We have had the concept of sanctification as a particular touchstone in our preaching the last several months. The sanctification of God’s people is a primary truth which not only impacts our redemption, but also our responsibilities to God and man.
In Hebrews 10, the writer takes time to establish Jesus’ purpose in coming to earth, as prophesied in Psalm 40:6-8. “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; My ears You have opened. Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require. Then I said, ‘Behold, I come; In the scroll of the book it is written of me. I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart.’” In verses 8-10, the Hebrew writer comments on the meaning of the Psalm as it pertains to Christ. This serves as the grist for these thoughts.
The preeminence of Jesus’ sacrifice is understood by these words. It takes precedence above all of the sacrifices and offerings which took place under that first covenant (the law of Moses). When Jesus came to earth, He came to fulfill His Fathers’ will. As Jesus affirmed in John 6:38, “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”
It was God’s will for Jesus to take away the first law and replace it with another. As indicated by the text, the sacrifices under the old “You [God] did not desire, nor had pleasure in them” (8). When Jesus came, it was to bring in something new! In accord with prophecy Jesus had “come to do Your will, O God” (9).
So, Jesus established that second will, fulfilling His Father’s desire. And the Hebrew writer affirms to us, “By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (10). Please understand that our separation to God under the new covenant comes exclusively through Jesus Christ.
All religions are not acceptable. No eastern religion has Christ as Savior. Islam is not acceptable. Mohammed is not God’s only begotten Son. Even the covenant that was once God’s agreement with the nation of Israel is no longer valid. So Judaism is no longer a legitimate way to approach God for redemption. As Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).
It is not a matter of good or bad (though we will vociferously argue the value and ethics of the Christian faith above all others). It is simply a matter of what God desires. His desire is fulfilled uniquely through the death of His only Son. Rather than argue with this, we rejoice that our sanctification is found in Jesus, “once for all” (10).
