“For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.” (Hebrews 9:24-26)
How could a just and holy God forgive sins before Jesus came to atone for them? He looked ahead to Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice on the cross. How does this same just and holy God forgive sins today? He looks back to Christ’s once for all sacrifice on the cross? The blood of that sacrifice still cleanses sins today – and will continue to do so for a thousand years more (1 John 1:7). In fact, the shadow of the cross reaches back as far as Adam and reaches forward all the way to eternity.
We who were born after Jesus have the advantage that Christ’s atonement for our sins remains a historical fact. But before Jesus came to earth, believers could only hope that God would fulfill Abraham’s prophecy, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering” (Genesis 22:8). Their hope was focused upon the coming Messiah by prophecies like those in Isaiah 53, Psalm 22, and Zechariah 12:10-13:1.
Somehow people knew that all those Levitical sacrifices were not really doing the job putting away sins. Just look at David’s words in Psalm 51:2, 7, and 16. People back then knew that those sacrifices had to offered continuously (Hebrews 10:1-3). In the next chapter the writer of Hebrews will tell us that those many sacrifices were actually reminders that our sins had not been dealt with. “For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4).
But the once-for-all nature of Christ’s sacrifice demonstrates its eternal efficacy. In that sacrifice God laid all of humanity’s sin – past, present, and future – upon Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). Then God poured out the full fury of His wrath and judgments upon Jesus. And because of Jesus’ eternal nature, He could absorb and endure it all, and forever satisfy God’s holy justice (Romans 3:25-26; 1 John 2:2). Only Jesus is necessary to put away our sins and reconcile us to God. Don’t put your faith in anything else. Jesus is more than enough.
REFLECTION
- Christ has provided the cure for our sins and guilt. But before any medicine can cure us, what must we first do with it?
- If we reject God’s remedy for sin – a remedy that cost the life of His Son – what hope can we possibly have before His judgment seat (See Hebrews 10:26-29)?
- Let’s embrace Jesus by faith and trust in His blood to cleanse and save us.
