August 30, 2002
The beauty of the Gospel rests in its simplicity: Christ, in His death, completed everything in relationship to sin and Satan. Because of His atonement, our Christian lives are a process of becoming what we already are—namely, His children. In this sermon from Hebrews, Alistair Begg notes that while Satan delights in reminding us of sin, God keeps no record of it because of Christ’s work. Instead, He calls us to be a compelling reflection of His grace.
5Consequently, bwhen Christ1 came into the world, he said,
c“Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,
but a body have you prepared for me;
6in burnt offerings and sin offerings
you have taken no pleasure.
7Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God,
as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’”
8When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in csacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), 9then he added, d“Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second. 10And by that will ewe have been sanctified through the offering of fthe body of Jesus Christ gonce for all.
11And every priest stands hdaily at his service, ioffering repeatedly the same sacrifices, jwhich can never take away sins. 12But when Christ2 had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he ksat down at the right hand of God, 13waiting from that time luntil his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14For by a single offering mhe has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
15And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,
16n“This is the covenant that I will make with them
after those days, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws on their hearts,
and write them on their minds,”
17then he adds,
o“I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”
18Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.
Copyright © 2024, Alistair Begg. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language.