Year 9, Day 114: Hebrews 10

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Hebrews 10 continues to talk about the sacrifice of Christ.  Naturally, he continues the assertion that His sacrifice was good forever.  He’s doesn’t need to die again.  We don’t need a different sacrifice at some other time.  Christ’s death was sufficient once for all time.

I can’t speak for others, but I tend to forget the meaning of this.  Sure, it makes sense to think that we don’t need to offer any other sacrifices.  Yes, it means I can come and worship God, thankful for the grace He gave to us through Christ.  It means all these things.  But I so often forget what the core of this is.

God has forgiven.  He has washed away our sins.  Yet, how often to I continue to hold myself accountable for my mistakes?   How often do I beat up on myself for my errors and sins?  If God can forgive me, why is it so hard for me to forgive myself?

Granted, this doesn’t give me permission to be cavalier about my sins, either.  God’s grace is not permission to sin.  Neither is God’s grace permission to be uncaring about the consequences of my sins.  But it is permission to confess my sins, understand why I fell into temptation, try to not put myself in a similar circumstance, and then let go of the guilt that my sins hold upon me!  God gives me permission to release my sins as He has already forgiven them.

There’s more to this, though.  Forgiveness is more than simply allowing the guilt to flow away.  Forgiveness means living confidently.  We can go forth in the world and try to help God accomplish His will with confidence.  We can do this because we know that if we err, He will forgive.  We won’t need another sacrifice, our forgiveness is already assured because Christ has already died.

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