The Epistle to the Hebrews

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- Kapitel 10 -

(Psalm 40:1–17)

The law does not show very well the good things that God will give us later. The law is like a shadow of something else. If people come to worship God by offering the same kinds of sacrifices every year, they can never become perfect.

If God had removed the guilt of those who brought these sacrifices, they would not feel that they were still guilty. So they would certainly have stopped offering those sacrifices!

But rather, the fact that they offer those sacrifices each year reminds them that they are still guilty for their sins.

So we know that even if we offer animals such as bulls or goats to God, even if he sees their blood flow, that will not stop us from being guilty.

That is why, as Messiah was coming into the world, he said to his Father, “It is not sacrifices and offerings that you have wanted, but you have prepared for me a body to offer.

Animals that completely burn up when people offer them to you, these animals have not pleased you, and neither do other sacrifices please you.

Because of this, I said, ’My God, listen! I have come here in order to do what you want me to do, just as they have written about me in the scriptures.’”

First Messiah said, “It is not sacrifices and offerings and animals that the priests have completely burned up and other offerings to atone for those who have sinned that you have really wanted. They have not pleased you.” He said that even though those things were offered according to the laws that God gave Moses!

Then, concerning his offering himself as a sacrifice to atone for people’s sin, he said, “Listen! I have come here to do what you want me to do!” Thus Messiah got rid of the first way of atoning for sin, in order to establish the second way of atoning for sin.

Because Jesus Christ did what God wanted him to do, God set us apart for himself. This happened when Jesus Christ offered his own body once as a sacrifice, a sacrifice that he will never need to repeat.

As every priest stands daily in front of the altar, he performs rituals and offers the same kind of sacrifices that could never remove the guilt for anyone’s sins.

But Messiah offered a sacrifice that will be enough forever, and he offered it only one time! After that, he sat down to rule beside God in the place of highest honor.

From now on, he is waiting for God to completely defeat all his enemies.

By offering himself once as the sacrifice for sin, he perfected forever those in whom God has worked his cleansing and purity.

The Holy Spirit also confirms to us that that is true. First he says:

“When the time of the first covenant with my people has finished, I will make a new covenant with them. I will do this for them: I will cause them to understand my laws and I will cause them to obey them.”

Then he said: “I will forgive them for their sins, and I will consider that they are no longer guilty for having sinned.”

When God has forgiven someone’s sins, that person does not need to make any more offerings to make up for his sin!

A Call to Persevere

(Jude 1:17–23)

So, my fellow believers, because we trust in what Jesus accomplished when his own blood flowed for us, we can confidently go into God’s very presence that was symbolized by the very holy place in the sacred tent.

He has enabled us to go into God’s presence by making a new way in which we can live forever. This new way is Jesus, who died for us.

Messiah is a great priest who rules over us, we who are God’s people.

So we must approach God sincerely by confidently trusting in Jesus. It is he who has made our hearts pure from having sinned. It is as if he sprinkled his own blood over our hearts, and as if he had washed our bodies in pure water.

We must unwaveringly keep stating what we believe. Since God faithfully does all he promised to do, we must confidently expect him to do these things.

And let us think how each of us can best encourage each other to love one another and to do good deeds.

We must not cease assembling ourselves to worship the Lord, as some people have done. Instead, each one of us must encourage the others. Let us do that all the more since we know that the time that the Lord will return is near.

If we deliberately and habitually sin after we have known the true message about Messiah, no other sacrifice will help us.

Instead, we must fearfully expect that God will judge us, and then he will righteously punish all his enemies in a furious fire.

Everyone who rejected the laws that God gave Moses had to die without mercy when at least two or three people testified against him.

That was severe punishment. But Messiah is God’s Son, and he is also God. If anyone rejects the covenant that he has made and despises the blood that flowed from him, if that person rejects the blood in exchange for which God forgave him, if that person rejects the Spirit of God, who acted so kindly toward him, then God will punish him very, very severely.

We can be sure of this, since we know that God said, “The right and power to give people what they deserve for having sinned belongs to me. I will punish them as they deserve.” And Moses wrote, “God will judge his people.”

It will be a terrible thing if all-powerful God who really lives seizes and punishes you!

Remember the earlier times when you first understood the truth about Messiah. You endured much hardship, and when you suffered, you continued to trust God.

At times people insulted you in public; at other times they made you suffer. At other times you suffered with other believers in their hardships.

You not only were kind to those who were in prison because they believed in Messiah, but you also accepted it joyfully when unbelievers took away your possessions. You accepted it because you yourselves knew very well that you had possessions in heaven forever, possessions that are much better than those that they took from you!

So do not become discouraged when they cause you to suffer, because if you continue to trust in God, he will greatly reward you.

You must patiently continue to trust in him in order that, because of your doing what God wants you to do, he will give you what he has promised.

A prophet wrote in the scriptures that God said about the Messiah: “In just a short time the one I promised would come will surely come; he will not delay coming.

But those who belong to me, who act righteously, will continue to live trusting in me. If they are cowards and stop trusting in me, I will not be pleased with them.

But we are not people who are cowards and cause God to destroy us. Instead, we are people who trust in him, so that he will save us forever.

(Psalm 40:1–17)

For the law, having a shadow of the good to come, not the very image of the things, can never with the same sacrifices year by year, which they offer continually, make perfect those who draw near.

Or else wouldn’t they have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having been once cleansed, would have had no more consciousness of sins?

But in those sacrifices there is a yearly reminder of sins.

For it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins.

Therefore when he comes into the world, he says, “You didn’t desire sacrifice and offering, but you prepared a body for me.

You had no pleasure in whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin.

Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come (in the scroll of the book it is written of me) to do your will, O God.’”(a)

Previously saying, “Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin you didn’t desire, neither had pleasure in them” (those which are offered according to the law),

then he has said, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He takes away the first, that he may establish the second,

by which will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Every priest indeed stands day by day serving and offering often the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins,

but he, when he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God,

from that time waiting until his enemies are made the footstool of his feet.

For by one offering he has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.

The Holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after saying,

“This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days,” says the Lord, “I will put my laws on their heart, I will also write them on their mind;”(b) then he says,

“I will remember their sins and their iniquities no more.”(c)

Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.

A Call to Persevere

(Jude 1:17–23)

Having therefore, brothers, boldness to enter into the holy place by the blood of Jesus,

by the way which he dedicated for us, a new and living way, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh,

and having a great priest over God’s house,

let’s draw near with a true heart in fullness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and having our body washed with pure water,

let’s hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering; for he who promised is faithful.

Let’s consider how to provoke one another to love and good works,

not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more a sacrifice for sins,

but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and a fierceness of fire which will devour the adversaries.

A man who disregards Moses’ law dies without compassion on the word of two or three witnesses.

How much worse punishment do you think he will be judged worthy of who has trodden under foot the Son of God, and has counted the blood of the covenant with which he was sanctified an unholy thing, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?

For we know him who said, “Vengeance belongs to me. I will repay,” says the Lord.(d) Again, “The Lord will judge his people.”(e)

It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

But remember the former days, in which, after you were enlightened, you endured a great struggle with sufferings:

partly, being exposed to both reproaches and oppressions, and partly, becoming partakers with those who were treated so.

For you both had compassion on me in my chains and joyfully accepted the plundering of your possessions, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and an enduring one in the heavens.

Therefore don’t throw away your boldness, which has a great reward.

For you need endurance so that, having done the will of God, you may receive the promise.

“In a very little while, he who comes will come and will not wait.

But the righteous one will live by faith. If he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.”(f)

But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the saving of the soul.

Fußnoten

(a)10:7 ℘ Psalms 40:6-8

(b)10:16 ℘ Jeremiah 31:33

(d)10:30 ℘ Deuteronomy 32:35

(e)10:30 ℘ Deuteronomy 32:36; Psalms 135:14

(f)10:38 ℘ Habakkuk 2:3-4