Hebrews 10:1–18

We Can Enter the Most Holy Place because of Christ’s Superior Work

¹Moses’ Teachings with their yearly cycle of sacrifices are only a shadow of the good things in the future. They aren’t an exact likeness of those things. They can never make those who worship perfect. ²If these sacrifices could have made the worshipers perfect, the sacrifices would have stopped long ago. Those who worship would have been cleansed once and for all. Their consciences would have been free from sin. ³Instead, this yearly cycle of sacrifices reminded people of their sins. ⁴(The blood of bulls and goats cannot take away sins.) 

⁵For this reason, when Christ came into the world, he said, 

“ ‘You did not want sacrifices and offerings, 

but you prepared a body for me. 

⁶You did not approve of burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin.’ 

⁷Then I said, ‘I have come! 

(It is written about me in the scroll of the book.) 

I have come to do what you want, my God.’ ” 

⁸In this passage Christ first said, “You did not want sacrifices, offerings, burnt offerings, and sacrifices for sin. You did not approve of them.” (These are the sacrifices that Moses’ Teachings require people to offer.) ⁹Then Christ says, “I have come to do what you want.” He did away with sacrifices in order to establish the obedience that God wants. ¹⁰We have been set apart as holy because Jesus Christ did what God wanted him to do by sacrificing his body once and for all. 

¹¹Every day each priest performed his religious duty. He offered the same type of sacrifice again and again. Yet, these sacrifices could never take away sins. ¹²However, this chief priest made one sacrifice for sins, and this sacrifice lasts forever. Now he holds the honored position—the one next to God the Father on the heavenly throne. ¹³Since that time, he has been waiting for his enemies to be made his footstool. ¹⁴With one sacrifice he accomplished the work of setting them apart for God forever. 

¹⁵The Holy Spirit tells us the same thing: ¹⁶“This is the promise^athat I will make to them after those days, says the Lord: ‘I will put my teachings in their hearts and write them in their minds.’ ” 

¹⁷Then he adds, “I will no longer hold their sins and their disobedience against them.” 

¹⁸When sins are forgiven, there is no longer any need to sacrifice for sins.