Hebrews 10:1–10

Christ’s Sacrifice Once for All

The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship. ²If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshipers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared.

³But instead, those sacrifices actually reminded them of their sins year after year. ⁴For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. ⁵That is why, when Christ came into the world, he said to God,

“You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings.

But you have given me a body to offer.

⁶You were not pleased with burnt offerings

or other offerings for sin.

⁷Then I said, ‘Look, I have come to do your will, O God—

as is written about me in the Scriptures.’ ”

⁸First, Christ said, “You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings or burnt offerings or other offerings for sin, nor were you pleased with them” (though they are required by the law of Moses). ⁹Then he said, “Look, I have come to do your will.” He cancels the first covenant in order to put the second into effect. ¹⁰For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.