11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. 15 And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,
16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts,and write them on their minds,”
17 then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”
18 Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.
Hebrews 10:11-18 (ESV)
Work is done
Hundreds of thousands of offerings over and over, day after day, year upon year but with no ability to remove sin. By now you know the reason they did it – to point to Christ’s single sacrifice which permanently made perfect (completely covered ALL sin) all those who are sanctified, set apart, called. The Holy Spirit said (through the OT writers) that God will no longer remember our sins. Not that God forgets but that our sins are forgiven and God will not hold them against us, He will not judge us for them. Because they’ve been forgiven, there is no longer any need for sacrifices for sin.
Patiently waiting
What stands out in this passage is Christ’s patience. After He had offered His sacrifice (of Himself) and was raised, what was next? One might think all the saved would be gathered to Him and the rest of mankind, along with all evil, would be done away with forever. No, He sat down (indicating rest) at God’s right hand (the place of power) and is waiting. For 2,000+ years He has been waiting, patiently waiting. He waits for that day when all His enemies will be put under His feet and all creation will call Him Lord (Phil 2:10-11). And we know from Heb 7:25 that He continually intercedes for us while waiting.
RЯeflection
- Do w have this kind of patience, to wait for God’s timing?
- What is that situation in your life right now that you are anxious about? Is God in control? Is Jesus Christ Lord of your life? Can you choose to trust Him. Anything else is sin.
