Hebrews 10:1-5

 

Heb 10:1 (KJB)

For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.

 

These first four verses of this chapter give the inadequacies of the Levitical sacrifices in comparison to the single sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. First of all, the law was only a shadow of the good things to come. It did not have the essence of the real thing which was grace. What effect does a shadow have? A shadow is only the obscuring of light by an object. For example, when one sits under a tree in summer, they are under the shadow of leaves which obscures the sun. In essence, the shadow is not the reality but the tree is. The shadow only shows that something is present obscuring the light. The law only showed a person’s need for a Savior but did not reveal the way to obtain eternal life. It was not an image of the fact of grace whereby a person would be saved forever. It did not give a clear disclosure of Christ and His perfect once-and-for-all sacrifice. The law, basically, was a shadow cast by the new covenant. While it did not effect salvation, it led to the reality that something else was coming and would be available. The sacrificial system under Moses was totally unable to make the supplicants perfect, that is, having their sins removed, instead, they were just covered which is the real meaning of “atonement.” The term “atonement” is used 80 times in the Old Testament. The fact that these sacrifices were done continually, shows how deficient they were in the area of salvation.

 

Heb 10:2 (KJB)

For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins.

 

Purged - Cleansed

Conscience - A knowing with one’s self or one being one’s own witness

 

If the animal sacrifices carried the power to effect salvation in a person’s life, then they would have been offered only once instead they were offered continually for sins. It would mean that the person would have all sins removed and that would effect a clean conscience because their soul would be clean before God and there would be no fear of having a sin filled soul before the Lord. This would have meant that once the animal sacrifice was made for a person, then never again would another animal sacrifice be needed for that person. Their salvation would then be affirmed.

 

Heb 10:3 (KJB)

But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.

 

Remembrance - A reminder

 

The fact was that the animal sacrifices could not effect a sin-removing salvation in the lives of the supplicants. The fact that these sacrifice had to be done continually and once a year on the Great Day of Atonement meant that there was always a reminder of the fact that they were sinful people and had to be continually atoned for, both annually and during the times of the year when any infraction of the law occurred. Under the new covenant the Lord instituted the Lord’s Supper and it was a reminder of forgiveness for the true believer. Unlike the Mosaic system which gave a reminder of sinfulness, this shows another great superiority of the sacrifice of Christ over the Levitical system.

 

Heb 10:4 (KJB)

For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.

 

Possible - Powerless or weak

Should take away - Cut off or remove

 

Here is the deficiency of the Levitical system in one sentence. The blood of the animals were totally powerless to remove the sins of the supplicants because they were tied to the earth and were only a shadow. If you walk into a shadow nothing will happen. If you walk into the tree, you will know it. Animal sacrifices only covered the sins but did not have the ability to remove them. It would be like covering a blister with a band-aid, the blister is still there but it is covered. It is only under the new covenant established through the blood of Christ that the sins of the believer are totally removed.

 

(Psa 103:12 KJV) As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

 

(Isa 38:17 KJV) Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back.

 

(Isa 44:22 KJV) I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee.

 

(Isa 43:25 KJV) I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.

 

(Micah 7:19 KJV) He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

 

The above five verses are Grace couched in Old Testament terms.

 

(Acts 3:19 KJV) Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;

 

(Col 2:13-14 KJV) And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; {14} Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

 

Heb 10:5 (KJB)

Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:

 

Body - A living physical body or a living body, such as, the body of believers (group)

 

When the Lord Jesus Christ came into this world, He did not come in for the purpose of continuing the Levitical system of sacrifices. This was not the purpose He came into the world for. (Psa 40:6 KJV) Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. The Lord Jesus Christ came into this world for the purpose of effecting man’s redemption. For that, it was necessary that He come to earth through the birth channel in a physical body so he could embody all the attributes of the human race while maintaining His divinity. It was through this physical body on Calvary that the sins of His Elect would be completely paid for and removed forever with His once and for all sacrifice. Now from His body which was sacrificed for the Elect came another body which became known as the body of Christ. It too is a living body but made up of millions of people throughout the ages. (Eph 4:16 KJV) From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. (Eph 5:23 KJV) For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. So we see that through the physical body of Christ came the eternal body of Christ, which is the believers.

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