Hans Sangtoki Bible Reading: Hebrews 10
“But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” (Hebrews 1:12-14)
All faith has an object of faith. Our faith is rooted in Christ and in what He has done on the cross. We will dive deeper into this.
Christ’s sacrifice once for all has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. Think about this one truth deeply. v. 14 uses the past tense “has perfected,” meaning perfection was completed in the past. It was completed when Christ became a single offering on the cross. If we believe in Christ and are His true children, then our sins were forgiven on the cross, and we were perfected before God. Another term we use is justification. God, who used to see us as sinful, broken enemies, now sees us as holy saints. Positionally, when we are in Christ, we are without fault, holy and blameless before Him.
The word “for” links v. 14 with the previous verses. We are perfected because Christ had offered Himself as a single sacrifice for sins. All the sacrifices of bulls and goats could never take away sins. But it doesn’t only stop there. Christ sat down at the right hand of God. The right-hand side of a person is a position of highest honour. This means that after Christ completed His sacrifice on the cross and returned to heaven, God the Father accepted Christ’s sacrifice and thus gave Him the highest honour of His right-hand side, making Christ ruler over all things. For us, this means that Christ’s sacrifice is valid before God. It has been secured; the deal has been done. Those who are Christ’s are righteous and perfect, and Christ Himself is the guarantee.
Moreover, our faith is grounded in the fact that Christ has won over His enemies of evil. Christ is waiting for the time when His enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. He is waiting for the time when Satan and the dominion of evil will be ultimately crushed. It will happen and Christ sitting on His victory throne is a guarantee for that.
Even more so, the Holy Spirit testifies to this as well! Here we can see that the Triune God — the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — all work and confirm our justification. The Holy Spirit testifies, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more” (Hebrews 10:17).
Yet, if these things are all secure, why do we still need faith? Because what is there is already but not yet. Although we are perfect in status, we are still prone to sin in our earthly lives and thus are being sanctified. There is still evil reigning in this world, but we are waiting for its final destruction. Day by day, God renews us slowly but steadily. God works in mysterious ways according to His infinite wisdom. Yet, as we walk in sanctification each day, let us know that our confidence and assurance is placed in the Triune God who has worked to perfect us. “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).
O Triune God, thank You that our faith is grounded in what You have done to perfect us and make us holy. Your ways are beyond our comprehension, and Your love is without end. Although we see Your glory dimly, one day, we will see Your full face. As we walk in confidence and hope of that day, grow our faith, sanctify us, and may Your completed work in us bring glory to Your name. In Jesus’ name, amen.