Sunday, October 13, 2013

Are you perfect? Hebrews 8-10

Hebrews 10:11-14 (NASBStr)
Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time onward until His enemies be made A footstool for His feet. 

Verse 14: For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.

The point of the book of Hebrews is to show the Jewish believers the connection of their old system (covenant) and how Christ not only fulfilled each shadow of it, He made it obsolete.  Therefore, they don't need to return to that covenant and system to find holiness, perfection or sanctification.  They were tempted to believe in Christ, but also prefect their faith by returning to and following the requirements of that old system.  In the above passage in particular the writer is informing them that under the old covenant many priest would make many offerings.   The reason they would make many offerings is because not one of them, alone, could take away sin and thus perfect the faith of the offerer.   But, when Christ offered Himself, He completed the offerings, once for all ... for all times.    As a result, read again verse 14 - "For by one offering He was perfected for all time those who are sanctified."    Perhaps, better, the verse should read, " .... those who are being sanctified."   It is a continuous action until we are complete in glory with God.    We are made perfect and being made perfect by the complete and finished sacrifice of Christ.  We can't make ourselves perfect, nor do we need to.  We already are as far as God is concerned because of Christ's sacrifice for us.  The word "perfect" is the Greek word "teleioo".   It means "to bring to and end".   When people ask us how we are doing on any given day, we could say, "teleioo".    We can claim perfection in Christ because He sacrificed His life to make us so.  We can try to accomplish that on our own, but the writer already told us our efforts won't bring us to perfection;

Hebrews 10:1
 For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near.

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