Hebrews 10:8-10

8: After saying above, “SACRIFICES AND OFFERINGS AND WHOLE BURNT OFFERINGS AND sacrifices FOR SIN YOU HAVE NOT DESIRED, NOR HAVE YOU TAKEN PLEASURE in them” (which are offered according to the Law),
9: then He said, “BEHOLD, I HAVE COME TO DO YOUR WILL.” He takes away the first in order to establish the second.
10: By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

*** 

Paul repeated the quote from Psalm 40:6-8, summarizing this passage of Scripture to point out the order in which the Lord spoke about these things. First, it was not sacrifices and burnt offerings that God desired. He didn’t take pleasure in these things even if they were done according to the Law as He commanded. God instituted these sacrifices under the Levitical priesthood but again, that wasn’t the end result of what He wanted. There was more to His plan. So, after Christ said, ‘This is not what You’ve desired,’ then He said, ‘I come to do Your will.’ In other words, He came to earth to fulfil the plan the Father desired all along.

Paul emphasized, by pointing out the order of things, that Christ put away the first covenant to establish the second. It is through this second covenant—which was the desired will of the Father all along—that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. This was a willful, intentional offering of the Lord to please the Father. His sacrifice freed us from sin and made a way for our hearts to be changed—born again, new creatures in Christ. Through the new birth we become a part of His body, seated with Him in heavenly places, and look forward to sharing the resurrection of our bodies to eternal life as He has done first, making it possible for us to follow. (John 3, 2 Corinthians 5, 1 Corinthians 15, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 2, 1 John 3, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

Paul explained and repeated this point throughout this epistle to be sure the Jews understood this vital point. Right-standing with God was no longer available under the Law and the Levitical priesthood. It's not an optional thing to accept the gospel of Christ, and it’s definitely not contrary to the Scripture they’d been taught all along.

Why was the Law given then? Because of sin. To root out rebellion and pride from the heart of man. To expose the fact that man needs Christ—One to redeem us back to the Father. The Law was given to lead us to faith in Christ (Galatians 3:19-29). God always desired for man to overcome sin and be free from its grasp. His desire had always been for He and mankind to be reunited as they were before the fall in the Garden. The coming of Christ was the plan from the beginning (Genesis 3:15). It was prophesied and symbolized many times and many ways throughout the Old Testament. Paul was pleading with the Jews, of which he was one, to see this, understand it, and accept it. He was giving them a solid Scriptural basis for their faith so they would not be swayed by those who tried to lead them astray, rejecting the Christ who was eagerly anticipated for so long.


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