.”

The words, “once for all,” are to be taken together with the words, “we have been sanctified.” Christ’s offering was a one time for all time event which is set in contrast to the temporary offerings of the Levitical priesthood. They cleansed outwardly and temporarily; Christ cleanses inwardly and forever.

Life application: Jesus came to fulfill God’s will on behalf of fallen man; to perfect the imperfect and to restore that which had fallen. By doing God’s will, Jesus fulfilled the law which was then taken away through the introduction of the New Covenant. Through this covenant, all who call on the name of the Lord by faith have been made holy through His sacrifice, once and for all. Not once, but twice in this verse, the author proclaims eternal salvation for the believer –

1) We “have been sanctified,” and
2) This was accomplished “once for all.”

There is no need to fret over whether we need to ask Jesus more than once to save us. Nor is there any need to question whether our prayer in faith, be it recently or many years ago, has truly made us acceptable to God; it has. We also don’t need detailed knowledge of what occurred or how it happened. What is needed is to, once and for all, with the simple faith of a child, ask Jesus to forgive us and to be our Savior. Everything after that is growing in Christian maturity, but never let anyone deceive you that you need to do more. Jesus’ blood is sufficient to save even you and He is powerful enough to never let you go. As He said,

“All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.” John 6:37

Heavenly Father, Your word says that through the offering of Christ we have been sanctified. It also says that this is once for all, assuring us that when we are saved, we are saved forever. Please open the eyes of those who feel Your salvation is a temporary gift which then is up to us to hold onto. If that is true, then it was never of grace. Open their eyes to this false teaching so that they can find true rest in Your salvation, once and forever. Amen.

Friday, 25 January 2019

Previously saying, “Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the law), Hebrews 10:8

The words, “Previously saying,” are referring to what was quoted from the psalm. The author is introducing select portions of the quote in order to analyze what is said more fully and to form a logical thought to consider. From there, he cites the quote with, “Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them.” He has taken words from verses 5 & 6 of this chapter, and combined them to make his point understandable. There are three things which are highlighted – 1) sacrifice and offering, 2) burnt offerings, and 3) offerings for sin. These were all mandated in the Law of Moses, and yet the author, through the words of David in the psalm, shows that the Lord 1) did not desire them, nor 2) have pleasure in them. And yet, as he notes in a parenthetical thought, “which are offered according to the law.”

The repetition in this manner is usually done to solidify what has been said or to set up a contrast. In the case now presented, it is for both purposes. First, the author is ensuring that the reader understands that the sacrifices and offerings mandated under the law could not produce felicity between God and man, even though the law required them. The repetition is also used to bring about the contrast between what was then and what is now in Christ. This will be looked at more in the coming verses. The fact that these were mandated and carried out for about fifteen hundred years doesn’t mean Israel was merely “spinning her wheels.” Instead, as Paul says in Galatians 3 –

“Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. ²² But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. ²³ But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. ²⁴ Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵ But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.” Galatians 3:21-25

These sacrifices, which were based on the law, were meant to teach that the law could only point us to our need for Christ. The mandates of the law were actually unobtainable by us because of sin, and thus He needed to fulfill them in our place. Additionally, the sacrifices were ineffective (verse 10:4), and thus He needed to die to provide atonement for us. In other words – He shoots; He scores. All points to Jesus!

Life application: The subject of most life applications in this study of Hebrews has been devoted to the admonition to not return to the law, but to remain in the New Covenant grace given by Christ. This is because it is exactly what the author of Hebrews (and thus the Holy Spirit who inspired the author) intends for us to understand. The Law of Moses served its purpose, and then it was set aside because of the work of Christ. To return to the law is to reject the work of Christ and essentially say, “I can do better than He did.” What a slap in the face of God. He is being meticulous in teaching us to not do this vile thing. Come to Christ, trust in Christ, and rest in Christ. Put away the deeds of the law, and be pleasing to God by having faith in Christ.

Thank you, O God! When we were ever-missing the target, whether through failing to meet the demands of the law, or providing an insufficient sacrifice for having failed to meet that law, You came in and saved the day. The goal is now obtainable – faith in Jesus and His work. Now we too can shoot and score … the goal is Jesus! Amen.

Thursday, 24 January 2019

Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come—
In the volume of the book it is written of Me—
To do Your will, O God.’” Hebrews 10:7

The quote from Psalm 40 continues in this verse. It cites verses 7 & 8, but it isn’t a direct quote. Rather, it is a combination of two separate parts of these verses. The words reflect the Greek translation of the Old Testament. First, it says, “Then I said, ‘Behold I have come.”

Verse 5 spoke of God not desiring sacrifice and offering, but instead, He prepared a body for someone. In verse 6, it repeated the thought that God had no pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin. Now, to show what is pleasing to God instead of those sacrifices and offerings, the declaration is made, “Behold, I have come.”

It would make no sense for David to claim that he has come in place of sacrifices and offerings. He lived under the Law of Moses, and he was required, like all others under that law, to be obedient to it – presenting the necessary sacrifices and offerings according to the law. Therefore, because this is obviously not David speaking about himself, it must then be a prophecy of the coming Messiah. To say otherwise would be to damage the intent of the words, tearing them from their intended meaning. This is surely so because the quote continues with, “In the volume of the book, it is written of Me.”

Here, the Greek word translated as, “volume of the book,” is kephalis. It is a noun used only here in the Bible, and it indicates “a small head,” and thus a knob. By implication, it is the end of the stick on which a manuscript is rolled. That corresponds directly to the Hebrew word of Psalm 40:7, megillah, meaning “a scroll.” That comes from the word galal, meaning, “to roll.” Thus, this is speaking of a rolled up scroll that David says is already written, and which refers to Someone in a prophetic sense. As noted, David is not claiming that a prophecy of his own coming was made in a scroll. Rather, he is writing the prophecy, under inspiration of the Spirit, to indicate that a scroll exists which speaks of someone who has come. The words David writes are as if it is accomplished, even though it is a future prophecy.

But what “volume of the book” is David referring to? The answer must be the books of Moses, meaning the Torah, or Pentateuch. It is the law which prescribed the sacrifices and offerings; and it is also the Law which prophesied of the coming Messiah, in numerous ways, and both explicitly and implicitly. The accomplished nature of David’s words concerning the coming Messiah in the psalm correspond to the guaranteed nature of the promise of Messiah to come in the books of Moses. When God speaks, the matter is already done in His mind. The prophetic word is simply waiting for time to catch up with it. With this understanding, the final part of the quote is given with the words, “To do Your will, O God.”

The “will” of God is speaking of something which stands in contrast to the “sacrifices and offerings” of the previous verses. Again, this cannot be speaking of David. To force him into what is being said completely destroys any valid meaning which could be drawn from his words. Therefore, and without any possible doubt at all, this is a prophecy of the Messiah to come.

Verse 5 – “He came into the world,” meaning Christ.
Verse 6 – “In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin
You had no pleasure.”
Verse 7 – “Behold, I have come.”

The author is saying that this verse is speaking of Jesus Christ and His greater work. For a moment, however, let it be assumed that someone hasn’t made the connection to Christ Jesus. It still does not negate the fact that the psalm points to a HUMAN BEING who would come and replace the sacrificial system found in the law. This is the necessary understanding of the words. The author will continue to explain this through verse 10, but it logically follows that this HUMAN BEING must die in order to 1) fulfill the Law of Moses, and then to also 2) initiate a New Covenant through His shed blood (Jeremiah 31:31).

The incredible part of what is stated here is that the Jews, who supposedly hold to the law and the prophets, fail to see this. David saw it in the law, and he prophesied of it in the psalms. Whether he actually understood what he was writing or not, the words are recorded in the inspired Scriptures, and thus they must be true, or this is not the word of God. And so why have they rejected what is claimed to have occurred in Christ Jesus? And more, why are they, once again, preparing to return to the sacrificial system in Israel based on the Law of Moses? And even more tragically, why do people, who supposedly believe that Jesus Christ is truly the Messiah, support rebuilding of the temple, or participate in various aspects of the Law of Moses, claiming that they are binding on Christians today? The answer lies in a lack of knowledge.

The whole counsel of the word of God is not taken into consideration, and teachers who are not properly competent to teach, or who purposely desire to place others back under the bondage of the law, do so anyway.

Life application: Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. As this is true – 1) No follower of Christ is bound to any precept of the Law of Moses. They are under the New Covenant. 2) Israel rejected their Messiah, who was clearly presented to them in their own writings (John 5:39), and thus their rejection of Him was a self-inflicted wound. 3) The efforts of Israel to reestablish the sacrificial system, though prophesied in the book of Daniel, is not a thing to be celebrated, but mourned over. It is a continuing rejection of Christ Jesus, and it will lead them into the tribulation period where two-thirds of Israel will be exterminated (Zechariah 13:8). 4) Pray for Israel now, that many will come to a saving knowledge of Christ before the terrible time of their judgment comes.

Lord God, Your word clearly and definitively states that a Person would come to offer Himself in fulfillment of the sacrificial system of Israel, and that in the shedding of His blood, a New Covenant would be introduced. It is not a hidden thing which occurred, but it was prophesied in advance, and then when it came about, it was meticulously documented for any who wish to verify the truth of His coming. Thank You that we don’t have a dubious, unverifiable faith in Christ Jesus, but a sure hope because of the word which foretold of Him, and which confirms that He came! Thank You for our sure and grounded hope in eternal glory because of the work of Christ our Lord. Amen.

Wednesday, 23 January 2019

In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin
You had no pleasure. Hebrews 10:6

Burnt offerings (actually, the word holokautóma signifies not just a burnt offering, but a whole burnt offering) and sin offerings were prescribed by the law. In fact, detailed meticulous instructions were given in the law in order to properly conduct the entire rite, from selection of the animal though to its final disposal. And yet this verse says they weren’t pleasing to God. There are two reasons for this. First, they only anticipated Christ’s sacrifice. They were found pleasing only in the sense that they looked forward to Him, but of themselves, they brought no pleasure to the Lord.

And secondly, fault rested with the people because of how they presented them. This is seen, for example, in the words of the prophet Micah –

“With what shall I come before the Lord,
And bow myself before the High God?
Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings,
With calves a year old?
⁷ Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
Ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” Micah 6:6, 7

There, the prophet asks the people a set of rhetorical questions. The questions included those things prescribed in the law to be given as offerings – in massive quantities. Then he adds in his firstborn as a potential offering. This doesn’t necessarily mean human sacrifice. He might be speaking of the dedication of a child to the Lord, like Samuel’s mother did – giving him to the service of the Lord all the days of his life. But all of these offerings, even a firstborn, were insufficient. Micah then answers –

“He has shown you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8

And so Jesus came, showing us how to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God. The giving of these sacrifices, without an accompanying heart for the Lord and a proper understanding of what the sacrifices signified, defeated the purpose of giving them. One does not simply buy off God with such an offering, but he is to demonstrate true remorse for sin and a desire to act properly before Him in the future.

Life application: The Bible gives outward commands to be followed in the Law of Moses, but it expected the people to have an inward change which accompanied the outward rites, rituals, and commands. However, the law was such a burdensome yoke, that the people were weighed down with meeting its strict demands, and they failed to take to heart the lessons it was intended to show them. Only in the coming of Christ do the things of the law finally make sense. And at the same time, they only make sense in relation to His fulfillment of them. Who on earth would want to go back under the mandates of the law, which Christ fulfilled and set aside through His more perfect work and sacrifice? Think! And then rest in Christ alone for your justification before God.

Lord God, surely You are worthy of our full devotion. Help us to follow in Jesus’ steps and to not stray from acting justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly in Your glorious presence all the days of our lives. Keep us from being haughty or proud as we pursue You! In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.