A Once and for All Sacrifice – March 29, 2024

Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.
Hebrews 7:27

A Once and for All Sacrifice

Sacrifice… blood, sweat, tears. That’s what it takes to succeed in this world. You have to work hard. You have to be willing to give up something to gain something greater, whether it’s on the athletic field, in school or work, in business, or anywhere else.

Don’t we sometimes approach our relationship with God that way? To please God, I have to make sacrifices. If I do something wrong, I have to make up for it. The more of yourself—your time, money, blood, sweat, and tears—you give, the more God will bless you. It seems reasonable, but is it true?

Long before Jesus came into the world, God’s laws taught his people that sacrifices were necessary. Something had to be done about all the ways that people didn’t measure up to God’s demands. And so, he commanded priests to offer sacrifices—lambs, bulls, and goats—day-after-day. There was no end to it. Through this, God also taught them that no animal sacrifice or anything a sinful human could offer was enough to make up for those sins or take them away.

But there was one sacrifice. One perfect sacrifice offered by the perfect priest—Jesus, the Son of God. He offered the sacrifice that only he could. He gave himself. And he didn’t do it for himself; he didn’t need to. He gave that sacrifice for you, dear sinner. Knowing that you could not earn God’s favor, knowing the best you could offer could never cover a single slip-up, he offered his own life on a cross. Because Jesus was the Son of God, his innocent life was infinitely valuable. His sacrifice was perfectly pleasing to God. It never has to be repeated. It was a once-and-for-all sacrifice for all people.

Through that sacrifice offered on a Friday twenty centuries ago; your relationship with God is perfectly restored. Once and for all. No strings attached, no wonder we call this Friday good!

Prayer:
Jesus, thank you for giving yourself as the perfect once-and-for-all sacrifice for me. Amen.