Animal Sacrifices Are Insufficient

Topic: Better
Passage: Hebrews 10:1–10

July 31, 2019

Commentary

Animal sacrifices could not take away sins; they provided only a temporary way to deal with sin until Jesus came to deal with it permanently. This chapter of Hebrews continues to emphasize the perfect sacrifice of Christ in contrast to the imperfect sacrifices that were offered under the Old Covenant.

  1. The need for a better  sacrifice (verses 1-4). This was because the blood of bulls and goats could not take away sin (v. 4). It is estimated that at Passover times as many as three hundred thousand lambs would be slain within one week’s time. Yet, no matter how many sacrifices were made, or how often, they were ineffective.
  2. The provision of a better sacrifice (verses 5-9). Jesus Christ has taken away the first covenant and established the second (v. 9). “You cannot be under two covenants at the same time,” they are being told, “and now that the second has come, the first one has to go.”
  3. The effectiveness of the better sacrifice (v. 10). Believers have been set apart by the offering of Christ’s body once for all. This is permanent and can’t be modified in all eternity.

Application

There are people today who think doing certain things will take away their sin. If they go to church every Sunday and go through a set of rituals they will be ok. If I am trusting in anything except the blood of Christ I am still in my sin. I am so glad that my trust is in Him.

Hebrews 10:1– 10 (NET)

1 For the law possesses a shadow of the good things to come but not the reality itself, and is therefore completely unable, by the same sacrifices offered continually, year after year, to perfect those who come to worship. 2 For otherwise would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers would have been purified once for all and so have no further consciousness of sin? 3 But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year after year. 4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 5 So when he came into the world, he said, “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me.

6 “Whole burnt offerings and sin-offerings you took no delight in.

7 “Then I said, ‘Here I am: I have come—it is written of me in the scroll of the book—to do your will, O God.’”

8 When he says above, “Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sin-offerings you did not desire nor did you take delight in them” (which are offered according to the law), 9 then he says, “Here I am: I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first to establish the second. 10 By his will we have been made holy through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.