The Sufficiency of Christ’s Once-for-All-Time Sacrifice

Hebrews 10:1-18

Main Idea: Whereas old covenant sacrifices were unable to completely atone for sin, Jesus’s sacrifice puts aside old covenant practices and secures total forgiveness and sanctification for God’s people.

1. Insufficient Sacrifices (10:1)
   1. Key contrasts
   2. Shadows and the Son
2. A Sacrifice Sufficient to Take Away Sin (10:2-4)
3. A Sacrifice Sufficient to Supplant Old Testament Sacrifices (10:5-10)
   1. Jesus and Psalm 40
   2. Jesus and the last sacrifice
4. A Sacrifice Sufficient to Bring Perfection (10:11-14)
   1. The priest who sits
   2. The priest who sits in power
5. A Sacrifice Sufficient to Bring Forgiveness (10:15-18)

As we begin the tenth chapter of Hebrews, we face one of the most important issues in biblical interpretation: understanding the contrast between the old and the new covenant. When Christians talk about the differences between these covenants, we almost habitually fall into a mindset that views the old covenant as bad and the new covenant as good. We are tempted to consider the old covenant negatively because we know it could not save us. The author of Hebrews, however, does not see the contrast in this way. Although he draws necessary and sharp distinctions between the covenants, he does not want his readers to despise the old covenant. Rather, he contrasts the two covenants to show how the old one cries out for and finds fulfillment in the new one. The old covenant prepares the way and ultimately reveals our need for the new.

Insufficient Sacrifices

Hebrews 10:1

These verses pinpoint some of the key deficiencies of the old covenant sacrifices. As the author makes clear in these verses, old covenant sacrifices were merely shadows of better things to come. They were offered year after year but could never save and could not perfect those drawing near to God.

Key Contrasts

In verse 1 the author uses descriptive language to demonstrate that the law pointed to “the good things to come.” The phrase “the good things to come” sums up everything Christ purchased and accomplished for us by virtue of his life, death, and resurrection. The greatest of these good things is the forgiveness of sins. The writer already made this point clear in 9:11-12.

The eternal redemption accomplished by Christ is the key contrast between the old and the new covenant. While the new covenant brings permanent redemption through Christ, the old covenant only temporarily suspended the judgment of God. As we look back on the old covenant sacrifices through the lens of Hebrews 9:22, we can see that old covenant sacrifices could not achieve the forgiveness of even one sin. Instead, we see that these sacrifices pointed to the forgiveness of all sin.

What, then, was the immediate effect of old covenant sacrifices? According to Romans 3:21-26, those sacrifices held back the wrath of God for a time. For instance, on the night when the angel of death struck the firstborn of Egypt, the firstborn sons of Israel were saved because the Israelites acted in faith and put the blood of the Passover lamb across their doorposts as God commanded. While Israel’s firstborns would eventually die because of their sin, they did not expire on that horrible day of God’s judgment against the Egyptians. God delayed his justice and judgment on account of the sacrifice offered in faith. Similarly, when the high priest went into the most holy place on the Day of Atonement and sprinkled the blood of the animal on the mercy seat, God withheld his wrath for another year. Thus, God received every sacrifice that preceded Christ’s sacrifice as a means of suspending his wrath against sin.

Shadows and the Son

The author of Hebrews uses the image of a “shadow” to draw the contrast between Christ’s sacrifice and the old covenant sacrifices. When Christ died on the cross, he did not shed the blood of another; he shed his own blood. Nor did he enter the tabernacle by making a sacrifice for his own sin first; he was sinless. Nor did he enter the manmade tabernacle; he entered the heavenly tabernacle. Then, after he accomplished atonement for us, he accomplished an eternal redemption once for all time, which brings true forgiveness of sins. All those animals died as shadows pointing to these realities accomplished through the cross of Christ. There Christ perfectly fulfilled all these things.

When the author uses the word law, he refers to the totality of the old covenant. The law, that is, the old covenant, “has only a shadow of the good things to come.” Under the old covenant, Israel merely saw the shape of what was to come. The shadow left them crying out for the real thing. As a shadow, the old covenant is insufficient. It could not perfect those who draw near.

Only Jesus can accomplish that. God is satisfied with the sacrifice of Christ and imputes the righteousness of his Son to us because nothing less than a perfect righteousness will meet God’s standard. We are woefully and infinitely short of perfect righteousness on our own. Only the righteousness of Christ will suffice for sin. Only Christ can bring atonement for sin and secure eternal redemption.

A Sacrifice Sufficient to Take Away Sin

Hebrews 10:2-4

In verse 2 the author asks a rhetorical question to draw out the insufficiency of the old covenant sacrifices. “Consciousness of sins” points to the part of the human person that remained untouched and unaffected by the old covenant sacrifices. Although the high priest went into the most holy place on the Day of Atonement to cleanse the people of sin, nothing could cleanse the consciences of the people for the sins they would commit right after the sacrifice. The law could do nothing to alleviate the guilt of the human conscience. The logic of verse 2 is that if old covenant sacrifices had sufficiently delivered all the promises of God, the priests would have stopped offering them. But they did not stop offering them. Sacrifices were made daily, weekly, and yearly. Israel’s sacrifices could not keep up with the people’s sinfulness.

Verse 3 reveals that these recurring sacrifices served as reminders of sin. They annually reminded the people of their guilt and disobedience and that the sacrifices could not ultimately purify them. “Year after year” clearly links these sacrifices to the Day of Atonement. That day was essentially an annual and graphic event that reminded the people they were unable to perfectly obey the commands of the law and desperately needed a priest to mediate on their behalf.

Verse 4 establishes an essential gospel point: it is impossible for the blood of animals to wash away sin. This claim is interesting, especially when we consider that the author says there is no forgiveness for sin without the shedding of blood (9:22). Nevertheless, the old covenant sacrifices, in all their bloodiness, could not take away sin. Instead, they pointed to the one sacrifice that could bring forgiveness of sin: Jesus Christ. His perfect sacrifice happened once and never needs to be repeated. His blood, unlike that of animals, washes sins away forever.

A Sacrifice Sufficient to Supplant Old Testament Sacrifices

Hebrews 10:5-10

In these verses the author continues to draw out the distinctions between Christ’s sacrifice and old covenant sacrifices. He continues to highlight the inadequacy of the sacrifices made by the high priests under the old covenant when compared to the superiority of the sacrifice made by the great high priest, Jesus Christ. Here the author particularly explains what Christ came into the world to accomplish and shows the necessity of his death. To this end, the author leans heavily on Psalm 40.

Jesus and Psalm 40

The writer of Hebrews attributes Psalm 40:6-8 to Christ at his incarnation. He says Christ spoke these words. This should not surprise us since the author believes that the triune God is the author of Scripture. By asserting this, the writer demonstrates to his readers how to see Jesus in the Old Testament correctly. The author shows us that he didn’t believe this psalm should only be read historically, but that it should also be read typologically.

Jesus came into the world to do his Father’s will. This required laying down his life as a sacrifice for sins. This is what verses 5-7 teach. When Christ entered the world, he knew his body would be the sacrifice that pleased God and satisfied his wrath. Old covnenant sacrifices and offerings could not ultimately bring the forgiveness of sins. Even worse, for many who made the offerings, the sacrifices represented nothing more than mere religious ritual. Those people no longer offered up sacrifices in faith and obedience. They were just going through the motions.

The Father did not ask his Son to offer sacrifices. He prepared a body for him and asked him to be the sacrifice. In doing so, the Father was asking the Son for obedience. The Father’s will and the Son’s obedience are precisely what we see described in Isaiah 53. God delights in obedience, not in burnt offerings and sin offerings (1 Sam 15:22-23). This does not mean the old covenant offerings contradicted the will of God in any way. It simply means God is not interested in religious ritual if it is not driven by faith and obedience. Works without faith are meaningless in God’s eyes.

In verse 8 the author of Hebrews gives a brief commentary on the words he attributes to Jesus. He further explains that God did not delight in the sacrifices of the Levitical cult “offered according to the law.” Once again, this highlights the temporary and inadequate nature of the old covenant sacrifices. A greater sacrifice was still to come—a sacrifice in which God would be permanently pleased.

Jesus and the Last Sacrifice

Verse 9 tells us Jesus did away with the old covenant in order to establish the new. This is what Jesus was announcing when he said, “See, I have come to do your will.” These words took away the first and established the second. Therefore, the Old Testament sacrificial system is completed. The author actually uses the Greek word for “abolish” to punctuate the termination of the Old Testament sacrificial system as forcefully as he can. The era of the law is over. Jesus abolishes it. He is why we no longer need to sacrifice bulls and goats. This is good news for bulls and goats, and it is far better news for us.

Verse 10 expands on the supremacy of the second and final sacrifice. In doing so, the author returns to the language of Jesus’s body. Jesus did the will of the Father by offering his body as a once-for-all-time substitute for sin. His willing sacrifice is the final and fully effective one that abolishes the old sacrifices and inaugurates the new covenant. By virtue of their union with Christ and on account of his sacrifice, believers are now in the realm of the holy and purified. They “have been sanctified.”

“Once for all time” is one of the most important phrases in Hebrews. It announces loud and clear that Christ’s sacrifice is definitive and sufficient. No sacrifice ever needs to be made again. God is pleased with Christ’s. The author is speaking emphatically: not just once, but once for all time.

A Sacrifice Sufficient to Bring Perfection

Hebrews 10:11-14

The Priest Who Sits

At the heart of these distinctions are two kinds of priests: priests who stand and the priest who sits. Verse 11 details the inadequacy of priests who stand. Under the old covenant, priests stood daily at God’s service, offering the same sacrifices repeatedly. The sacrifices could never take away sins (10:4), yet they continued to offer them. They stood every day because their work was never completed, nor did their work progress. This is why the priests stood each day offering the “same” sacrifices. Their ministry had to be repeated over and over again, generation by generation, and it could not save a single sinner.

Verse 12 details the priest who sits: Jesus Christ. Once Jesus offered a single sacrifice for sins that was sufficient for all time, he sat down at the right hand of God. This is known as the Session of Christ. It means Jesus is seated in authority and power at the right hand of the Father and carries out the ministry of intercession for God’s people there, waiting for the day his enemies are made a footstool for his feet. The priests who stand offer many sacrifices repeatedly. Jesus, however, only offers one sacrifice. His is sufficient to take away sins forever, and its benefits never end. Jesus sits because there’s no need for him to keep standing. His atoning work is complete, and now he intercedes for us.

The Priest Who Sits in Power

The anticipation of the time when Jesus’s enemies are made his footrest brings us back to the words of Psalm 110. The psalmist tells us that the Messiah will make his enemies a footstool. This is a reference to Jesus’s second coming. The author of Hebrews has already alluded to the second coming in the previous chapter (9:28). This shows us the return of Christ is at the forefront of the author’s mind. Jesus will return, but he will not come to offer another sacrifice. The priest who sits will return to judge his enemies. Jesus is the priest who sits in power.

Verse 14 reiterates the effectiveness of Jesus’s single offering. By the priestly offering of his own body, Jesus has perfected—not just improved—those who are being sanctified. How many times and in how many ways can the author make this point? Evidently one time is not enough. We need to see this beautiful reality emphasized repeatedly. Jesus has perfected, for all time, those who are being sanctified. His work perfects believers forever. Their perfection is an objective and eschatological reality that will never end.

A Sacrifice Sufficient to Bring Forgiveness

Hebrews 10:15-18

The author makes another appeal to the Old Testament in verses 15-18. Here he turns to Jeremiah 31:31-34 and the revelation of the new covenant. The Lord promises to put his laws in the hearts of his people and to write them on their minds. Jesus’s final and supreme sacrifice brings the full forgiveness of sins, so an offering for sin is no longer necessary. The new covenant brings a new heart.

The author once again attributes the words of the Old Testament to the Holy Spirit. We have already seen him say the Holy Spirit speaks through the Old Testament in Hebrews 3:7 and 9:8. The new covenant was new, but it was not a new revelation. Jesus’s sacrifice was the fulfillment of an old revelation, the one promised by the prophet Jeremiah through the witness of the Holy Spirit. Notice that the promise was not Jeremiah’s; it was God’s. Through Jeremiah’s prophetic word, the Holy Spirit bears witness to this new covenant.

We have already seen the author reference Jeremiah 31:31-34 in Hebrews 8:8-12. He cites these verses again to tell his readers this new covenant has been made with them, which suggests the author may be conceiving of his readers as the new Israel. Whatever the case, the writer is expressing that the readers of his letter are also the recipients of the new covenant. One of the key features of this new covenant is God’s sovereign grace. God himself writes his laws on the hearts and minds of his people. Their obedience is a result of his sovereign and gracious inscription. The old sacrifices could never accomplish this—only Christ could.

“I will never again remember their sins and their lawless acts” was not a reality under the old covenant. The people of Israel cried out in the knowledge of their sin, especially on the Day of Atonement. God still remembered their sin, even though he did not pour his wrath out on it immediately. But now that Christ has mediated a new and better covenant, God no longer remembers our sins and our lawless deeds. The blood of Jesus blots them out forever.

Verse 18 gives another important component of the forgiveness won by Jesus in the new covenant. If Christ’s blood has truly granted the forgiveness of sins forever, then “there is no longer an offering for sin.” This is why there’s a table for the Lord’s Supper and not an altar for sacrificing animals at the front of our church auditoriums. Christ accomplished everything necessary for the forgiveness of our sins. Because Jesus’s offering for sin was sufficient to forgive our sins once for all time, his offering was sufficient to end all other offerings.

Reflect and Discuss

1. This section of Scripture deals with how the old covenant points to the new. How would you explain the old covenant? How did the old covenant point to the new? What is the new covenant? What Bible passages are helpful in defining and explaining the two covenants.
2. Explain the relationship between the old covenant and sacrifices. Why did God institute the sacrificial system? If sacrifices were ultimately insufficient, what was their effect?
3. The first thing the author wants to emphasize about the old covenant sacrifices is that they are unable to perfect those who offer them. What is the first line of argument that the writer uses to show that this was the case? Why does this characteristic about the sacrificial system show its insufficiency?
4. Why does the author note that rather than bringing forgiveness of sin, the sacrificial system actually brought a reminder of sin? What is the conclusion the author draws about the blood of bulls and goats that were sacrificed?
5. In Hebrews 10:5 the author attributes a quotation to Christ that is found nowhere in the gospels. Instead, it is a citation from one of the psalms of David. Explain how the author can rightly attribute the psalm to Jesus.
6. In Hebrews 10:11, the author explicitly begins to contrast the sacrifices of the old covenant with the death of Jesus. What exactly does he compare? What about Jesus’s sacrifice does he emphasize in contrast to the ancient sacrifices? How do these aspects reflect the insufficiency of old covenant sacrifices and the sufficiency of Christ’s?
7. The author of Hebrews connects the sacrifice of Christ to his coming judgment. How does he do this? Why is this an important connection to make about the role of Jesus in Scripture?
8. Hebrews 10:14 says, “By one offering he has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.” How are both the perfection and the sanctification the author refers to here related to the work of Jesus? Explain the already-not yet tension at work in this verse.
9. What foundational difference between the old and the new covenant does the author of Hebrews make by quoting Jeremiah 31? Why is this so important for new covenant Christians?
10. What glorious conclusion does the author draw about the sin of those for whom Jesus has offered a sacrifice? How does the language of “once for all time” relate to the forgiveness of sins and the end of offerings for sin?