Reflections on Hebrews 10

Hebrews 10 (Contemporary English Version)


1. The Law of Moses is like a shadow of the good things to come. This shadow isn't the good things themselves, because it cannot free people from sin by the sacrifices that are offered year after year.
2. If there were worshipers who already have their sins washed away and their consciences made clear, there would not be any need to go on offering sacrifices.
3. But the blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sins. It only reminds people of their sins from one year to the next.
4. (SEE 10:3)
5. When Christ came into the world, he said to God, "Sacrifices and offerings are not what you want, but you have given me my body.
6. No, you are not pleased with animal sacrifices and offerings for sin."
7. Then Christ said, "And so, my God, I have come to do what you want, as the Scriptures say."
8. The Law teaches that offerings and sacrifices must be made because of sin. But why did Christ mention these things and say that God did not want them?
9. Well, it was to do away with offerings and sacrifices and to replace them. That is what he meant by saying to God, "I have come to do what you want."
10. So we are made holy because Christ obeyed God and offered himself once for all.
11. The priests do their work each day, and they keep on offering sacrifices that can never take away sins.
12. But Christ offered himself as a sacrifice that is good forever. Now he is sitting at God's right side,
13. and he will stay there until his enemies are put under his power.
14. By his one sacrifice he has forever set free from sin the people he brings to God.
15. The Holy Spirit also speaks of this by telling us that the Lord said,
16. "When the time comes, I will make an agreement with them. I will write my laws on their minds and hearts.
17. Then I will forget about their sins and no longer remember their evil deeds."
18. When sins are forgiven, there is no more need to offer sacrifices.
19. My friends, the blood of Jesus gives us courage to enter the most holy place
20. by a new way that leads to life! And this way takes us through the curtain that is Christ himself.
21. We have a great high priest who is in charge of God's house.
22. So let's come near God with pure hearts and a confidence that comes from having faith. Let's keep our hearts pure, our consciences free from evil, and our bodies washed with clean water.
23. We must hold tightly to the hope that we say is ours. After all, we can trust the one who made the agreement with us.
24. We should keep on encouraging each other to be thoughtful and to do helpful things.
25. Some people have gotten out of the habit of meeting for worship, but we must not do that. We should keep on encouraging each other, especially since you know that the day of the Lord's coming is getting closer.
26. No sacrifices can be made for people who decide to sin after they find out about the truth.
27. They are God's enemies, and all they can look forward to is a terrible judgment and a furious fire.
28. If two or more witnesses accused someone of breaking the Law of Moses, that person could be put to death.
29. But it is much worse to dishonor God's Son and to disgrace the blood of the promise that made us holy. And it is just as bad to insult the Holy Spirit, who shows us mercy.
30. We know that God has said he will punish and take revenge. We also know that the Scriptures say the Lord will judge his people.
31. It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God!
32. Don't forget all the hard times you went through when you first received the light.
33. Sometimes you were abused and mistreated in public, and at other times you shared in the sufferings of others.
34. You were kind to people in jail. And you gladly let your possessions be taken away, because you knew you had something better, something that would last forever.
35. Keep on being brave! It will bring you great rewards.
36. Learn to be patient, so that you will please God and be given what he has promised.
37. As the Scriptures say, "God is coming soon! It won't be very long.
38. The people God accepts will live because of their faith. But he isn't pleased with anyone who turns back."
39. We are not like those people who turn back and get destroyed. We will keep on having faith until we are saved.
    
    

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    Building on the foundation he has already laid concerning the superiority of Christ's priesthood and of the new covenant of which He is the minister, the writer now stresses the confidence the believer can have in the sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice to remove all guilt of sin, making us acceptable to God. Once our sins have been covered with Christ's sacrifice, God says of them, "I will never again remember their sins and their lawless acts." (10:17)
    
    The superiority of Christ's sacrifice is compared to the inferiority of the old sacrificial system. Since it was not possible for "the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins." (10:4) These sacrifices were offered over and over and over since the sin never went away. It was a continual reminder of the presence of sin. The job of the priests in this system was never finished. They could never sit down as if their jobs had been completed. In contrast, Christ's sacrifice was all that this was not. With the coming of Christ the first covenant was taken away because the sacrifice of Christ's body sanctifies those who believe in Him. That is, they are made holy with the forgiveness of sin. Christ's offering of His body did this "once and for all." (10:10) In that one act, His work was finished. There was no need for further sacrifice and He could then sit "down at the right hand of God." (10:12) In a definitive statement the writer says: "For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are sanctified." (10:14)
    
    Because of the definite nature of Christ's sacrificial provision for our sin, we can "enter the sanctuary" with boldness. That is, we can approach God with confidence. This being the case, we should draw near to God and hold firm to the hope we have in Him "without wavering." (10:23) With this confidence for ourselves our next concern is to help others also have this confidence. We should "be concerned about one another in order to promote love and good works." This includes faithfulness to the Christian meetings so that we can encourage each other. This is all the more important as "you see the day drawing near." (10:25) That is, the day of Christ's return.
    
    The writer then returns to the issue of apostasy, an issue he spoke to in an earlier chapter. The issue is this: if one rejects Christ's sacrifice, "there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins." (10:26) There is nothing else to fall back on. We gain forgiveness of sin and as a result confidence before God through acceptance of Christ's sacrifice and through nothing else. It is that way or no way. Furthermore, to tentatively accept Christ's sacrifice and then reject it is blasphemous for in so doing we have "trampled on the Son of God," and have "insulted the Spirit of grace." (10:29)
    
    This issue of apostasy was evidently a real concern the writer had on behalf of some of his intended readers and he encouraged them to "Remember the earlier days when, after you had been enlightened." (10:32) When they were first enlightened about Christ's sacrifice they had endured their struggles and had sympathized with others who struggled because they had confidence in what Christ did. Now, he tells them, "don't throw away your confidence, which has a great reward." (10:35) Reminding them that "we are not those who draw back and are destroyed, but those who have faith and obtain life." (10:39)