Fourth Sunday in Advent: Epistle, Hebrews 10:5-10               

Hebrews 10:5-10 

The writer of the epistle to the Hebrews grants us marvelous insight into the Jewish Messiah. Jewish by blood, but given for all. In this chapter the writer quotes the fortieth psalm to let us in on one piece of the reason for which God became man. If you’re a good Bible reader then you realize there’s a lot spoken about blood therein. And blood is not only the source of our life, but the price for life eternal. Our epistle text for this week points to that blood. The blood shed in the offering of the babe of Bethlehem. You see, all of the Old Testament points to that offering. A greater offering than that of bulls and goats, which is the point of what David writes in the citation made. The old is passing and the new is being revealed. New method, new and better sacrifice as the ground of that new and better covenant.

We often focus on the shedding of blood as the covering for our sin, and in doing so we would be correct. But there is more. And the psalmist says so. The will of God that moves the Son to lay down His life in sacrifice for our sins has another effect. Our sanctification.

“By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:10).

Sanctified. Set apart. For God. Loved by Him. Useful to Him. Belonging to Him. And to each other. All of that is included in what the precious blood of Jesus accomplished. Holy, set apart by the only true and living God who believed we were somehow worth the price He was willing to pay. I’m grateful.

Blessed Advent!