Part 2 (2/2)
Jesus ”entered in once into the holy place” and ”obtained eternal redemption for us” (verse 12). Then, in verse 15, He provided an ”eternal inheritance.” Each of these statements emphasizes a one-time sacrifice that works once for all.
Once!
G.o.d really wants this point driven home to us! ”For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of G.o.d for us: Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation” (Heb. 9:24-28, emphasis mine). Old Testament sacrifices were offered constantly, but Jesus entered once into the holy place and made one sacrifice. Since we die just once, He suffered once, and that one sacrifice paid for sin forever!
Old Testament sacrifices could not do what the New Testament sacrifice of Jesus did. They were only temporary shadows of the real thing to come. ”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. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the wors.h.i.+ppers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins” (Heb. 10:1 -2). If the Old Testament sacrifices really could have made the people perfect, they wouldn't have had to be offered over and over again. If they had worked, the wors.h.i.+pers- once purged-should have had no more conscience of sins!
New Testament believers need not be conscious of sin! The Old Testament sacrifices couldn't do it, but the New Testament sacrifice could and did. If you believe the truth of G.o.d's Word, you can literally reach a place where you are no longer sin-conscious. You would recognize that your spirit has been sanctified and perfected forever. G.o.d doesn't see you as a sinner; He sees your born-again spirit and is pleased. If you focus your thoughts on who you are in the spirit, you'll be conscious of righteousness!
This old phrase ”I'm just a sinner, saved by grace” isn't true! If you're a sinner, then you need to be born again. If you were truly saved by grace, then you are no longer a sinner. Your spirit has been recreated in righteousness and true holiness and it cannot sin. Neither can it be penetrated by sin in your body or soul because of the Holy Spirit seal. Don't approach G.o.d confessing ”I'm an old sinner.” Draw near to Him boldly because you are now ”the righteousness of G.o.d in” Christ (2 Cor. 5:21).
Approach G.o.d through Jesus and what He did in your born-again spirit, saying, ”Father, thank You that through Christ I have boldness to enter right into Your very throne of grace because You have made me righteous!” If you honestly think, O G.o.d, I'm so unrighteous! then you either need to be born again, or you need to renew your mind and start believing the truth of G.o.d's Word. You've been made the righteousness of G.o.d in Christ Jesus!
Past, Present & Future You've been forgiven of your sins-past, present, and future! That's what ”eternal redemption” means. You might think, G.o.d can't forgive me of a sin before 1 even commit it! Well, you better pray that He can because Christ only died for your sins once. If Jesus can't forgive a sin before you commit it, then you can't be forgiven at all. Why? Jesus Christ hasn't died for sin in over 2,000 years!
Jesus paid for all sins-past, present, and future. Humans may not think this way, but G.o.d does. He's Eternal-time, distance, and s.p.a.ce aren't problems for Him. Through His perfect sacrifice, G.o.d has already dealt with all sins!
When Jesus died, He put a will into effect. ”By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Heb. 10:10). You were sanctified-separated, made holy-through the offering of Jesus Christ once for all time.
Generally speaking, Pentecostals were the ones who came up with this doctrine of backsliding, that every time you sin, you lose your salvation, and if you don't confess it before you die, you'll go to h.e.l.l despite the fact that you've been born again for twenty or thirty years. They erroneously interpret this verse to mean ”one sacrifice for all people.”
However, the context proves that Hebrews 10:10 means one sacrifice made you holy for all time. Notice all the words referring to time in the next four verses. ”And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man [Jesus], after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of G.o.d; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified” (Heb. 10:11-14, emphasis mine). Christ's one offering perfected and sanctified you forever!
In case you still aren't convinced, Hebrews 12:23 is another verse from the same context. ”To the general a.s.sembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to G.o.d the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect” (emphasis mine). How clear can it get? Your spirit has been perfected forever-all time. You don't lose your right standing with G.o.d if you sin. What a radical, wonderful truth for the church today!
David Saw It Most Christians are taught that their performance affects their relations.h.i.+p with G.o.d. When you are born again, you're forgiven, cleansed, and you become a brand-new person. However, every time you sin, you lose that right standing with Him until you confess that particular sin and put it under the blood too. If you don't, G.o.d is displeased and cannot accept you. If you were to die before repenting and confessing all of those sins, you would go to h.e.l.l. In a sense, they're saying you must be born again, again!
That's not what G.o.d's Word teaches! The Bible speaks of eternal redemption and eternal inheritance. You aren't sanctified and perfected only until you blow it-which is constantly. You're sanctified and perfected forever! People who believe they lose it all and have to start over again every time they sin will never really develop or see great growth in their spiritual lives. They're stuck in the flesh, focused on the performance of their bodies and their souls. G.o.d's Word reveals that your sins were forgiven- past, present, and future.
David saw by faith through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit just how great salvation would be. ”Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom G.o.d imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered [past and present tense sins]. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not [future tense] impute sin” (Rom. 4:6-8, Paul quotes Ps. 32:1-2, brackets mine). Psalm 32:2 even adds, ”And in whose spirit there is no guile.” David (an Old Covenant patriarch) saw prophetically the blessedness of your New Covenant relations.h.i.+p with G.o.d. Because of your born-again spirit's righteous nature, the Lord no longer holds any sin against you.
Now that's good news!
Chapter 8.
Standard Gospel Questions Serious questions usually start coming right about now. ”What are you saying? G.o.d will love me, and I won't lose my right standing with Him no matter what? Do you mean I can just go live in sin?” Paul dealt with this same thing! ”What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?” (Rom. 6:1). The answer, of course, is ”G.o.d forbid” (Rom. 6:2).
Unless this question comes up, you aren't preaching the same Gospel as the Apostle Paul. He dealt with it four different times! ”What am 1 saying? Do we continue in sin? G.o.d forbid!” Even though you have to explain what you mean, it should be a logical question.
n.o.body interprets most churches today as saying ”You can just go live in sin” because they're busy preaching so hard against it. This question never even comes up! Typical teaching today ties G.o.d's love and acceptance to your performance. Therefore, these messages given ”in the name of the Lord” produce a works-righteousness (self-righteousness based on your actions) in most believers. The Bible doesn't teach that G.o.d accepts or rejects you because of your actions; it teaches that your actions can never be good enough!
G.o.d's Word says He accepts you based on whether your spirit is righteous or not. That spirit doesn't become righteous through your good actions and att.i.tudes. Righteousness comes through confessing Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. As you are born again, G.o.d gives you this brand-new spirit. Righteousness is NOT based on your actions!
The next question people ask is, ”Are you saying it doesn't matter how I live?” No, that's not what I'm saying. Paul continues in Romans 6 giving two reasons why a Christian should live holy: 1. Your new nature desires it, and 2. You don't want to give the devil access to your soul and body through sin. How you live doesn't affect your spirit's righteousness, but it greatly affects your life!
Sin's Strength If you are truly born again, G.o.d has changed your nature. ”How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?” (Rom. 6:2-3). You are no longer a child of the devil who loves to sin. You do still sin, but it's not your nature anymore. Your spirit has been changed, and you no longer enjoy it. Every born-again believer has a built-in desire to live holy (1 John 3:3). You might not be fulfilling it, but it's there!
Preaching the Law-legalism and religious works-actually strengthens sin (1 Cor. 15:56). The Law makes you sin more by causing you to l.u.s.t for the very thing that's forbidden. That's why G.o.d gave it! Mankind was being destroyed by sin, but we deceived ourselves into thinking, I'm pretty good! G.o.d answered, saying, ”Oh, you think you're okay? Let Me show you what the real standard is.” The Law made sin come alive so you'd recognize your need for a Savior (Rom. 7:9, Gal. 3:24).
Since I can't give a detailed explanation of this truth here, I'd like to recommend to you The True Nature of G.o.d. In that teaching, I expound much more on this particular point. You'll discover how G.o.d, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 13:8), can act so differently toward mankind from the Old Testament to the New. Without understanding how everything changed when Jesus Christ came, you'll think G.o.d is schizophrenic. I a.s.sure you, He's not!
The Lord's purpose in sending the Law was to make you bow your knee and confess, ”G.o.d have mercy on me! I can't do it. I can't break this sin!” The Law wasn't given to help you overcome sin. It was to show you that sin had already overcome you! The Law actually strengthened sin and gave it so much power that it would effectively remove the deception that you could ever get rid of sin on your own. Religion, however, turns it around and says, ”The Law was given to help you overcome sin.” That's just not true.
If you're truly born again, you have a desire to live for G.o.d. ”And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure” (1 John 3:3). There will be varying degrees of this purity manifest in your actions and thoughts, but every born-again person seeks to purify themselves.
Sin gives Satan access to your body and soul. ”Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” (Rom. 6:16). Satan wants to bring death into your life any way he can-sickness, disease, poverty, shame, depression, discouragement, and all sorts of other nasty things. Why give your enemy an opportunity to come against you?
As a Christian, you don't have to live holy in order for G.o.d to accept and be pleased with you. However, your actions and att.i.tudes do determine how you get along with other people. That's why it's still to your advantage to live a holy life!
Accidental Holiness Knowing that I can relate to G.o.d based on the perfection, holiness, and righteousness in my spirit has set me free from sin- not to sin. In my flesh, I'll never be completely perfect until I receive my glorified body. Yet, in the meantime, 1 can go ahead and relate to G.o.d based on who I am in my spirit. This makes my relations.h.i.+p with Him stable and secure.
I've lived a holier life accidentally than most people have on purpose! Whenever these truths are taught, people criticize saying, ”You're just preaching this so you can live in sin!” You can't accuse me of that because I've never spoken a word of profanity, drank liquor of any kind, smoked a cigarette, or even tasted coffee in all of my life! I'm not saying that coffee and booze are the same thing. There's scripture for drinking coffee. Mark 16:18 promises, ”If they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them.” I'm just telling you that people can't look at me and say the reason I preach this is because it allows me to live in sin. No, I live a very holy life.
I don't live holy because I have to but because I want to. I don't do it in order to obtain G.o.d's blessing. I do it because He's revealed this truth to me and changed my heart. I desire to live holy because it's good for me. It helps me minister to others better, and it's happier to live holy than unholy!
G.o.d would still love me if 1 lived in sin (because my spirit is changed), but I wouldn't love me and other people wouldn't either. Sin offends G.o.d, but it also offends people. If you're truly born again, He'll deal with you as His child, based on your born-again spirit. But people won't love you if you steal from them. If they catch you, they'll throw you in jail where you'll suffer, be confined, and hurt. You won't have as nice of a life, but G.o.d will still love you. You'll still be righteous, but you'll also be stupid! (I'm not trying to be harsh, just blunt.) Living holy doesn't make G.o.d love you more, but it does increase your love for Him. Likewise, a lack of holiness won't cause G.o.d to love you less, but it'll definitely decrease your love for Him. Although G.o.d's love for you doesn't change, your performance directly affects your love for Him. Can you see now G.o.d's purpose for holiness?
Come Boldly!
Sin is never a wise choice, but it's also never an issue between you and G.o.d. He dealt with your sin-past, present, and future-when you were born again. You can come boldly before the Lord at any time-even when you've fallen short, even when you're displeased with yourself, even when you've given Satan an inroad into your life. You can still come boldly into the very presence of G.o.d your Father and receive from Him because your spirit didn't lose any of its right standing with Him!
The Word encourages you to come before the Lord when you need mercy and help! ”Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16). Don't just wait to come before Him until you've done everything ”right.” You can boldly approach the Lord and receive grace to help when you've totally messed things up. Your heavenly Father has invited you to draw near to His throne at any time by faith in His Son and who you are in Him. It's your birthright as a child of the King!
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