I remember the first
time I came across Hebrews 10:2. I had been a Christian for just a little while
and understood Jesus died my sin penalty because of His love for me so I could
live with Him in heaven. I remember how excited I was about being a Christian,
to be able to live forever in heaven with the One who loves me. What joy this
gives to a child’s heart! What joy it should give to everyone who believes in
Jesus. I thought life just couldn’t get any better than that.
And yet, I remembered
things I had done wrong. You know what mischief a child can get into–lying,
disobeying, swearing. The child thinks these are not big things. I won’t have
to go to jail for these so why not do them, everyone else does? Still, after I
gave my life to Christ, I felt pangs of conscience. I felt remorse and fear.
What, over lying and swearing? Yes, because God instills in us a conscience
when He creates us. That conscience is the moral code from God Himself about what
is right and wrong. Whether we want to admit it, even these little things are
sins. Why? Because they were disobedience and disrespect to God and my parents.
Remember those commandments in the Ten Commandments?
So, one day not long
after becoming a Christian, I read Hebrews 10:1-2. It says,
“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. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins?”
Now, two things can
happen when one reads this passage. The first response to this reality is, “Hallelujah!”
When a person fully repents of all his or her sins, God removes the guilt of
those sins from His judgment book because Jesus paid the price. He removed the
burden of guilt from the person’s conscience, too. That means it no longer
holds a sting from the sin, the sting of guilt. You realize by now the possible
other reaction from reading this passage. The second possible reaction to
reading this verse is surprise and then repentance. When a person sins before
or after becoming a Christian, he or she must repent of each sin to receive
forgiveness and cleansing of heart, mind, and soul. That is the cleansing from
the stain and guilt of sin. This is of what Hebrews 10:2 speaks. The worshiper,
once he or she received God’s forgiveness and cleansing, no longer has consciousness
of sin. The guilt of that sin in the conscience does not linger and cause further
pain like a sliver Satan might put under your fingernail to remind you
constantly of how sinful you are. That power of the sin to cause guilt is gone.
Jesus paid it all, and that covers the stain and guilt/consciousness of sin.
Before the writer of
Hebrews arrived at this point in his teaching, he spent chapter 9 leading to
it. Let me briefly outline for you what he taught before and after Hebrews 10:2
about conscience and consciousness of sin.
With Hebrews 9:9, the writer of Hebrews said
the gifts/offerings and sacrifices
established as rites of worship by God under the first covenant cannot perfect
the conscience of the worshiper. That means it cannot make a person
perfect, totally clean. This means he or she cannot be in the presence of the
Lord eternally.
Later, in verse 14, the writer said the blood of Christ offered to God
without blemish through the eternal Spirit purifies our conscience from dead
works. Now, that’s a big jump to
make. Why is Jesus’ sacrifice better than those set up by God with the first
covenant? The writer explains this in verses 11 and 12. He said, Christ came as
a high priest of the good things, those things that originate with God, and He
entered the holy places, those not made with human hands, once for all by His
own blood, not that of animals. By doing so, He secured eternal redemption from
slavery to sin for everyone. That’s a lot to take in, so go read it for yourself.
Since Jesus did this, He is the Mediator of a new covenant for those who answer
God’s call and receive the promised eternal life. Anyone who answers this call
of God gets eternal life because Jesus’ death redeemed them from transgressions
committed under the first covenant. The writer of Hebrews spends the next
thirteen verses explaining this to us, his readers. He tells of three things
Jesus did.
· He has entered heaven to appear in the
presence of God on our behalf (vs
9:24). This is a past tense action. He never has to do this again because Jesus
died once for all.
· Jesus appeared once for all at the end
of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself (vs. 9:26). This is also
a past action with a future assurance.
· Jesus will appear a second time to save
those who are eagerly waiting for Him (vs. 9:28). This is a future action.
The next point the
writer of Hebrews made about consciousness of sin comes in the first verses I
mentioned above, in 10:1-2. He said,
the law, which is just a shadow
of the good things that come from God, can never clean consciences of sin.
If they could, there would be no need for continual offerings every year as
established in the rites of worship God gave the Israelites in the first
covenant. The writer went onto say these yearly sacrifices remind the people
of their sins, instead of removing them from their consciences. He said
Christ came to do the will of God (vs7). Jesus did away with the first covenant
to establish the second covenant. Through the offering of the body of Christ,
we receive sanctification once for all (vs. 9-10). With Jesus’ single
sacrificial offering, He perfected for all time those who are being sanctified
(vs. 14). God says, “I will remember their sins and lawless deeds no more (vs
17).
Listen carefully to
what the writer of Hebrews says in the next six verses. Since we have this
confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, what are we to do? Being cleansed isn’t just a receiving
transaction. Covenanting is a two-way promise, a bond. The writers said
next, with your hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and your bodies
washed with pure water (vs. 22), you must do three things.
· Draw
near
with a true heart in full assurance of your faith (vs 22). This is for you now
and in the future. It is a present action with a future benefit. Note it is not
just present tense, but present continuous. Draw near and keep drawing near.
This command benefits you.
· Hold
fast
the confession of your hope without wavering because He who promised is
faithful (vs. 23). Once again this is a present continuous verb that carries on
into your future. Hold and keep holding fast. This command benefits you.
· Consider
how to stir up one another to love and good works, not
neglecting to meet together, but encouraging one another (vs 24). Notice this
command benefits you and other believers as you congregate together to worship,
pray, and fellowship. It is a command that holds a communal aspect. Recognize this
command also is present continuous. Consider and keep on considering how to
stir up one another to love and good works.
These commands
are not just things on your to-do list you get to cross off once you’ve done
them. They are to stay on your daily list. Why? Because God calls you to
relationship with Him because of His love. His love showed itself with the
ultimate sacrifice of His Only Son, Jesus, for your sin penalty so you could be
with Him in an eternal relationship. Your love for God will show in your
obedience of His commands and laws. Your obedience to His commands and laws
will show itself in love to other people. The three commands at the end of
Hebrews 10 are an extension of loving God and people. You will do these
because you are growing in relationship with God.
Now, to get back to
Hebrews 10:1-2. When I first saw this passage, I received such vast relief. The
burden of the guilt of sin I had carried, I realized, was for the first time
off my back. Still, I realized I had not repented of all my sins and I had
sinned since I became a Christian. I wanted the cleansing from the stain of my
sins and the guilt of my sins. Jesus’ is the way to have that. No other way
exists to remove the consciousness of sin. Only through Jesus’ death and
resurrection can a person gain the removal of the stain and guilt of sins from
him- or herself. All the ways people devise to remove the stain of sin
reminds them of their guilt. The trying of these other means allows Satan
to push that sliver deeper under your fingernail. You experience that guilt
continually. Daily come before the Lord repenting of your sins so you will
receive forgiveness and cleansing from the stains and guilty conscience of your
sins. Hear the words of the writer of Hebrews again.
“Let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” Hebrews 10:22 [NASB]
Lord,
God Almighty, lead me to recognize Your great love for me and the cost You paid
to redeem me from sin. Forgive me of my sins, I pray. Thank You for removing
the stain and the guilt of my sin. Thank You for removing the burden of guilt.
Help me to love You more and grow closer to You daily. Help me show You how
much I love You by my obedience to You. Amen.
