Jesus, our Guilt Offering Pt. 2

"For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins." Hebrews 10:2

Today we continue from a previous post's reminder on Jesus being our Trespass Offering. In this chapter of Hebrews, Paul (or the writer of Hebrews) was talking about the practice of sacrificing animals to the Lord. He said that all the laws of Israel are "are a shadow of good things to come" (v1). His revelation is really one of seeing Jesus as the true manifestation of the Old, that the mysterious ways of Ancient Israel is really a shadow or a picture of the true Lamb to come.

So what happens in today's verse? Paul is talking about the yearly sacrifice that the priests had to make for the whole nation. And the words in bold was an observation which he made of the annual sacrifices. He realized that the reason why the sacrifices were done every year, was precisely because it was only effective for a limited period of time. They were covered by the blood of bulls and goats, but that covering needed to be replenished every year: "For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins" (v4).

More interestingly, Paul mentions a certain benchmark which he used to weigh the efficacy of the sacrifices. That if purified, they would have no more consciousness of sins. That is at once an appalling idea, but also logical. If one's sins were effectively removed by a sacrifice, one should have the right to forget about the sins. Just as when a debt is paid, the debt should no longer bother the debtor.

This caught our attention because, while conscience can be a good thing, it can also have very debilitating effects. One of that effect is called Guilt. When guilt overwhelms one's consciousness, that is effectively being conscious of your sin. And to Paul's analysis, the effective purification of sins, should result in "no more consciousness of sins"!

Come to think of it, it was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that Adam and Eve ate. Doesn't that sound like something? Knowing good and evil, seems just like the right precursor to a consciousness of sin. Thank God, Jesus came to free us from that. Paul was raising this idea to show the Hebrews that, with the perfect and effective work of the Son of God, consciousness of sin has no more place in believers! Christ, the final and perfect Guilt Offering has been offered.

"Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin." Hebrews 10:18

Let's rejoice and meditate on the finished work of Christ who is our offering for sins. We no longer are to mope around with our guilty conscience. He died to restore us back into relationship with God. More than that: before, we were merely creations; but when we gave our lives to Christ, we were resurrected in Christ to become Sons and Daughters of the Most High!