But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.
Hebrews 10:12-14
We start out in life with a lot of one-time stuff. Things that only happen once and then that’s it.
Conceived once.
Born once.
Umbilical cord cut once.
First step.
First word.
Once we get through these one-time things, life sort of changes. It shifts from first and unique events to days filled with endless repetition. Over and over again we get up, eat breakfast, then go to school or work. And once there, we do the same things over and over again. We eventually come back home where we eat again and watch the same shows till we go to sleep again.
Maybe this is why so many people are looking for adventure. Looking for that trip or experience that will lift them up. That they can look back at with excitement as they relive the memories while they go about their daily routine.
That’s how it must have been for the Jewish priests. Things never changed. It was always the same sacrifices. They didn’t even get a say what sacrifices went with what sins. It was all laid down in black and white.
Imagine your calendar being set for the rest of your lives. There’s a schedule for morning and evening sacrifices. Sacrifices for the new moon. The new year. Then there’s all the feasts and holidays. And finally there are the high holy days of Passover and the day of Atonement. And then you start it all over again.
I get it. There’s a certain satisfaction with routines. You know what’s coming. What to expect. It can be very comforting in a world that sometimes seems like it’s run off the rails. Where nothing’s settled or consistent. Where everything’s coming at a hundred miles an hour.
And for these Hebrews who were going through persecution, some stability would be comforting. They were living day to day, not knowing if someone would betray them. If they’d be found out and arrested. Or they might just be marched out and killed by wild animals in the arena. Or cut down with a sword. Or be crucified and set on fire.
So, knowing that all sins were taken care of once and for all by Jesus was a great comfort. No more wondering if they’d done enough. No more doubts about where they’d spend eternity. No more fear about appearing before God and if he’d give them an eternal thumbs down.
When Jesus offered himself on the cross, it was one time, once and for all action. But there was a whole lot more going on. The results of his sacrifice continues to have never-ending results. There’s no repetition at all. All sacrificing can and has come to an end.
Coming from where I come from, it’s so very hard for me to put my head around the truth of what Jesus accomplished and gives to us.
Perfected. Completed in the past but the results are still going on. And on. And on. And what was perfected? Our salvation. Our being reunited with God once and for all. No more sacrifices. No more guilt. No more shame. This wildly unique truth is one of the great thigs that separates Christianity.The perfection that Jesus gives and brings isn’t passive. It isn’t just something that just happened. No. It’s something Jesus actively went after. He didn’t just say a prayer and then “boom,” we were perfected. No. It took his birth and everything he did here on Earth, ending with his crucifixion for our sins.
Sanctified. Our being separated to God started and is still going on. This is the daily process of living a life that is being dedicated to God and all he wants. It’s the daily surrender to “your will be done” instead of ours. We want to set our lives apart for the pleasure and service of God.The sanctification that Jesus brings is nothing that’s forced. It’s not blind obedience to some checklist of stuff to do. Instead, we want to please the one we love so much that we willingly choose for God and not for ourselves.
Our being perfected is permanent while our being sanctified takes steps through this life. Yes, in a way, we are sanctified once and for all when Jesus brings us onto his forever family. But it doesn’t end there. We have a role to play. We have choices to make. We have a life to live.
Our response to his one-time sacrifice is thankfulness, worship, and praise. And our response to his sanctifying us is a deep and loving commitment to please him in everything we do. God’s one time action results in a life lived for him.
Noodling Questions
Does an adventure sound good to you? Or is it scarry? Why?
With our sins totally forgiven, does this change how you look at an adventure?
Why is it so hard to think of ourselves as permanently perfected?
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