“Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me) to do thy will, O God. Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
(Hebrews 10:5-10)
God’s ultimate plan for redemption, accomplished through the person of Christ, is made clear in this passage. As it states, God did not desire sacrifice and offering as ends in themselves. Burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin, though appointed under the law, were never sufficient to remove guilt or satisfy justice. They were shadows, not substance. They pointed beyond themselves to something far greater that was, “once for all” sufficient.
When Christ came into the world, He came consciously and willingly into that purpose[1] saying, “Lo, I come to do thy will, O God.” His coming was obedience embodied. A body was prepared for Him, not simply so that He might live among men, but so that He might suffer for them. Flesh was essential so blood could be shed. Humanity was assumed so that obedience unto death could be rendered.
Christ came into the world to redeem the world … to accomplish in Himself what all sacrifices and offerings under the law could only signify. By that will, as the apostle says, believers are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
His work therefore cannot be reduced to moral influence or ethical example. He is a Teacher come from God, and as Prophet He instructs perfectly. His life and conduct are a living doctrine, and His obedience is a pattern for His people to follow. But He is much more than a Prophet. He is a Priest who satisfies justice, and a King who conquers sin and death. He is an example indeed, but more than an example. He is the sacrifice. He is life itself. He is all in all.
So although we are commanded to walk as He walked and to shape our steps according to His path, our comfort and salvation rests fully in the truth that He is the propitiation for our sins. Because nothing but the blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse us from sin.
Contemplations:
- Christ obeyed where I could not. Christ’s coming was a deliberate submission to the Father’s will. When I consider how often my obedience is partial and weak, I rest in the fact that His obedience was complete and accepted. My standing with God does not rise and fall with my performance, but stands secure in His finished work.
- His suffering answers eternal suffering. My present troubles often feel heavy, yet they are light compared to what Christ endured … especially knowing I am free from eternal judgment because He bore God’s wrath and punishment for my sin in my place.
- He is more than an example. I am grateful that Christ is not only a pattern to follow, He is a Savior to trust. If He were only an example, I would despair. But because He is a sacrifice, I have hope. His blood answers for my failures even as His life guides my steps.
- One offering was enough. I am so thankful that nothing needs to be added to Christ’s work. His body was offered once for all. There is no repetition, no supplement, no improvement required. I am fully sanctified by what He has already done.
Prayer (Thanksgiving)
O Father of mercy, I thank You for the will You accomplished through Your Son. I thank You that when sacrifices and offerings could not satisfy, You prepared a body for Him. I thank You that redemption was not left to shadows, but was brought into fullness through His obedience.
I give thanks that Christ came willingly, not reluctantly. He said, “Lo, I come,” and He came to do Your will perfectly. I thank You that His obedience reached all the way to the cross. Because He obeyed, I stand accepted.
I thank You for the body given for Him and offered by Him. I thank You that He entered fully into human weakness, hunger, pain, and death. I thank You that He bore sin in His own body, answering justice completely. What no sacrifice under the law could accomplish, He accomplished fully by His death and resurrection.
I thank You that by this will I am sanctified, and not by repeated offerings or my own efforts. But through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Thank You that nothing remains unpaid and nothing undone.
I thank You that Christ is my Prophet, my Priest, and my King. He teaches me the way of life. He has satisfied justice for me. He reigns to guard and keep me. I thank You that He is my example, yet far more than my example. He is my sacrifice, my righteousness, and my life.
I thank You that He lives now to intercede for me, and that His glory is the pledge of mine. I thank You that He has gone to prepare a place, and that my future is as secure as His finished work. Let my life therefore respond with grateful obedience, shaped by love rather than fear.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Further Scripture References for Hebrews 10:5-10:
Heb. 13:12; John 17:19; Eph. 5:26; 1 Peter 2:24
[1] Thomas Manton, The Complete Works of Thomas Manton, vol. 19 (London: James Nisbet & Co., 1874), 180.
