10:5 Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said,
"Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body you have
prepared for me;
10:6 in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no
pleasure.
10:7 Then I said, 'See, God, I have come to do your will, O God' (in
the scroll of the book it is written of me)."
10:8 When he said above, "You have neither desired nor taken
pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin
offerings" (these are offered according to the law),
10:9 then he added, "See, I have come to do your will." He abolishes
the first in order to establish the second.
10:10 And it is by God's will that we have been sanctified through
the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Comments:
The author of Hebrews uses the image of religious sacrifice to
convey the significance of Christ's coming. Through obedient
acceptance of God's will, Christ allows his own body to become the
greatest sacrifice of all, one through which we are made a holy
people.
"Christ came into the world" (10:5), the writer of Hebrews tells us,
and the world changed. Jesus has accomplished what we could not, and
through Christ, our holiness is given to us.
Three themes seem to jump out at me in this passage about God: his
ultimate love, his unwavering justice, and his supreme sacrifice.
This Divine Conspiracy to make a way where there was no way for us
was accomplished in the weekest form (yet the most precious) of
humanity--a little baby. What a bundle to think about for Christmas
Week!
Blessings, Alan in Oklahoma
I'm wondering how to explain "sanctified" these days. It seems to
mean different things to different people, and it appears that a
good many people don't care. Also, who is the "we?" How far does
"we" extend? Can we define it without drawing boxes around
ourselves?
revo in GA
Revo in GA:
In healing circles "santified" might mean "wholeness" or even
"wellness." To the therapist it might mean "finding oneself." In
Weslyan terms it means "perfection." To be santified is to be made
pure and holy as God is holy. We all want to fill that void in our
lives - that empty space that can only be filled with God. Once we
say yes to Jesus and become "justified" we are overcome by the Holy
Spirit and set on a journey of santification.
God wants to build us into new creations. He wants us to know the
fullness that life has to offer. Once set on the road of
sanctification, we give more freely,we love more deeply and we live
more fully. It's the difference between being self centered and
other centered.
Just some early morning thoughts. Pastor John in CT
She was a young African American woman, 24, convicted felon, who
volunteered to be counseled by a student from the local seminary.
The first night we met she told I could not help her because I was
white, old (38) and I never did what she did. True, I had not been a
prostitute nor done drugs nor forged signatures on checks.
She had some strengths other prisoners didn't have. She came from a
loving, middle class family. Daddy had been a research chemist for a
major company--probably where he got the brain tumor.
She had been eight when he died. She thought that she was
responsible for his death. Half way through the semester I saw this
and realize a way to reframe the experience. It worked. In the weeks
that followed our sessions were friends checking in. "The other
women are calling me a santified woman." Her self destructive bent
was gone, as she knew she was not guilty of Daddy's death, she was
free. How true the scriptures are, You shall know the truth and the
truth will set you free. She was free to make new decisions, she
wrote her boyfriend in another prison that if he didn't straighten
up their relationship was over. Her mother noticed the change in her
self confidence and asked what happened to you, girl. "I'm a woman."
She insisted that her older brother come in and see her when he
brought Mom for a visit. At Christmas time she sent me a card and
thanked me for being so kind and helpful.
In April her parole came through, she moved into an apartment,
started college classes, working. In time she married and now has a
family. She and her Baptist Deacon husband are active in her
father's old church. A Sanctified woman who had been in bondage for
16 years until the Holy Spirit revealed the origin of her bondage to
a student who then set the stage for a new decision. Thanks be to
God. Sue in Cuba, KS
The biblical definition of "sanctified" is "set apart." In this
context it seems to mean "cleansing" as the previous verses are
talking about sacrifice and offerings, which are OT rituals to
achieve cleansing.
The "we" probably refers to the body of believers, Christians, as it
usually does in the NT
Hope this helps. TCH in New York
