Hebrews 10 ~ He who promised is faithful

Hebrews 10

David Cochran, English Standard Version

¹ For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. ² Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? ³ But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. ⁴ For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

⁵ Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said,

“Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,
but a body have you prepared for me;
⁶ in burnt offerings and sin offerings
you have taken no pleasure.
⁷ Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God,
as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’”

⁸ When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), ⁹ then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second. ¹⁰ And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

¹¹ And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. ¹² But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, ¹³ waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. ¹⁴ For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.

¹⁵ And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,

¹⁶ “This is the covenant that I will make with them
after those days, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws on their hearts,
and write them on their minds,”

¹⁷ then he adds,

“I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”

¹⁸ Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.

¹⁹ Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, ²¹ and since we have a great priest over the house of God, ²² let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. ²³ Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. ²⁴ And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, ²⁵ not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

²⁶ For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, ²⁷ but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. ²⁸ Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. ²⁹ How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? ³⁰ For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” ³¹ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

³² But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, ³³ sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. ³⁴ For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one. ³⁵ Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. ³⁶ For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. ³⁷ For,

“Yet a little while,
and the coming one will come and will not delay;
³⁸ but my righteous one shall live by faith,
and if he shrinks back,
my soul has no pleasure in him.”

³⁹ But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.

Rylands Papyrus - John 18:31-33 and 37-38, dated at about 125 A.D.Magdalen Papyrus - Matthew 26 -sometime between 30 and 70 A.D.

Oxyrhynchus Papyrus - sayings of Jesus which have parallels in all four gospels, perhaps 110-130 A.D.

Perhaps you have heard the Scriptures were all written around the 4th century by literate men who never knew Jesus. (The archaeology of Peter's house tells us Peter was literate and so were James and John.) This passage tells us - No - this is not correct. There were 4 centuries of Roman Emperors who created the word "traitor" by demanding Christians hand over the Scriptures written on papyrus as letters in exchange for their lives. We are very fortunate to have Scripture today after the 4 centuries of off and on again persecution of Christians. Within 16 years of Jesus' death - an obscure man in the outpost of Judea, a mere suburb of the Roman Holding of Syria - many would be changed forever for belief in Him. The persecution of Christians began 16 years after Jesus died. 1550 miles from Jerusalem. The Good News of Jesus spread very quickly, changing hearts, capturing the attention of the Roman Empire.

The Scriptures have survived persecution in many generations. Fragile bits of Papyrus with an amazing accuracy on all the pieces. The Vatican has well over 1100 Early Christianity Scriptures. In each generation, regardless of peace or war, the Scriptures have been examined. For millenniums these Scriptures bring the Love Jesus Christ has for you personally.

This passage refers to the on-going sacrifices as part of daily life. When did the Jews quite sacrificing the daily sacrifice? 70 A.D. - the destruction of Jerusalem and it would have been the time of Jesus' natural death. God wouldn't have Jesus forgive all of us from the cross and have His generation destroyed. It wouldn't be.... like God.


If we sum up this passage with the bottom line - it has a very, very positive meaning and is very portable - God expects us to go forward. To grow Spiritually; To grow in Faith.

1 Corinthians 6:20
you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.


^{Mark 2:22}
And people do not pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins."

New wine - being changed by Jesus, seeing our lives as a gift from God and for God, not just another salmon swimming upstream without hope and going through the daily work. Old wine - what is valued, mellowed, cherished. What is Jesus telling us? We cannot change, cannot save ourselves. We cannot do it ourselves. With God all things are possible. Every day, we take our old wine - the things we value, the things the world expects, old hurts, the things that concern us. And we put them before God - the new wine of the Holy Spirit. Then we see the blessings and we thank Him.

Psalm 97

¹ The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice;
let the many coastlands be glad!
² Clouds and thick darkness are all around him;
righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
³ Fire goes before him
and burns up his adversaries all around.
⁴ His lightnings light up the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
⁵ The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,
before the Lord of all the earth.
⁶ The heavens proclaim his righteousness,
and all the peoples see his glory.




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