The Letter to the Hebrews
is a definitive statement on the supremacy of Christ. Written to Jewish
believers, the author painstakingly walks through the types and shadows of the
past prophets, priests, law, sacrifice and temple and then boldly and
surpassingly demonstrates that Christ fulfills and infinitely exceeds them all.
And embedded within that, is another refrain. A more subtle, yet equally
powerful refrain – a refrain for those He came to save: “once for all.”
Poignantly, the phrase
“once for all” is only used six times in the New Testament writings and four of
these are in Hebrews in regard to Christ’s ministry on our behalf. So if you ever doubted or have forgotten
God’s great love for you and the length He went to forgive, cleanse and adopt
you, be reminded again today of the “once for all” refrain of Hebrews:
“He has no need, like those
high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for
those of the people, since he did this once
for all when he offered up himself.” Hebrews 7:27
“he entered once for all into the holy
places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own
blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.” Hebrews 9:12
“for then he would have had
to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has
appeared once for all at the
end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” Hebrews 9:26
“And by that will we have
been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” Hebrews 10:10
Thus, we sing with timeless
truth: “Once for all, the greatest
sacrifice was made. Once for all – His perfect love for us displayed. The Lamb
was slain for all my sin and shame. Once for all – Amen!”
We see in the verses of
this song an outline of a perfect Savior coming to perfectly save His people,
once for all.
In order for Jesus to be an acceptable substitute for us and satisfy the holiness and wrath of God, He must
be fully man and fully God. The incarnation of the eternally existent Son made
forgiveness of sins possible: [verse 1] “The
Son of God gave up His throne. The Lord of all walked among us. He knew no sin,
yet turned Himself in, On the mount of crucifixion.”
The author of Hebrews talks
about the Son’s incarnation (deity in flesh) here: “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.’” Hebrews 10:5-7
As Hebrews states, without the shedding of blood there is no
forgiveness of sins (9:22). For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and
goats to take away sins (10:4), thus [verse 2] lays out the price for sin – the
very lifeblood of Jesus [verse 2]: “Sentenced
to die; the man Jesus Christ. The righteous King was forsaken. The price of
sin, was laid upon Him, on the mount of crucifixion.”
But without Sunday, and the resurrection, Paul states, “… if
Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your
sins.” (1 Cor. 15:17). Thus, verse 3,
shines the light of our certain hope of the resurrection into the darkness of
the tomb and our past life of sin, “Three
days had passed since the Lord breathed His last. Our only hope lay in
darkness. Then the earth gave way; the stone rolled away – He’s alive, He has
won, He is risen!”
And so we rejoice and are immovable in this reality: “Death
is swallowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is
your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But
thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1
Cor. 15:54c-57)
And so today, dear brother and sister, we can say with
Jesus, “It is finished” (John 19:30). The accuser has been silenced, sin, death
and Satan have been defeated, the veil separating God and man has been torn,
and you have been adopted, washed, sealed and redeemed! And so we sing:
“It is finished; It’s
finished. Our God has made a way. And it’s accomplished; King Jesus, has risen
from the grave. It is finished; it’s finished – the veil’s been torn away. Come
ye sinners; unworthy, Come one, come all and say: Once for all, the greatest sacrifice was made.
Once for all – His perfect love for us displayed. The Lamb was slain for all my
sin and shame. Once for all – Amen!”