Lesson Fifteen

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The Cross Of Christ

Lesson Fifteen - The Sacrifice Of Christ And The Believer

TEXT: Heb. 10:12 -  "BUT THIS MAN, AFTER HE HAD OFFERED ONE SACRIFICE FOR SINS FOREVER, SAT DOWN ON THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD;"

        In this study lesson we will see the composition of our text which is:

  • 1. "This man," referring to the Lord Jesus Christ, according to the Greek Text should have been translated "This Priest."

  • 2. His Offering of Himself on the Cross was an act that has never-ending results and that needs no repetition.

  • 3. Christ is sat down at the Right Hand of God, implying that His Work is a Finished Work, and will never need any repetition, or anything added.

This Priest

        The phrase, "But this man," as stated, should have been translated "this Priest," and because it is related to the word "Priest" of Verse 11. At any rate, the emphasis is on Christ and Christ Alone!

        Let us understand, that all Salvation is in Christ; all Victory is in Christ; all overcoming strength is in Christ; all Blessings are in Christ. In other words, everything that comes from God to undeserving humanity comes exclusively through Jesus Christ, and more particularly, through what He did at the Cross on our behalf, as Paul reiterates in these Passages over and over again.

        What I’ve just said is a very simple statement; however, it is from this simplicity that Satan seeks to deter us. One of his biggest weapons is to get us to look at our own faith. It’s "my faith this!" and "my faith that!" While Faith is definitely the basis on which God works, more particularly, it is the object of Faith that makes the difference. And by the object of Faith, we are speaking of the Cross of Christ.

        When we think of Christ, our faith must always be in connection with His great Sacrifice. That and that alone is the secret of all blessings. Christ the miracle worker saves not one single soul. Christ the virgin born son of Mary saves not one single soul. Christ the great healer, and yes He was a great Healer and friend to those with sickness, but His healing authority was not what saved fallen humanity from the curse of sin which brought on the sickness to begin with.

One Sacrifice

        The phrase, "After He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever," speaks of His purpose, which was the Cross.

        Does the Reader notice in all of this, that Paul doesn’t really mention the Resurrection of Christ? While of course, the Resurrection is of supreme significance, still, it was not by the Resurrection that Christ affected man’s Redemption, but by the Cross. It was His Sacrifice that made Salvation possible, the Baptism with the Holy Spirit possible, ongoing victory possible, in fact everything!

        Does the modern Church believe that?

        Greek Scholar Kenneth Wuest says, "His Offering of Himself on the Cross was an act that has never-ending results and that needs no repetition. This is in contrast to the oft-repeated offerings of the Levitical Priests. It is also true that our Lord seated Himself forever at the Right Hand of God. This is in contrast to the perpetual standing posture of the First Testament Priests."

        The key to all of this is that this "one sacrifice for sins forever," has never-ending results.

        When anyone denies that all things come through the Cross, they are in essence claiming that God deals with the human race in some other way, other than by the Sacrifice of Christ. Of course, they don’t get that from the Bible, because the Word of God which is glaringly obvious, proclaims the Sacrifice of Christ as the great intersection of God and humanity, and that alone! To project something else, even as many are now doing, is to make up out of whole cloth, one’s own brand of Salvation or victory. And the fearful thing about this is, that this blasphemy, and blasphemy it is, is not coming from the modernists so much, as it’s coming from camps within the Body who claim to have great knowledge about "faith."  And the tragedy of all tragedies is, hundreds of thousands of people who claim to be saved and baptized with the Holy Spirit are believing this lie of all lies.

        Let the Reader understand, that we’re not speaking here of side issues, but rather the paramount issue of all things, the salvation of the soul, i.e., "man’s standing with God." One of their bright lights in describing the Cross refers to it as "past miseries." He then recommends that the Cross be forsaken, inasmuch as it was "the greatest defeat in human history."

        Pure and simple, these people do not believe in the Sacrifice of Christ as the key to all Salvation. There are tens of thousands of these Churches all over the world. And the tragedy is, most Pentecostals upon hearing this gross error, and gross error it is, even if they don’t accept it totally, do not in any way denounce it. In fact, and I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say this, I personally feel that most so-called Pentecostals actually accept this blasphemy.

        For the Cross of Christ to be denounced over world wide television, and to be denounced repeatedly, and no one say anything, or else very little, but rather pour millions of dollars into the coffers of these blasphemers, and blasphemers they are, lets us know the sick condition of the modern Church.

        If the Cross is ignored, which is the foundation of all Biblical Doctrine, which the modern Church is now doing, then the Church drifts like a ship without a rudder, not knowing where it’s been, where it is, or where it’s going.

        Jesus asked the question, "When the Son of Man cometh, shall He find faith on the Earth?" (Lk. 18:8).

        He is speaking here of true Faith, which refers to Faith in His great Sacrifice of Himself. In fact, there has been more teaching on faith in the last 50 years than all the balance of Christianity put together; however, it has not been Faith in the Cross, but rather faith in other things, which means it’s not of God. One of Satan’s greatest ploys is to present a doctrine that is very, very similar to the real thing, so similar in fact, that many cannot tell the difference. The so-called modern faith message fits that description. Because it claims to be faith in the Word of God, it fools most people. The Truth is, it is not Faith in the Word, but rather in a perverted word, which refers to the Scriptures being pulled out of context. Satan tried the same thing with Christ in the wilderness temptation (Mat. 4:1-10). If it’s not faith anchored squarely in the Cross of Christ, even as Paul is proclaiming from every angle, in this Epistle to the Hebrews, then it’s not really Faith that God will recognize.

A Finished Work

        The phrase, "Sat down on the right hand of God," refers to the great contrast between the Priests under the Levitical system who never sat down, and because their work was never completed. Christ sitting down at the "Right Hand of God," refers to the fact, that His Work is a "Finished Work." And what does that mean?

        It refers to the fact that everything which God demanded of the human race, Jesus met at the Cross. Nothing was left undone. The Cross also addresses every single thing that man lost in the Fall. While it is true that we do not yet have all the benefits of the Cross, some of those benefits awaiting the coming Resurrection, still, everything was there addressed.

        It means as well, that no more Sacrifice or any other type of similar work will ever have to be enjoined, the Sacrifice of the Cross being sufficient for time and eternity. In fact, one Greek word "lutroo" which describes Redemption, carries the idea that such a price was paid at the Cross, that no creature in eternity future, be it man, demon, or Angel, will ever be able to say that the price was insufficient.

        That great Sacrifice being a "Finished Work" refers to the fact, that everything from God to man, and in totality, was made possible by what Christ did at Calvary. This is the Source of all things, and of course, I speak of all things which come from God to man. That’s the reason our Faith must ever be anchored in the Cross of Christ. The Holy Spirit demands it, that is, if He is to work within our hearts and lives (Rom. 8:1-2, 11).

(13) "FROM HENCEFORTH EXPECTING TILL HIS ENEMIES BE MADE HIS FOOTSTOOL."

The exegesis is:

  • 1. "From henceforth" refers to Christ sitting on the Right Hand of God, until all enemies are subdued.

  • 2. That which He did at the Cross, will ultimately dispel every single enemy.

  • 3. "Enemies" constitute all Satanic powers, and as well, all men who look to other than the Cross.

From Henceforth

        The short phrase, "From henceforth," refers to the idea, that this which the Cross will ultimately affect, is a settled conclusion. There is no doubt about the outcome! As stated, it is a Finished Work, which will do exactly what it says, "finish the work." So that the Reader will not misunderstand, please allow me to say it in another way:

        The Work of Christ at the Cross is finished; however, all the things this Finished Work is to accomplish, have not yet been done, but most definitely shall!

Expecting

        "Expecting" in the Greek is "ekdechomai," and means "to await," "wait for." The idea is, that which Christ did at the Cross, with its continued results, will ultimately bring all things to a successful conclusion. It is not a case of "hope so," or "maybe so," but rather, that which is certain, but has not yet come to pass.

Enemies Defeated

        The phrase, "Till His enemies be made His footstool," is actually derived from Psalms 110:1. So it was prophesied by David, that what he had prophesied in Psalms 40:6-8, which was the Sacrifice of Christ, would fall out to the total defeat of all enemies. What does he mean by "enemies"?

        The enemies of the Redeemer are Satan, the wicked of the Earth, and all the evil passions of the heart. The idea is, that all things are yet to be made subject to His Will – either by a cheerful and cordial submission to His authority, or by being crushed beneath His power. The Redeemer, having performed His great work of Redemption by giving Himself as a Sacrifice on the Cross, is represented now as calmly waiting until this glorious triumph is achieved, and this Promise is fulfilled.

By this, we are not to suppose that He is inactive, or that He takes no share in the agency by which this is to be done, but the meaning is, that He looks to the certain fulfillment of the promise.

The word "footstool," has to do with one putting his foot on the neck of his enemy, signifying that the enemy is totally defeated. The same idea is expressed in I Cor. 15:25 by saying that all His enemies shall be put under His feet. To be sure, this is certain of fulfillment.

(14) "FOR BY ONE OFFERING HE HATH PERFECTED FOR EVER THEM THAT ARE SANCTIFIED."

The composite is:

1. The "One Offering" is the Sacrifice of Christ on the Cross.

2. The word "perfected" means to bring to a state of completion.

3. The Cross makes possible our Sanctification, and one might quickly say, the Cross alone!

One Offering

The phrase, "For by One Offering," refers to the Sacrifice of Christ, which addressed every single problem that man has, in other words, all that man suffered in the Fall.

Paul possibly uses the word "one," by contrast to the five Levitical Offerings which were required under the old Mosaic Law. In other words, the One Offering of Christ addressed itself to that which took five Offerings under the Levitical system. However, even that description begs the question. The facts are, the five Offerings of the Levitical system could not take away even one sin, whereas the One Offering of Christ atoned for all sin, past, present, and future. The difference is in the worth of the Offerer. As should be obvious, Christ, the Son of God, is of infinite worth, while the animal sacrifices provide no comparison.

As well, the Levitical Sacrifices had to be offered again and again, actually multiple millions down through the centuries, while the One Sacrifice of Christ sufficed for all time.

Perfection

        The phrase, "He hath perfected forever," means that everything essential to the Salvation of the individual is included in the gift of Salvation, which the sinner receives by Faith in Messiah’s Sacrifice.

        The idea of this is, whereas the offerings made under the Jewish Law were so defective that there was a necessity for repeating them every day, the Offering made by Christ was and is so perfect that it needs not to be repeated, and as well, that it secures the complete and final Salvation of all those who avail themselves of it.

Sanctification

        The phrase, "Them that are sanctified," once again brings this word into view.

        Those whom Christ calls He sanctifies, that is, He sets apart for Himself. This is an operation of God’s Will and not of man’s. This Sanctification is affected by the one great Offering. Such was its cost. As an example, God took the unclean Hebrews from among the nations and set them apart for Himself. The blood of the Paschal Lamb affected this consecration; consequently, Faith can joyfully exclaim: "Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us, therefore let us keep the Feast" (I Cor. 5:7-8).

        This Offering of Christ is "once for all." It admits of no repetition. The Sanctification it secures is eternal. It consecrates to God forever because of its eternal and unchanging value.

        He Who made this Perfect Offering is seated in the Heavens; and He is Himself there the Righteousness of God. There is a Righteousness suited to the Throne of God. It never can vary or fail. In that Righteousness, the worshipper stands.

The Cross and Our Sanctification

        Does not the Reader here see, which we have already stated, the connection between the Cross and our Sanctification? Actually, it is impossible for the Sanctification process to be carried out in our lives, which refers to our being completely set apart to God, without the Believer understanding that all of this comes through the Cross, and by no other means. This is absolutely essential!

        Unfortunately, most of the modern Church has absolutely no idea of the part that the Cross plays in our everyday living for God, our overcoming victory, in other words, our Sanctification. Before we can be what we ought to be in Christ, we have to understand that there has been a death in our lives. What do we mean by that?

        This death occurred when we first accepted Christ. We were baptized into His Death, meaning that His Death literally became our Death, inasmuch, as He died as our Substitute and in fact, as our Representative Man (Rom. 6:3). This is all done by faith on our part. In other words, whenever we exhibited Faith in Christ and what He did for us at the Cross, and I am speaking of our initial Salvation experience, at that moment, at least in the Mind of God, we literally died with Christ.

        What died, was so worthless, was so valueless, in other words so wicked and polluted, that it was buried with Christ as well (Rom. 6:4).

        We were then raised with Christ "in newness of life" (Rom. 6:4).

        All of this is what Jesus referred to as being "born again" (Jn. 3:3). But yet, a tremendous legal work took place with God, upon our Faith being exhibited in Christ when we were saved. Now that we are saved, we are "a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (II Cor. 5:17).

        Now redeemed, it is crucial that we understand, that we continue to have Faith in the Cross of Christ, realizing that this not only afforded us Salvation, but as well, it also affords our Sanctification experience, even as Paul says here in Hebrews 10:10, 14. And of course, this is also what Paul is talking about in the entirety of his Epistle to the Galatians.

        The idea is, if we cease to look to the Cross, which alone provides us the liberty to live for God as we should, then "Christ is become of no effect unto you," meaning, that all He did at the Cross is wasted, simply because we’re trusting something else (Gal. 5:4). In fact, if we look to anything else other than the Cross of Christ, we then "fall from Grace," which presents itself as a catastrophe of unprecedented proportions (Gal. 5:4).

        Every Believer has to have the Grace of God in order to live for God. This is not an option, but a "must." The way Grace is obtained, is for us to just simply have Faith in the Cross of Christ and maintain our Faith in that Finished Work, for the simple reason, that it is the Cross which makes the Grace of God possible (Eph. 2:13-20). In fact, if we attempt to look to other things than the Cross, we frustrate the Grace of God, which places us in a perilous situation (Gal. 2:20-21). It is somewhat like a diver underwater, who has his air hose cut. As should be obvious, he quickly finds himself in perilous circumstances. And so it is with the Child of God, who no longer has a plentiful supply of the Grace of God coming to him.

        All of this is predicated on our Faith in the Cross, thereby, what Christ did for us. This is the only way the Sanctification process can work, referring to the fact, of making us what we ought to be in Christ.

The Holy Spirit And The Sacrifice of Christ

        The great Sanctification process, and in fact everything we receive from the Lord, is all done by what Christ did at the Cross, but "through the Spirit" (Rom. 8:2; Gal. 5:5).

        The facts are, even though we are now saved and even Baptized with the Holy Spirit, if in fact that is the case, still, we cannot within our own strength and power, bring about anything in our lives that pertains to God. It is only the Holy Spirit Who Alone can do all of these things which must be done. If we try to do it, it becomes a "work of the flesh," which God can never recognize, and which will always fall out to our ruin and hurt.

        Sadly and regrettably, this is where most of the Church operates. It operates in the flesh, which means according to rules and regulations made up by men, which means it’s not of the Spirit, which means it’s going to fall out to harm to everyone who comes under such teaching. The Church cannot sanctify you and neither can any Preacher. Every Preacher in the world can lay hands on you until there is no more hair on your head, and even though the laying on of hands is Scriptural, such being done in this manner will not bring you what you need. But unfortunately, most Pentecostals and Charismatic think that Preachers can solve their problems by laying hands on them, etc.

        Of course, they pick and choose certain Preachers, thinking that God is using "this particular one," and, therefore, I will get what I need. Even though God definitely does use Preachers, still, there will be no victory achieved by this process. Unfortunately, after people come to Christ, too often, the Church points these converts to itself, instead of to the Cross. That is the sure road to spiritual catastrophe.

        If the Church is not pointing you to the Cross, then it’s pointing you in the wrong direction, and the end results will not be pretty.

        The Holy Spirit doesn’t function according to the edicts of the Church, or by the commands of Preachers; He functions totally and completely upon the premise of the Finished Work of Christ, and our Faith in that Finished Work (Rom. 8:2). As I’ve said repeatedly in this Volume, the Divine Spirit doesn’t expect much of us, but He definitely does expect one thing, and in fact, even demands that one thing, and that is that we exhibit Faith in the Cross of Christ at all times. He demands this, because as stated, He works exclusively within the parameters of that Finished Work.

        If you follow this which we have stated, and I speak of a constant Faith in the great Sacrifice of Christ, then "sin shall not have dominion over you: for you are not under the Law, but under Grace" (Rom. 6:14). In other words, the Grace of God will continue to flow to you like an uninterrupted river. But if you step outside of these boundaries, which sadly and regrettably, most of the modern Church has done, you will find yourself "under the Law," which means that the Grace of God stops, and you are thereby destined for spiritual failure. In fact, Paul said if you do this, you will "be entangled again with the yoke of bondage" (Gal. 5:1).

        In the One Offering of Christ, not only was our Salvation perfected, but as well, our "Sanctification." This must ever be understood. This means, that in the same manner in which we received our Salvation, in that same manner we receive Sanctification.

(15) "WHEREOF THE HOLY SPIRIT ALSO IS A WITNESS TO US: FOR AFTER THAT HE HAD SAID BEFORE,"

        The structure is:

  • 1. The Holy Spirit witnesses to all this which is said. This means it’s the Word of God, and cannot fail.

  • 2. The Spirit, Paul says, "testifies." The choice of word implies that there is excellent testimony behind what he has been saying about Christ.

  • 3. For a fact, the entirety of the Word of God is inspired; however, when emphasis is added, even as it is here, with the Holy Spirit actually testifying of Himself as it regards Christ, we surely should be able to see the great significance of the Cross of Christ.

The Witness Of The Spirit

        The phrase, "Whereof the Holy Spirit also is a witness to us," proclaims the very highest emphasis that can be had. The idea is, the Holy Spirit is inspiring Paul to place His Name in the text (the Name of the Spirit), which cannot help but give added emphasis.

        The Spirit is saying, that the one Atonement made by the Redeemer lays the foundation for the eternal perfection of all who are sanctified. The witness of the Holy Spirit here referred to, is that which is furnished in the Scriptures, and not any witness in ourselves.

        I will never forget the day that the Holy Spirit led me to the Word as it regarded the manner and the way in which He works. He took me to Romans 8:2. To live the life that one ought to live, the Believer must have power. To be sure, this contest between good and evil, between light and darkness, is not idle games. Satan plays for keeps, and plays unto the death, the death of himself so to speak, or our death. This means that the powers coming against us as Believers are not mere fancies of our imagination, or mere philosophic inventions. The Child of God is facing the demon powers of darkness, which are trying to drag him down in the realm of sin and spiritual failure. Within one’s own ability, which Paul constantly likens to the "flesh," there is no way that the Christian can overcome. He must have the Power and the Help of the Holy Spirit.

        However, this help, to which we have already addressed, is never automatic. Even as the Text here tells us, while the Spirit of God has been sent into our hearts and lives to perform a task, He will perform this task only on one basis, and that is within the great victory of the Finished Work of Christ. In other words, these are the legal boundaries in which the Spirit works.

        For the Spirit to exhibit His great power, He demands of us that we at all times, exhibit Faith in the Sacrifice of Christ. It is Jesus Who has paid the price for our Redemption. It is Jesus Who has satisfied the sin debt by the giving of Himself on the Cross. It is Jesus Who atoned for all sin, thereby making it possible for the Spirit to abide permanently within the hearts and lives of Believers (Jn. 14:16).

        Due to this which Christ has done, without which man could not have been saved, and without which the Believer could not walk in victory, the Spirit glorifies Christ. In fact, Jesus said of the Spirit, "He shall glorify Me (and because of what Christ did at the Cross): for He shall receive of Mine, and shall show it unto you" (Jn. 16:14). All of this works through Faith in what Christ has done for us at the Cross (Rom. 3:25; 5:1-2; 9:30; 10:6; Gal. 2:16, 20; 3:2, 5, 14, 24; Eph. 2:8-9; Heb. 12:2).

        According to one’s own strength, and no matter how consecrated the Believer might be, we are no match for the Evil One; however, with the Holy Spirit working mightily within us, which He definitely will do if our Faith is properly placed, anything and everything is easy for Him. The Holy Spirit is God!

An Eternal Victory

        The phrase, "For after that He had said before," refers to the fact that the Holy Spirit has always witnessed to the veracity of the Finished Work of Christ. Long before the Cross, which we will see in the next Verse, the Spirit proclaimed through Jeremiah what the Sacrifice of Christ would bring about.

        This means that the Way of the Cross is not a new way, but actually the only way that’s ever been formulated by God, which was actually planned from before the foundation of the world (I Pet. 1:18-20).

(16) "THIS IS THE COVENANT THAT I WILL MAKE WITH THEM AFTER THOSE DAYS, SAITH THE LORD, I WILL PUT MY LAWS INTO THEIR HEARTS, AND IN THEIR MINDS WILL I WRITE THEM;"

The composite is:

  • 1. The Apostle appeals here to a Passage which he had before quoted (Jer. 31:33-34).

  • 2. Paul places the Jewish recipients of this Letter in the position where they will either accept their Prophet and thus the New Testament, or in rejecting the New Testament, they will at the same time, be rejecting their own Prophet.

  • 3. This is a prophecy proclaiming the New Covenant, which Christ would bring about by His Death on the Cross

  • This New Covenant would function on an entirely different basis than the Old.

The New Covenant

        The phrase, "This is the Covenant that I will make with them after those days," proclaims its distinctive feature as being the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit Who would be caused to take up His permanent abode in the Believer under the New Testament dispensation.

        Heretofore, He had come upon or in individuals in order to equip them for a certain Ministry, and then would leave them when the time of that Ministry was over. He did not personally indwell them for purposes of Sanctification.

        The Old Testament Saint was regenerated, thus becoming a partaker of the Divine Nature, and thus had that impetus to the living of a holy life. However, the New Testament Saint has both the advantages of Regeneration and the personal indwelling and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. Thus, under the First Testament, God wrote His Laws on stone, whereas under the New Testament, He writes them upon the heart (Wuest).

The Manner Of The New Covenant

        The phrase, "Saith the Lord, I will put My Laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them," proclaims that which was promised to Israel and Judah through the New Covenant, but is now made true of all who turn to Christ. By a New Birth God puts His Laws in our hearts and writes them in our minds, and then declares without any qualification, "their sins and iniquities will I remember no more."

        The quotation from Jeremiah Chapter 31 is here repeated. It was first cited (Heb. 8:8) to set aside the Old Covenant; here it is used to prove the perfection of the New Covenant.

(17) "AND THEIR SINS AND INIQUITIES WILL I REMEMBER NO MORE."

The structure is:

  • 1. Sins and iniquities are the reason that Jesus came to this world.

  • 2. By and through His Death on the Cross, He took all of those sins and iniquities away, at least from those who will believe (Jn. 3:16).

  • 3. The sinner is then justified, which refers to "Justification by Faith," which means that the sinner exhibited Faith in Christ and what Christ did at the Cross, and was, therefore, justified. Justification means that God looks at such a person as if they have never sinned, and will remember their sins no more.

SINS AND INIQUITIES

        The phrase, "And their sins and iniquities," pertains to that which is man’s problem, and, therefore, why Jesus came to this Earth. As well, these two words, "sins" and "iniquities," constitute a far greater problem than most will admit. In fact, the world, while agreeing that there is a problem, claims that it’s only slight, and can be addressed by certain particular measures such as education, money, etc. Unfortunately, most in the modern Church as well, do not properly understand the horror of sin.

        The entirety of the principle of the Gospel is according to the following:

  • 1. Sin is the problem.

  • 2. Jesus Christ is the answer and the only answer.

  • 3. He is the answer only according to what He did at the Cross on behalf of sinners.

        While many other things might be preached, that which we have just said must ever be the foundation of our presentation of the Gospel to the world. If we lose sight of this, we have lost sight of what the True Gospel really is.

        Actually, the word "Gospel" means "good news." That good news is "Jesus Christ and Him Crucified" (I Cor. 2:2). That and that alone is the solution to dying, hurting humanity.

        If Satan can get the Preacher to place the emphasis elsewhere, and he really doesn’t too much care where the elsewhere is, he has then completely destroyed the effectiveness of that Preacher. This means that if the Preacher is truly preaching the Gospel, without fail, He must preach the Cross. Paul said, "For the preaching of the Cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God" (I Cor. 1:18).

        He then said, "It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching (the Cross) to save them that believe." Consequently, he further said, "We preach Christ crucified" (I Cor. 1:21, 23). The tragedy is, the far greater part of the Church ignores the Cross, doesn’t preach the Cross, with some of it even repudiating the Cross! Paul plainly says in the Text as he speaks of "sins and iniquities," that Jesus "offered One Sacrifice for sins" (Heb. 10:12). How much clearer can it be, that the Cross of Christ is the only answer for the sins of man?!

Justification By Faith

        The phrase, "Will I remember no more," proclaims in a few words, "Justification by Faith."

        The Work of Christ is the Cross; the witness to all of this is the Holy Spirit (vs. 15). This means that God is the "Source" of this great Salvation, Christ the "means," and the Holy Spirit the "evidence."

        The guilty conscience that seeks peace with God is shut up to this evidence of the Spirit. There is no other witness. The Spirit has recorded His evidence in the Scriptures, and outside of them there is no other testimony for faith to rest upon. So the certainty that God will never remember the sins and iniquities of the Believer in Jesus is founded on the unchanging Will of God, the perfect Work of Christ, and the sure witness of the Holy Spirit.

        This is complete justification from all things. No charge can now be brought against the one for whom Christ has settled everything. The very words "and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more," presents the crowning promise of the New Covenant of which Jesus is the Mediator. When these words were first quoted in 8:12 some important points in the argument were still untouched. Now the firm basis of the Promise has been shown, for the Covenant has been ratified by the Death of Christ, and the blessings He has won for men are eternal. All of this tells us that the sin question is settled. The once for all Offering of the Messiah shows that sin is paid for and put away. There is no greater wonder, no great blessing, no greater news than this, hence the Gospel being referred to as "good news."

(18) "NOW WHERE REMISSION OF THESE IS, THERE IS NO MORE OFFERING FOR SIN."

The structure is:

  • 1. Sins being completely taken away, to never be charged against the sinner again, proves the effectiveness of the Cross of Christ.

  • 2. Consequently, there is no need for any more sacrifice.

  • 3. If we attempt to add anything to the Finished Work of Christ, we sin greatly!

Remission From Sin

        The phrase, "Now where remission of these is," settles the argument once and for all. The blood of bulls and goats never could remit sins; however, the One Sacrifice of Christ effectively remitted all sins for all people who will believe (Jn. 3:16). This short Verse emphatically conveys the utter finality of Christ’s Offering and the sheer impossibility of anything further. Where sins have been effectively dealt with, there can be no further place for an offering for sin, and because there is no need for a further place for an offering for sin. This is what Jesus came to do, and this is what Jesus did, and He did this by the sacrificial Offering of Himself on the Cross, which makes the Cross the centrality of the Gospel.

A Finished Work

        The phrase, "There is no more offering for sin," proclaims a statement of obvious magnitude. On this one short phrase stands or falls the Gospel which we preach. What do I mean by that?

        This Text plainly tells us that Jesus paid it all. His Work is a Finished Work, meaning that there is nothing else that must be done, and because there is nothing else that needs to be done. As stated, Jesus paid it all!

        That being the case, where does that leave Preachers who attempt to add something to the Finished Work of Christ? By that question I mean this:

        As it regards sin, much of the Church world little regards the Sacrifice of Christ, but rather portrays their own program, as it regards Justification. For the sinner coming to Christ, he is advised to "join the Church," which in effect, substitutes the Church for the Offering of Christ. Or else they claim that one is saved when he speaks in tongues or is baptized in water, etc. All of this is substituting something else in place of the Sacrifice of Christ, and Faith by the sinner in that Sacrifice.

        When it comes to Christians who sin, the Church has by and large as well, substituted their own program in place of the great Work of Christ.

        In such cases, and especially as it regards Preachers, they’ve placed little stock at all in true repentance, but rather add other things. And what are those other things?

        To be sure, these "other things" change with the wind; however, it really doesn’t matter what these "other things" actually are, if anything is substituted in the place of the Sacrifice of Christ, and one’s Faith in that Finished Work, then the Sacrifice of Christ has been ignored.

        Let us emphasize again, there is no sacrifice for sin except the Sacrifice of Christ. To attempt to force individuals to do other things which are claimed to be necessary in order to effect forgiveness and cleansing is blasphemy pure and simple. Not only do those who insist upon such, sin greatly, but as well, any person who yields to such foolishness, forfeits the Grace of God.

        Sin is awful! It is horrible! And because it is so awful and horrible, there is only one way it can be handled, and that’s by taking it to the Cross (I Jn. 1:9; 2:1-2). Jesus Christ is the only solution, not the Church, or some silly man-devised rules – only Christ and Him Crucified.

(19) "HAVING THEREFORE, BRETHREN, BOLDNESS TO ENTER INTO THE HOLIEST BY THE BLOOD OF JESUS,"

The exegesis is:

  • 1. The word "Brethren" signifies privileges in Christ.

  • 2. "Boldness" as here given, refers to full access by all Believers to the Lord.

  • 3. All of this has been brought about "by the Blood of Jesus," meaning that it was at the Cross where He opened up the Way.

Brethren

        The phrase, "Having therefore, Brethren," refers to the Family of God, all made possible by what Jesus did at the Cross. There is no greater privilege than being in this great Family. Paul also said that Jesus is the "firstborn among many Brethren" (Rom. 8:29).

        The word "firstborn" as it is here used, doesn’t mean that Jesus was "born again" as are all Believers, but rather, that He is the Founder of the Church and, therefore, the "Head" of the Family of God. He is the Creator of this Family!

Boldness

        The phrase, "Boldness to enter into the Holiest," harks back to the Holy of Holies of the Tabernacle. The High Priest alone could enter this sacred room where dwelt the Presence of God, and then only once a year. The people, nor any of the other Priests, could enter, except only in the High Priest as their representative. The reason for these limitations then, was due to the fact that the sin debt was not paid, which means that sins still clung to Believers, and because the blood of bulls and goats could not take away sins.

        The idea is, that before Christ died and entered into Heaven, there was no such access to the Throne of Grace as man needed. Man had no offering which he could bring that would make him acceptable to God. But now the way is open. Access is free for all, and all might come with the utmost freedom, at least if they come by and through the Blood of Jesus (Eph. 2:13-20).

The Blood Of Jesus

        The phrase, "By the Blood of Jesus," proclaims to us, and in no uncertain terms, how all of this has been made possible.

        Through what Jesus did for us at the Cross, which refers to His poured out Blood, our Faith in that and that alone gives us immediate access to the Throne of God, and that goes for every single Believer.

        This is the reason that I constantly proclaim the validity of the Cross. We have access to the Throne of God, not because of our great faith in ourselves, or our good works, or our supposed spirituality, but through one means alone, and that is the Blood of Jesus. In fact, Paul also said, that if we attempt to gain access by any other manner, that the Spirit of God will bar the entrance (Eph. 2:13-18).

        This then entitles the "Brethren" of Christ, the new priestly house, to enter with boldness as purged worshippers into the Holiest, the immediate Presence of God, and all the infinite value of the Blood of Jesus through that New and Living Way which He Himself opened for us when, by His Death on the Cross, the Veil was rent in twain, and God no longer was hidden, nor man in Christ shut out.

        So intimately are the Redeemed and the Redeemer linked together, so truly are the High Priest and priestly house one before God, that we are urged to enter in spirit where He has gone, and to draw near to God with true hearts and the full assurance of that faith that is based upon the knowledge of an accomplished Redemption; our hearts having been sprinkled by the Blood of Christ from an evil conscience, and like the once-defiled Israelite, "our bodies having been washed with the water of purification."

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