HEBREWS CHAPTER 10
10:1-4
The author of Hebrews goes on to say,
The author of Hebrews goes on to say,
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. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? (10:1–2).
Here, he calls the law a shadow (cf. 8:5). Paul uses similar shadow imagery in Colossians 2:17, which reads, “These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.” In this passage, Paul refers to the biblical holy days in the law as a shadow (Colossians 2:16-17). What does it mean that the law is a shadow? It functions as a shadow because it reveals to us something about the reality, yet it is not the reality itself. For example, in the law, God commands his people to keep the Passover every year (Deuteronomy 16:1-8). The Passover commemorates a real event in Israel’s history, their redemption from slavery out of Egypt. Yet at the same time, it is a shadow that points to a greater fulfillment of the Passover by Christ. This annual remembrance and celebration hints at and points to the reality of what Christ did for us on the cross, redeeming us from our slavery to sin (1 Corinthians 5:7-8).
We cannot have a shadow apart from its reality. To detach the law from the work of Christ and the heavenly realities is to obey in vain, without meaning or substance. We must fix our eyes on the reality. But this does not mean that we ignore the shadow. As we celebrate Passover each year, we can rejoice in the work Christ did for us. As we keep the Sabbath each week, we long for and expect the heavenly rest that awaits us (Hebrews 4:8-11).
Hebrews 10:1 says that the law is a shadow of the good things to come. Again, the author stresses the tension between the “already” and the “not yet.” The good things still await us. We are not fully experiencing the reality of our salvation (9:28). For this reason, it is all the more important that we do not ignore the shadow. In the law, we have things that we do and experience and walk through that point to the fullness of Christ’s work and our salvation. We do not yet have the reality, so if we get rid of the shadow, what are we left with? Perhaps we can imagine in our minds what it will be like, but how much greater is it to experience and walk out a shadow of the reality.
The New Jerusalem Bible translates this phrase in 10:1 as “of the good things that have come,” implying that the good things have already arrived. This is based in part on Hebrews 9:11, which says, “Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come.” We must understand this in the “already-not yet” framework. In one sense, the good things have come because Christ has completed his saving work. It is finished. Yet in another sense, we wait for the fullness of these good things as we await our salvation. Cockerill supports this when he says,
We cannot have a shadow apart from its reality. To detach the law from the work of Christ and the heavenly realities is to obey in vain, without meaning or substance. We must fix our eyes on the reality. But this does not mean that we ignore the shadow. As we celebrate Passover each year, we can rejoice in the work Christ did for us. As we keep the Sabbath each week, we long for and expect the heavenly rest that awaits us (Hebrews 4:8-11).
Hebrews 10:1 says that the law is a shadow of the good things to come. Again, the author stresses the tension between the “already” and the “not yet.” The good things still await us. We are not fully experiencing the reality of our salvation (9:28). For this reason, it is all the more important that we do not ignore the shadow. In the law, we have things that we do and experience and walk through that point to the fullness of Christ’s work and our salvation. We do not yet have the reality, so if we get rid of the shadow, what are we left with? Perhaps we can imagine in our minds what it will be like, but how much greater is it to experience and walk out a shadow of the reality.
The New Jerusalem Bible translates this phrase in 10:1 as “of the good things that have come,” implying that the good things have already arrived. This is based in part on Hebrews 9:11, which says, “Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come.” We must understand this in the “already-not yet” framework. In one sense, the good things have come because Christ has completed his saving work. It is finished. Yet in another sense, we wait for the fullness of these good things as we await our salvation. Cockerill supports this when he says,
Thus the “good things” yet “to come” from the Old Covenant point of view are the “good things that have come” in Christ (9:11) plus that final salvation to be received at his second coming (9:28) though provided for by his first. He has made cleansing from sin and access to God available for the faithful as means for perseverance. He has also opened the way for those who do persevere to enter God’s presence finally, “once for all,” at the Judgment. What “good things” could be better than the saving work of Christ past, present, and future? (429, emphasis ours).
The large majority of translations read “of the good things to come” (ESV, NET, NIV, NAS, KJV, and more). We have a sure hope through Christ’s finished work that we will receive the good things still to come, so much so that we can consider them as our possession, even though we do not yet experience them.
Though the law as a shadow is good, the author of Hebrews stresses that we must not overly focus on the shadow and ignore the reality of Christ, because the law cannot make us perfect by the sacrifices continually offered. If the sacrifices could bring perfection, or an end to our sin, there would no longer be a need for them to be offered, year after year. He says that if the law could perfect us, we would no longer have consciousness of our sins (10:2). This reaffirms the tension between the present age and the age to come. Under the law, there is consciousness of sins. Recall these passages from chapter nine:
Though the law as a shadow is good, the author of Hebrews stresses that we must not overly focus on the shadow and ignore the reality of Christ, because the law cannot make us perfect by the sacrifices continually offered. If the sacrifices could bring perfection, or an end to our sin, there would no longer be a need for them to be offered, year after year. He says that if the law could perfect us, we would no longer have consciousness of our sins (10:2). This reaffirms the tension between the present age and the age to come. Under the law, there is consciousness of sins. Recall these passages from chapter nine:
By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing (which is symbolic for the present age). According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper, but deal only with food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation (9:8–10, emphasis ours).
and
For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God (9:13–14, emphasis ours).
The Greek words for “consciousness” and “conscience” used in these verses have the same root, συνείδησις (suneidesis), which means both “awareness of information about something, consciousness” and “the inward faculty of distinguishing right and wrong, moral consciousness, conscience” (BDAG, 967). The writer continues to develop these thoughts in 10:22 (“our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience”). The question is, in the present age do we still have consciousness of our sins? And, do we have a clean conscience, or do we still sin? As John says in his first letter,
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us (1 John 1:8–10).
The author of Hebrews depicts the present age as one in which we struggle with our flesh and wrestle with sin. We have the law and experience the shadow, which points to our future perfection, but cannot cleanse us from our sins. We recognize the finished work of Christ, the guarantee of the good things to come (7:22). We strive to live free of sin, to have clean consciences. And we await the time when we will have no consciousness of sins, when we will have pure consciences, because we will truly be without sin.
At present, however, we have a reminder of sins:
At present, however, we have a reminder of sins:
But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins (10:3-4).
Hebrews 10:4 seems to stand in contrast to what the law says about animal sacrifices. Repeatedly, the Torah says that sacrifices do actually atone for sin. Consider these verses:
If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer a male without blemish. He shall bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the LORD. He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him (Leviticus 1:3–4, emphasis ours).
And all its fat he shall remove, as the fat is removed from the peace offerings, and the priest shall burn it on the altar for a pleasing aroma to the LORD. And the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be forgiven (Leviticus 4:31, emphasis ours).
On the eighth day he shall bring two turtledoves or two pigeons to the priest to the entrance of the tent of meeting, and the priest shall offer one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering, and make atonement for him (Numbers 6:10–11a, emphasis ours).
These are just a few of the many verses that say likewise. So then, what does it mean that the sacrifices atone for sins? They provide an external atonement for the specific sin that the sacrifice was offered for. For example, if a person were to steal from his neighbor, he would be required to restore what he stole in full, add a fifth to it, and then sacrifice a ram without blemish. The priest would make atonement for him and he would be forgiven (Leviticus 6:1-7). The author of Hebrews does not take issue with this. The problem is that we as human beings continue to sin because of our sinful natures, so there is a need for continual sacrifices. As stated in 9:13-14, the animal sacrifices could purify our flesh, but not our conscience. This is what the author of Hebrews focuses on repeatedly. The job is never done. Day after day. Year after year. Again and again. What we need is an internal cleansing of our spirits.
For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to permanently take away sins. They must be continually offered because they cannot purify our spirits. This shadow stands in strong contrast to the work of Christ, who secured for us an eternal redemption, not by the blood of bulls and goats, but by his own blood (9:12). The blood of Christ promises the purification and perfection of our conscience (9:13-14) because one day we will sin no more. We will see this more clearly as the author of Hebrews details Jeremiah’s new covenant promises for the second time, beginning in 10:15.
10:5-10
Next, our author writes:
For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to permanently take away sins. They must be continually offered because they cannot purify our spirits. This shadow stands in strong contrast to the work of Christ, who secured for us an eternal redemption, not by the blood of bulls and goats, but by his own blood (9:12). The blood of Christ promises the purification and perfection of our conscience (9:13-14) because one day we will sin no more. We will see this more clearly as the author of Hebrews details Jeremiah’s new covenant promises for the second time, beginning in 10:15.
10:5-10
Next, our author writes:
Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. 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’” (10:5–7).
Here, he quotes Psalm 40:6-8a, written by David, yet the author of Hebrews applies the words as if Christ said them. What is meant by, “a body have you prepared for me”? The idea is one of complete obedience. Bruce comments,
Wholehearted obedience is the sacrifice which God really desires, the sacrifice which he received in perfection from his Servant-Son when he came into the world. As for the other kinds of sacrifice enumerated in the psalm, they had religious worth only insofar as they were the tangible expression of a devoted and obedient heart; the great prophets never tired of insisting that God did not desire them for their own sake (240).
This is stressed repeatedly throughout the Old Testament:
For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise (Psalm 51:16–17).
For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings (Hosea 6:6).
And Samuel said, “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams (1 Samuel 15:22).
The sacrifices in and of themselves are limited. First, and foremost, they are shadows, and are empty of meaning apart from the reality of Christ. Second, God does not desire them, and indeed they are even abhorrent to him, apart from a heart of obedience (cf. Isaiah 66:3).
Jesus had this perfect heart of obedience. He knew that the sacrifices and offerings were insufficient, and that what was needed was his perfect submission to the will of the Father, bringing about the salvation of our souls.
The writer of Hebrews follows the quote of Psalm 40 with his explanation:
Jesus had this perfect heart of obedience. He knew that the sacrifices and offerings were insufficient, and that what was needed was his perfect submission to the will of the Father, bringing about the salvation of our souls.
The writer of Hebrews follows the quote of Psalm 40 with his explanation:
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), then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all (10:8–10).
The argument is straightforward. God takes no pleasure in sacrifices. These sacrifices are of the law. Instead, his delight is in perfect obedience, and in this case, the obedience of Christ unto death. Therefore, God does away with the “first,” the Old Testament sacrifices, to establish the “second,” perfect obedience to the Father.
The word “establish” in 10:9 is ἵστημι (histēmi) which means to put, to place, or to stand. It has the sense of standing firm. For example, the same word is used in 1 Corinthians 7:37 where it is translated “firmly established,” as well as 2 Corinthians 1:24 (“stand firm”), Ephesians 6:13 (“to stand firm”), and 1 Peter 5:12 (“stand firm”). Christ has firmly established the surety of our perfect obedience – though we do not perfectly obey at this point, his obedience unto death is so effective that it will one day result in our perfect obedience, when sin will be no more.
Does Hebrews 10:9 mean that God has abrogated the law? Are the sacrifices done away with? Can the new covenant annul the old covenant? Consider what Paul says in Galatians three:
The word “establish” in 10:9 is ἵστημι (histēmi) which means to put, to place, or to stand. It has the sense of standing firm. For example, the same word is used in 1 Corinthians 7:37 where it is translated “firmly established,” as well as 2 Corinthians 1:24 (“stand firm”), Ephesians 6:13 (“to stand firm”), and 1 Peter 5:12 (“stand firm”). Christ has firmly established the surety of our perfect obedience – though we do not perfectly obey at this point, his obedience unto death is so effective that it will one day result in our perfect obedience, when sin will be no more.
Does Hebrews 10:9 mean that God has abrogated the law? Are the sacrifices done away with? Can the new covenant annul the old covenant? Consider what Paul says in Galatians three:
To give a human example, brothers: even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring … This is what I mean: the law, which came 430 years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void (Galatians 3:15,17).
Here, Paul refers to the Abrahamic covenant and the Mosaic covenant. The newer covenant, in this case the Mosaic, cannot annul the one that came before it. So what does Hebrews 10:9 mean when it says, “He does away with the first in order to establish the second"? We will continue our study through verse eighteen and then return to this question.
Let’s note one more thing before continuing with the passage. The author quotes Psalm 40:6-8a, but leaves off the second half of verse eight. Psalm 40:8 in its entirety reads: “I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart." Recall from Jeremiah 31, that the law written upon our hearts is one of the key components of the new covenant: “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts” (Jeremiah 31:33). It seems our author has the new covenant in mind once again. The readers would not have missed this connection.
10:11-14
He continues,
Let’s note one more thing before continuing with the passage. The author quotes Psalm 40:6-8a, but leaves off the second half of verse eight. Psalm 40:8 in its entirety reads: “I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart." Recall from Jeremiah 31, that the law written upon our hearts is one of the key components of the new covenant: “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts” (Jeremiah 31:33). It seems our author has the new covenant in mind once again. The readers would not have missed this connection.
10:11-14
He continues,
And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified (10:11–14).
Once more, he argues that Christ’s single offering is the offering that is eternal and effectual. The priests must serve daily, repeatedly offering their sacrifices (10:11). Their work is never finished because their offering cannot permanently end sin. They are shadows.
But Jesus offered one offering for all time and sat down at the right hand of God (10:12). His work is complete. It is effectual. It is eternal. Yet note that though the work is complete, it is not fully realized. He is still waiting for his enemies to be made a footstool for his feet (10:13). This is similar to what the author said in chapter two: “Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him” (2:8). Similarly, he says that Christ has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified (10:14). We are still in the process of being made holy, but his work on the cross is finished, ensuring our complete salvation. What is to come is our perfection, in which we no longer sin.
10:15-17
For the second time, our author quotes Jeremiah 31, though much abbreviated from his quote in chapter eight.
But Jesus offered one offering for all time and sat down at the right hand of God (10:12). His work is complete. It is effectual. It is eternal. Yet note that though the work is complete, it is not fully realized. He is still waiting for his enemies to be made a footstool for his feet (10:13). This is similar to what the author said in chapter two: “Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him” (2:8). Similarly, he says that Christ has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified (10:14). We are still in the process of being made holy, but his work on the cross is finished, ensuring our complete salvation. What is to come is our perfection, in which we no longer sin.
10:15-17
For the second time, our author quotes Jeremiah 31, though much abbreviated from his quote in chapter eight.
And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, “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,” then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more” (10:15–17).
In the new covenant, God’s laws will be written on our hearts and minds, and he will remember our sins and lawless deeds no more. In Hebrew, the word for remember is זכר (zkhr), and means not only to call to mind but to act upon. For example, God “remembers” Rachel (Genesis 30:22) and Hannah (1 Samuel 1:19-20), and opens their wombs to bear children. He “remembers” his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and so rescues the Israelites from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 2:23-24).
In the new covenant, God will not remember our sins and lawless deeds. He will not act upon them. At present, does God act upon our sins? In one sense, he does not, because he forgives us and does not destine us for wrath (Ephesians 1:7; 1 Thessalonians 5:9). He has already dealt with sin (Hebrews 9:28). But in another sense, he does not leave our sins alone. He disciplines us, correcting us and sanctifying us. In fact, the author of Hebrews teaches his readers that God disciplines and reproves his children (12:3-11). Likewise, Jesus himself says to the church in Laodicea: “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent” (Revelation 3:19). As long as we still sin, God will “remember” our sins, disciplining us and training us to become like Christ.
Throughout the letter of Hebrews, the author has depicted a tension between the old covenant and the new covenant, the present age and the age to come. The old covenant is obsolete because of Christ’s finished work, but it is becoming obsolete because we are not yet made perfect (8:13). Likewise the new covenant has been initiated and guaranteed through our perfect high priest (7:22), but is it fully realized? Is the law written on our hearts and minds? Some commentators such as Cockerill seem to affirm this:
In the new covenant, God will not remember our sins and lawless deeds. He will not act upon them. At present, does God act upon our sins? In one sense, he does not, because he forgives us and does not destine us for wrath (Ephesians 1:7; 1 Thessalonians 5:9). He has already dealt with sin (Hebrews 9:28). But in another sense, he does not leave our sins alone. He disciplines us, correcting us and sanctifying us. In fact, the author of Hebrews teaches his readers that God disciplines and reproves his children (12:3-11). Likewise, Jesus himself says to the church in Laodicea: “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent” (Revelation 3:19). As long as we still sin, God will “remember” our sins, disciplining us and training us to become like Christ.
Throughout the letter of Hebrews, the author has depicted a tension between the old covenant and the new covenant, the present age and the age to come. The old covenant is obsolete because of Christ’s finished work, but it is becoming obsolete because we are not yet made perfect (8:13). Likewise the new covenant has been initiated and guaranteed through our perfect high priest (7:22), but is it fully realized? Is the law written on our hearts and minds? Some commentators such as Cockerill seem to affirm this:
[W]e live during the time “after those days” in which God promised that he would establish his New Covenant. We are the privileged heirs who live in the time of fulfillment. How important perseverance is for those who have received such benefits (456).
But is this the Christian experience, and moreover, does the Bible affirm this? Right now, we are still growing into maturity. Paul writes:
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love (Ephesians 4:11–16).
Similarly, Paul tells us that we must be transformed by the renewal of our minds so that we can discern the perfect will of God (Rom 12:2). Right now, we are being transformed, becoming more and more like Christ and better able to discern God’s perfect will. The fact that we are being transformed shows that we have not yet arrived at perfection. Further, Paul says, “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known (1 Corinthians 13:12). While on this earth, we are waiting for the fullness that is to come.
The Jeremiah 31 new covenant also states,
The Jeremiah 31 new covenant also states,
And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD (Jeremiah 31:34; cf. Hebrews 8:11).
But the New Testament teaches that we still need teachers. Ephesians 4:11 quoted above tells us that God gives us shepherds and teachers to build up the body to maturity. Paul encourages Timothy to “teach and urge these things” (1 Timothy 6:2b). The epistles at large are written by apostles, giving instruction to various churches and believers. Yet during the new covenant described by Jeremiah, we will have no need of teachers. We will fully know and be known by God.
When Christ returns, we will receive new, spiritual bodies. Paul describes these bodies in 1 Corinthians 15:
When Christ returns, we will receive new, spiritual bodies. Paul describes these bodies in 1 Corinthians 15:
So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven (1 Corinthians 15:42–49).
New Testament scholar Gordon D. Fee comments on this passage, describing the difference between the natural body and the spiritual body:
The transformed body, therefore, is not composed of “spirit”; it is a body adapted to the eschatological existence that is under the ultimate domination of the Spirit. Thus for Paul, to be truly pneumatikos is to bear the likeness of Christ (v. 49) in a transformed body, fitted for the new age (786).
At the resurrection, our new bodies will be Spirit-dominated, always having the inclination to do the will of God. This sounds much like the description of those in the new covenant, who have God’s laws ingrained on their hearts and minds. We will no longer have a desire to sin, but will be like Christ.
Right now, we await our future salvation (9:28). We await the fullness of the new covenant, in which God will write his laws on our hearts and minds. We will no longer have need for teachers but each of us will know the Lord. We will have perfect, spiritual bodies that bear the image of Jesus. And God will remember our sins no more because we will no longer have a sinful nature with its inclination to sin.
10:18
Following his quote of Jeremiah 31, the author of Hebrews declares, “Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin” (10:18). The common understanding of this verse is that after Christ’s effectual offering, there is no need for further animal sacrifices.
Ellingworth agrees, saying, “Christ’s sacrifice achieves its end in the forgiveness of sins; animal sacrifice has no further rôle” (514). But what of the many passages we mentioned earlier that tell of a continuing role for the Levitical priests (Numbers 25:10–13; Jeremiah 33:17–22; Ezekiel 44:15-31; Isaiah 66:21)?
Furthermore, there are many Old Testament prophecies that describe future animal sacrifices. Ezekiel 40 through 48 describes a future temple in which the Levities function as priests and offer sacrifices. Zechariah speaks of a time after the Day of the Lord, during the millennium, in which the nations participate in the Feast of Booths and bring their sacrifices (Zechariah 14:16-21). As mentioned above, Jeremiah 33:17-18 says,
Right now, we await our future salvation (9:28). We await the fullness of the new covenant, in which God will write his laws on our hearts and minds. We will no longer have need for teachers but each of us will know the Lord. We will have perfect, spiritual bodies that bear the image of Jesus. And God will remember our sins no more because we will no longer have a sinful nature with its inclination to sin.
10:18
Following his quote of Jeremiah 31, the author of Hebrews declares, “Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin” (10:18). The common understanding of this verse is that after Christ’s effectual offering, there is no need for further animal sacrifices.
Ellingworth agrees, saying, “Christ’s sacrifice achieves its end in the forgiveness of sins; animal sacrifice has no further rôle” (514). But what of the many passages we mentioned earlier that tell of a continuing role for the Levitical priests (Numbers 25:10–13; Jeremiah 33:17–22; Ezekiel 44:15-31; Isaiah 66:21)?
Furthermore, there are many Old Testament prophecies that describe future animal sacrifices. Ezekiel 40 through 48 describes a future temple in which the Levities function as priests and offer sacrifices. Zechariah speaks of a time after the Day of the Lord, during the millennium, in which the nations participate in the Feast of Booths and bring their sacrifices (Zechariah 14:16-21). As mentioned above, Jeremiah 33:17-18 says,
For thus says the LORD: David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel, and the Levitical priests shall never lack a man in my presence to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings, and to make sacrifices forever (emphasis ours).
How can we reconcile these passages with Hebrews 10:18?
Lane states, “Where sins have been decisively purged or put away, there is no further need for a sin offering” (269). We agree with Lane and find reconciliation between Hebrews 10:18 and the many passages that speak of future Levites and animal sacrifices. He writes, “Where sins have been decisively purged or put away, there is no further need ...” (emphasis ours).
We have already presented the argument that the Jeremiah 31 covenant, though inaugurated through Christ, is future in fulfillment. Therefore, let’s understand verse eighteen in the same framework. It refers to a time yet future. In the age to come, there is no longer any sin offering because we will no longer sin. If our sinful natures have perished and sin is permanently gone, what need will there be for a sin offering? It is not that God has changed his mind about sin and the regulations regarding sin (i.e. sacrifices). Rather, we know God’s Word is eternal and he does not change. His commands are good. But the commands that deal with sin will no longer be relevant.
This idea is not foreign to the Torah. Some say there are as many as 613 commandments, but not all 613 apply to every person. Some are only for women, and thus are not relevant for men. Some are only for priests, and thus do not apply to those who are not. And some laws are only for those who have sinned. If we do not sin, they do not apply. A time is coming when we will receive new bodies, free from sinful natures. When we no longer sin, the sin sacrifices will no longer be relevant. “Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin” (10:18).
Consider the implications of this passage, “Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.” Christ’s sacrifice is so effective in the complete forgiveness that it provides, it actually causes us to cease sinning. It puts away sin (9:26), meaning that our sins are not only forgiven but also, and ultimately, that our sinning ceases. How can this be? It is because we will be given new bodies with a spiritual nature instead of a sinful nature. This is the promise of the new covenant. This is how it will be possible for the law, the Torah, to be written on our hearts and minds. It is just another way of saying we will have a spiritual nature. So this final and complete forgiveness that verse 18 is talking about comes at the moment when our bodies are made new at the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:52). Above we discussed Hebrews 10:2: “Otherwise, would [sacrifices] not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins?” We see now that it is at this future point when the sacrifices will completely cease to be offered since the worshipers will no longer be conscious of sin because we will not sin.
A Second Look at 10:9
We return to Hebrews 10:9: “He does away with the first in order to establish the second.” Christ has done away with the first, which in context is animal sacrifices and offerings, in order to firmly establish (histēmi) the second, the doing of God’s will. Now that we understand the future framework of the new covenant, we can rightly interpret the author’s message. The animal sacrifices are done away with because they are no longer relevant. This is critical to understand. God has not changed his mind or altered his commands. They remain the same. But the commands regarding sin are simply not applicable when there is no sin. The doing of God’s will is established, for we perfectly will do his will, just as Christ did. Our new bodies will have a spiritual nature whose inclination is to do God’s will. There will no longer be the battle between the Spirit and the flesh (Romans 7). The desire to sin will be gone with the shedding of our natural bodies. Our hearts long for this day.
Questions to Consider
Should we offer animal sacrifices right now?
The answer to this question is found in Deuteronomy 12:13-14, which says,
Lane states, “Where sins have been decisively purged or put away, there is no further need for a sin offering” (269). We agree with Lane and find reconciliation between Hebrews 10:18 and the many passages that speak of future Levites and animal sacrifices. He writes, “Where sins have been decisively purged or put away, there is no further need ...” (emphasis ours).
We have already presented the argument that the Jeremiah 31 covenant, though inaugurated through Christ, is future in fulfillment. Therefore, let’s understand verse eighteen in the same framework. It refers to a time yet future. In the age to come, there is no longer any sin offering because we will no longer sin. If our sinful natures have perished and sin is permanently gone, what need will there be for a sin offering? It is not that God has changed his mind about sin and the regulations regarding sin (i.e. sacrifices). Rather, we know God’s Word is eternal and he does not change. His commands are good. But the commands that deal with sin will no longer be relevant.
This idea is not foreign to the Torah. Some say there are as many as 613 commandments, but not all 613 apply to every person. Some are only for women, and thus are not relevant for men. Some are only for priests, and thus do not apply to those who are not. And some laws are only for those who have sinned. If we do not sin, they do not apply. A time is coming when we will receive new bodies, free from sinful natures. When we no longer sin, the sin sacrifices will no longer be relevant. “Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin” (10:18).
Consider the implications of this passage, “Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.” Christ’s sacrifice is so effective in the complete forgiveness that it provides, it actually causes us to cease sinning. It puts away sin (9:26), meaning that our sins are not only forgiven but also, and ultimately, that our sinning ceases. How can this be? It is because we will be given new bodies with a spiritual nature instead of a sinful nature. This is the promise of the new covenant. This is how it will be possible for the law, the Torah, to be written on our hearts and minds. It is just another way of saying we will have a spiritual nature. So this final and complete forgiveness that verse 18 is talking about comes at the moment when our bodies are made new at the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:52). Above we discussed Hebrews 10:2: “Otherwise, would [sacrifices] not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins?” We see now that it is at this future point when the sacrifices will completely cease to be offered since the worshipers will no longer be conscious of sin because we will not sin.
A Second Look at 10:9
We return to Hebrews 10:9: “He does away with the first in order to establish the second.” Christ has done away with the first, which in context is animal sacrifices and offerings, in order to firmly establish (histēmi) the second, the doing of God’s will. Now that we understand the future framework of the new covenant, we can rightly interpret the author’s message. The animal sacrifices are done away with because they are no longer relevant. This is critical to understand. God has not changed his mind or altered his commands. They remain the same. But the commands regarding sin are simply not applicable when there is no sin. The doing of God’s will is established, for we perfectly will do his will, just as Christ did. Our new bodies will have a spiritual nature whose inclination is to do God’s will. There will no longer be the battle between the Spirit and the flesh (Romans 7). The desire to sin will be gone with the shedding of our natural bodies. Our hearts long for this day.
Questions to Consider
Should we offer animal sacrifices right now?
The answer to this question is found in Deuteronomy 12:13-14, which says,
Take care that you do not offer your burnt offerings at any place that you see, but at the place that the LORD will choose in one of your tribes, there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do all that I am commanding you.
God tells us that we may only offer sacrifices in the tabernacle or temple, in the place where he causes his name to dwell. There is currently no temple, and thus we should not offer animal sacrifices. When the temple is rebuilt, animal sacrifices will rightly resume.
Why are there animal sacrifices during the millennium, as Ezekiel and other passages suggest?
While there are a variety of views on the millennium, we are approaching this from a pre-millennial, literal thousand year perspective, which we feel is most consistent with Scripture. (Pre-millennial refers to the view that Jesus will return prior to his one thousand year reign on earth. For more about this position, see Blaising, Gentry, and Strimple’s work, Counterpoints: Three Views on the Millennium and Beyond.) At that time we will have our new bodies and will no longer sin. Therefore, for us, the animal sacrifices will be obsolete. However, there will be those living on the earth who still have a sinful nature. In speaking of this time, Isaiah says,
Why are there animal sacrifices during the millennium, as Ezekiel and other passages suggest?
While there are a variety of views on the millennium, we are approaching this from a pre-millennial, literal thousand year perspective, which we feel is most consistent with Scripture. (Pre-millennial refers to the view that Jesus will return prior to his one thousand year reign on earth. For more about this position, see Blaising, Gentry, and Strimple’s work, Counterpoints: Three Views on the Millennium and Beyond.) At that time we will have our new bodies and will no longer sin. Therefore, for us, the animal sacrifices will be obsolete. However, there will be those living on the earth who still have a sinful nature. In speaking of this time, Isaiah says,
No more shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not fill out his days, for the young man shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed (Isaiah 65:20).
In this passage we see people with earthly bodies and sinful natures who are born, live, and die. Because they still have sinful natures, there will still be a need for animal sacrifices. When they sin, they will follow the regulations of the law regarding sin at the earthly temple.
When will the age of the Levitical priesthood be finished and the animal sacrifices cease to be offered?
We have established that the Levitical priesthood brings external purification to our earthly bodies, but cannot cleanse our spirits (cf. 9:9-10,13-14). There will be a time when we shed these bodies and receive new bodies with a spiritual inclination (1 Corinthians 15:42–49). For believers, this occurs when Christ returns, but others living during the millennium will still have their fleshly bodies. Therefore, the Levitical priesthood will still be functioning on earth. When there comes a time that all people are free of sin and no longer have a sinful nature, then the age of the Levites will be ended. Based on the millennial passages such as Isaiah 65:20 discussed in the previous question, we know this age is beyond the millennium, but we know little more than that.
Do post-Christ animal sacrifices negate his work?
No. The animal sacrifices could not do what Jesus did. Remember Hebrews 10:4, which states that it is impossible for the blood of animals to take away sin. When the temple was still standing, the sacrifices acted as shadows. They pointed forward to the greater sacrifice of Christ. The need to repeatedly offer them created a longing for the eternal, once-for-all atonement that Jesus would accomplish on the cross.
In the future when sacrifices are re-instituted, they will not serve as a replacement but as a reminder of the work of Christ. This is similar to how we take communion in remembrance of what Jesus did for us. When a person brings a lamb or goat and its blood is spilled, it will be a reminder of the blood that Jesus spilled for us.
Further, if it were wrong to sacrifice animals after the cross, then Paul, James, and the elders of the church in Jerusalem were in the wrong in the book of Acts. In Acts 21:17-26, Paul returns to Jerusalem and is greeted by James and the elders. They inform Paul of many believing Jews who have been told false accusations against Paul, that he teaches against following the Torah. To counteract this misrepresentation, James tells him,
When will the age of the Levitical priesthood be finished and the animal sacrifices cease to be offered?
We have established that the Levitical priesthood brings external purification to our earthly bodies, but cannot cleanse our spirits (cf. 9:9-10,13-14). There will be a time when we shed these bodies and receive new bodies with a spiritual inclination (1 Corinthians 15:42–49). For believers, this occurs when Christ returns, but others living during the millennium will still have their fleshly bodies. Therefore, the Levitical priesthood will still be functioning on earth. When there comes a time that all people are free of sin and no longer have a sinful nature, then the age of the Levites will be ended. Based on the millennial passages such as Isaiah 65:20 discussed in the previous question, we know this age is beyond the millennium, but we know little more than that.
Do post-Christ animal sacrifices negate his work?
No. The animal sacrifices could not do what Jesus did. Remember Hebrews 10:4, which states that it is impossible for the blood of animals to take away sin. When the temple was still standing, the sacrifices acted as shadows. They pointed forward to the greater sacrifice of Christ. The need to repeatedly offer them created a longing for the eternal, once-for-all atonement that Jesus would accomplish on the cross.
In the future when sacrifices are re-instituted, they will not serve as a replacement but as a reminder of the work of Christ. This is similar to how we take communion in remembrance of what Jesus did for us. When a person brings a lamb or goat and its blood is spilled, it will be a reminder of the blood that Jesus spilled for us.
Further, if it were wrong to sacrifice animals after the cross, then Paul, James, and the elders of the church in Jerusalem were in the wrong in the book of Acts. In Acts 21:17-26, Paul returns to Jerusalem and is greeted by James and the elders. They inform Paul of many believing Jews who have been told false accusations against Paul, that he teaches against following the Torah. To counteract this misrepresentation, James tells him,
We have four men who are under a vow; take these men and purify yourself along with them and pay their expenses, so that they may shave their heads. Thus all will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that you yourself also live in observance of the law (Acts 21:23–24).
The only vow in the Torah that matches this description is the Nazirite vow (Numbers 6:13-20), which includes the giving of a burnt offering, a sin offering, and a peace offering. Paul listens to James’ advice:
Then Paul took the men, and the next day he purified himself along with them and went into the temple, giving notice when the days of purification would be fulfilled and the offering presented for each one of them (Acts 21:26).
Paul participated in the purification process and the temple rites, including animal sacrifices. We maintain that Paul did not negate the work of his Savior when doing these things, but rather understood that Christ’s sacrifice is the reality of these shadows.
10:19-25
The writer now rightly follows his rich theology with application:
10:19-25
The writer now rightly follows his rich theology with application:
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 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. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 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 (10:19-25).
Although we have not yet received the fulfillment of our salvation, our hope is sure and we can draw near to God with confidence. God is faithful, and so we can trust in his promises. While we wait for “the Day,” we are to continually meet together and encourage each other. We need this encouragement because of the “not yet”—because of the promises of God that we have not yet received.
10:26-39
The writer of Hebrews has repeatedly urged his readers not to turn away from the truth of Christ and the hope of salvation that awaits them. Now he gives perhaps the sternest warning of all:
10:26-39
The writer of Hebrews has repeatedly urged his readers not to turn away from the truth of Christ and the hope of salvation that awaits them. Now he gives perhaps the sternest warning of all:
For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. 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? For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (10:26–31).
The author began his letter by showing the superiority of Christ over angels, Moses, and the Levitical priesthood. It is not that those things are done away, but rather they are shadows and pointers to the work of Christ. Here again we see a comparison between the law and the Son of God. The argument is as follows: Those who set aside the law of Moses die without mercy. The Son of God is superior to the law of Moses. Therefore, if you set aside (reject) Jesus, you will have an even greater punishment than rejecting the law (eternal death).
There are some tense differences in the various English translations of 10:28. Some translations such as ESV and NASB have the verbs in present tense:
“Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses.” (ESV)
“Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.” (NASB)
However, the NIV and NET Bibles put the verbs in the past tense, which suggest that the law of Moses was authoritative only in the past:
“Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.” (NIV)
“Someone who rejected the law of Moses was put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.” (NET)
We think translations such as the first two are truer to the Greek because the Greek verb is in the present tense. The NET translation even includes a note that “was put to death” is actually “dies” in the Greek. So while it may seem from the latter two translations that the law of Moses was only applicable in the past and is no longer, the Greek suggests otherwise.
Many have interpreted various passages in Hebrews to say the law is done away with, yet here we see the author upholds the law, while still showing that Christ is superior. According to him, we are to die if we set aside the law of Moses. The Greek word for “set aside” is ἀθετέω (atheteo) and means to reject something as invalid, to nullify, or to ignore (BDAG, 24). It is the verb form of the same word used as a noun in 7:18: “For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness.” In 7:18, “set aside” is a noun in the Greek, ἀθέτησις (athetesis), which, as we already discussed in 7:18, means a refusal to recognize the validity of something; an annulment (ibid).
If in 7:18 the author meant that the Torah and specifically the Levitical priesthood has been “set aside,” he now would be contradicting himself and, according to his own words, would be worthy of death for setting aside the law of Moses. But recall that he is not advocating the end of the Torah or even the end of the Levitical priesthood. Rather, as we argue in our discussion of 7:18, what has been set aside is the need for Jesus to be a descendent of Levi because Jesus functions as high priest of a completely different priesthood with much greater stipulations: an indestructible life.
Here, the writer of Hebrews stresses yet another time that we must not reject our great high priest. If we do, we no longer have the sure hope and promise of salvation but rather judgment and destruction.
The chapter ends with encouragement to endure:
There are some tense differences in the various English translations of 10:28. Some translations such as ESV and NASB have the verbs in present tense:
“Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses.” (ESV)
“Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.” (NASB)
However, the NIV and NET Bibles put the verbs in the past tense, which suggest that the law of Moses was authoritative only in the past:
“Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.” (NIV)
“Someone who rejected the law of Moses was put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.” (NET)
We think translations such as the first two are truer to the Greek because the Greek verb is in the present tense. The NET translation even includes a note that “was put to death” is actually “dies” in the Greek. So while it may seem from the latter two translations that the law of Moses was only applicable in the past and is no longer, the Greek suggests otherwise.
Many have interpreted various passages in Hebrews to say the law is done away with, yet here we see the author upholds the law, while still showing that Christ is superior. According to him, we are to die if we set aside the law of Moses. The Greek word for “set aside” is ἀθετέω (atheteo) and means to reject something as invalid, to nullify, or to ignore (BDAG, 24). It is the verb form of the same word used as a noun in 7:18: “For on the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness.” In 7:18, “set aside” is a noun in the Greek, ἀθέτησις (athetesis), which, as we already discussed in 7:18, means a refusal to recognize the validity of something; an annulment (ibid).
If in 7:18 the author meant that the Torah and specifically the Levitical priesthood has been “set aside,” he now would be contradicting himself and, according to his own words, would be worthy of death for setting aside the law of Moses. But recall that he is not advocating the end of the Torah or even the end of the Levitical priesthood. Rather, as we argue in our discussion of 7:18, what has been set aside is the need for Jesus to be a descendent of Levi because Jesus functions as high priest of a completely different priesthood with much greater stipulations: an indestructible life.
Here, the writer of Hebrews stresses yet another time that we must not reject our great high priest. If we do, we no longer have the sure hope and promise of salvation but rather judgment and destruction.
The chapter ends with encouragement to endure:
But recall the former days when, after you were enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach and affliction, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. 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. Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised. For, “Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay; but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.” But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls (10:32–39).
Note the continuing themes: that we have a better, abiding possession that awaits us, that there is a great reward for our confidence, that we will receive what is promised after we have done the will of God. Therefore, we must walk in faith and confidence, which brings us to chapter eleven, the great faith Hall of Fame.