 When it comes to this issue of salvation, the reason why there's a lot of misunderstanding on the back and forth is because one issue in the Bible that either gets misunderstood or just altogether neglected is the issue of or is the doctrine of atonement. If a person can fully understand what it means to be atoned for then they would have a better understanding of salvation because in essence our atonement is our salvation. So this is one of if not the most important discussion that you could possibly have regarding your salvation and a better understanding. Remember, as we stand before God just naturally we stand guilty. We don't stand innocent and then we have to prove ourselves guilty. No, we stand guilty because there's a debt that's owed. What is a debt? The debt is a sin debt. Without going too far back we understand that because of Adam's sin that we all inherited this particular sin nature and even if you think that that's unfair well you have also added to this sin debt on your own account. Why? Because you sin from the moment that you go from the womb you go astray. Watch a two-year-old, watch a one-year-old, watch a three-year-old. They have a natural proclivity to sin and what happens is we get older we just get better at it and so what does God decide to do about it? God wants to do a couple things. One, he wants to eliminate what he sees before us, how he knows or what we're known by which is our sin but there has to be some sort of payment. God is a just God but God also is a loving God. His justice dictates that there must be payment for or punishment for this sin but his love also brings about payment for his for the sin. His love brings about satisfaction for this wrath. Now this is what we're talking about. We're talking about the atonement and you need to understand what the atonement is and how it works. The word atonement or the Hebrew word kafar it's really brings it brings about three elements really the first two brings about the third and it is this covering, this canceling and this reconciliation. The covering and the canceling brings about the reconciliation. The covering is the covering of sin in other words whatever is before whatever's been the problem the heart of the matter the root of the matter that's covered that's dealt with the cancellation is the debt that's owed whatever sin wrought and so there we've got the covering and the canceling sin once those two have been dealt with and been met then there can be a reconciliation. So before I go into the scriptures let me give you an example that I give often if a person steals from me my watch for example and that person says they're sorry but they keep wearing the watch well then as far as I'm concerned they're not sorry you are still wearing the watch so how do we make reconciliation how can we be back together as one one group either friends or what have you well the person that stole the person that harmed or grieved me they don't get to tell me how to be reconciled they don't get to tell me what's going to take to make me hold I set the terms the person on the other end if they agreed to it will then fine then reconciled then reconciliation is possible and so if I say for example I want my watch back plus I want a more expensive watch and so if I said that for reconciliation be made that I want not only my watch back which may be a hundred dollars I want another watch on top of that a Rolex watch which is a thousand dollars five thousand dollars the person might say that's a little bit steep all I did was take your watch but you don't tell me you don't have the right to tell me what it's going to take to make me hold if you agree to go with that that's fine now notice I've determined what the payment is going to be this watch my original watch plus a ten thousand dollars five thousand dollar Rolex watch this watch my original watch plus a five ten thousand Rolex watch once the person gives me both of those things that I require once my debt once my demands are met then my wrath is satisfied the debt is canceled what I could never do to that person that offended me or sinned against me in the first place I could never come back later and say do you remember when you did this I can never hold that against why because the debt has been paid and now they are justified remember that term because if you're justified that means to be declared right and to be treated as such going forward now there is a problem inherently in just a traditional atonement that is the debt that's paid for what about the debts that will be incurred afterward well God has a remedy for that and here we've come to this issue of the atonement God has made a covenant with Israel and this particular covenant is not like the Abrahamic covenant which was an unconditional covenant this covenant is a conditional covenant and if then if you do this children of Israel then I as God will do that if you don't do this then I will do this in terms of punishment and so what he gives them is a way for him to have fellowship with them and they can be before him not necessarily in his full glory but that he can still have a relationship with him he brings about a way of atonement in Leviticus 16 we read about the atonement and there are three elements that are required first there is the high priest who is going to mediate between the people and God but because he's a man he also has to atone for himself as well we'll talk about that a little bit later then there has to be this scapegoat the scapegoat is going to have all of the sins of the people confess on his head and then sent away and then the third is going to be the sacrificial offering the offering that is going to shed his blood on the altar to make atonement for the people because God has determined that blood will be the payment for sin and so in in Leviticus 16 15 we'll start there after he has made atonement for himself because he cannot enter into because he's a man who also has sinned he cannot enter before the Lord in the holy of holies before the Lord atone for he has to be in right standing as well and that's important for us to be in right standing before the Lord so after he's made atonement verse 15 he has to do the same for the people and so in verse 15 says then he shall slaughter the goat with of the sin offering which is for the people and bring its blood inside the veil and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull and sprinkled on the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat he shall make atonement for the holy place because of the impurities of the sons of israel and because of their transgressions in regards to all their sin and thus he shall do for the tent of meeting which abides with them in the midst of their impurities when he goes in to make atonement in the holy place no one shall be in the tent of meeting until he comes out that that he may make atonement for himself and for his household and for all the assembly of israel then he shall go out to the altar that is before the Lord and make atonement for it and shall take some of the blood of the bull and of the blood of the goat and put it on the horns of the altar on its sides with its fingers now this is him consecrating and make atonement for not only just the people himself but also even the place because again all of this place is truth be told unholy has been defiled as he says with their impurities so he makes atonement for not only himself and his family so he can be in right standing because he can't go before the people to make atonement for them and he had not been atoned for but then he makes atonement for him for them also and then also for the tent of meeting and for the place itself then if we drop down to verse 20 he says when he finishes atoning for the holy place and the tent and the altar he shall offer the live goat then Aaron shall lay both hands on the head of the live goat and confess over all the iniquities of the sons of israel and all the transgressions in regard to all their sin and he shall lay them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who stands in the readiness the goat shall bear on itself he says bear on itself all the iniquities just to a solitary land and he shall release the goat in the wilderness so now understand the picture that we're seeing here one we've got this high priest that is mediating for the people he is going to make atonement for the people shed blood that will eventually be accepted by god on behalf of the people to make a payment for the for the sins of the people and then he's going to confess the sins on the head of this live goat the sins of all of israel will be will be cast on the head of this live goat and then sent away to the wilderness in other words the sins of the people will be sent away there will be payment the term for if we look at what the word atonement means if we look in the greek septuagint the greek word that's used for it is the word for perpetuation it is this payment it is offering of a of a payment of of the debt to the the person who's old in this case it's god and so perpetuation is made payment is made now there's something else that has to happen for the people before i get there though when i get to their responsibility there's something else that you need to see but before i do there i want to go and look at what else has to happen in regards to this in verse 29 it says this shall be a permanent statue for you in the seventh month on the tenth day of the month you shall humble your souls and not do any work whether the native or the alien who sojourns among you for it is on this day that atonement shall be made for you to cleanse you you will be clean from all your sins before the lord important says you will be clean from your sins before the lord verse 31 it is to be a Sabbath of solemn rest for you that you may humble your souls it is a permanent statue so the priest who is anointed and ordained to serve as priests in his father's place shall make atonement he shall put he shall put on the living garments the holy garments and make atonement for the holy sanctuary and he shall make atonement for the ten of meaning and for the altar he's just kind of reiterating what he's already stated he shall also make atonement for the priest and for all the people of the assembly now you shall have this as a permanent statute to make atonement for your sons of israel for all their sins once every year remember that this is good for one year and just as the lord had commanded to moses so he did this is what's important this is a permanent statue a perpetual statue for them to do every year and so your sins are atoned for you in right standing before the lord for how long for one year now in the middle of that there are people and there are times where a person would commit sins and they can have their own individual offerings but this is kind of collectively for the nation of israel but there then again there are sins that are either unknown or known that you could offer to the lord there's also other offerings that you can give that are just for gratitude just for thank you lord i appreciate what you did i love you lord but in this regard their sins are atoned for now the requirement for them as we saw you have to also afflict your souls well what does that mean if we go to leviticus 23 looking at verse 27 it says exactly on the 10th day of the seventh month is the day of atonement it shall be a holy convocation for you and you shall humble your souls and present an offering by fire to the lord you shall not do any work on this day for it is a day of atonement to make atonement on behalf on your behalf before the lord if there is any person who will not humble himself on this day he shall be cut off from his people now understand what's happening if a person is to go before this perpetuation is being made perpetuation is being made a payment is being made however if you don't humble yourself just because it's offered does not mean in a sense it's going to be beneficial to you so what what must they do they must humble themselves how one no work it's a Sabbath for them also they have to avoid or abstain food they have to fast as well and so here they are afflicting or humbling themselves in regards to what's happening why because they understand that they are fallen people and they need god the picture of this is a repentant heart that's important as we go further into the new testament and look at how salvation works not only for israel but also for us Gentiles as well because what's going to happen is he's going to take the same element god is a guy who's not changing he's taking this exact same thing this atonement and he's going to apply it to israel and to the Gentiles forever in terms of our salvation this salvation or their atonement is only for one year we're getting ready for an atonement that lasts forever before i do before we go to the new testament i want to look up something i want to show you something that you may not have seen in the bible you've seen it but maybe it's glanced over or because the bible is written in Hebrew the english doesn't fully carry it out but if we go to leviticus chapter 17 verse 11 i want to show you something in verse 11 it says for the life of the flesh is in the blood and i have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement a couple things before i get to my main point he's stating that the blood is what makes atonement god has determined that blood will be the payment for sin problem is for us if we give our blood and he wants all of it well then that necessarily means that we can't live oh by the way even the blood that we would give is still insufficient it's ineffective it's not sufficient for god it's not enough to satisfy the debt however in the meantime he is determined that he will allow what's called a substitutionary atonement someone or in this case something to take the place of us that would pay the price for us and because god has stated that would be the debt required for this time then that would be enough you can't come back and say you would know what god really wanted was more than that no god asked for and received exactly what he wanted to atone for their sins for one year but i want to go back to the passage and i want you to notice something that maybe you haven't seen before in chapter 17 verse 11 as he says for the life of the flesh is in the blood and he makes a statement i have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls well isn't that really kind of reiterating what has been stated before quarry well no there's a little bit more to this i want you to notice in the hebrew here we have this word natan which is the hebrew word for to give or he gives in this case is natatin which is i have given now to say i have given you don't have to have the the first person pronoun i in it contains the pronoun i it's i have given so natatin is sufficient enough to say i have given i want you to notice something that's also there before right before in hebrew reads from right to left unlike english or greek reads from right to left right before if you look on the screen highlighted is the word hanee the word hanee is the word i so if we read this it says hua and hanee natatin i and i have given it well why would you say i i have given it well in hebrew this is a way that you can convey to say i myself have given and it could be taken in this case it is taken that not only am i myself given that i'm making a way to give it no i myself am going to be the one that's going to bring about the blood in other words the Lord is letting us know that he is going to give us the blood and we know who's speaking here we know this is the Lord speaking as a matter of fact we see the Hebrew word Yahweh which we're going to find out this Yahweh which is the I am but I share which is the I am who I am that very same person the Lord the angel the Lord God we're going to see him make this point again later on in the New Testament but what he's really saying is that I I have given I the Lord I'm going to supply the blood problem is though God the way it seems to us at this moment is that you don't have blood you don't have a body to give blood we'll come to that in a second but just remember this point when we get further on into our discussion now when we get to the New Testament we're going to see a couple of things one we're going to see this atonement that we see in the Old Testament being carried forward in the New Testament to not only make atonement for Israel but also to make atonement for the Gentiles as well well how was this done well one we're going to see that we have a high priest unlike the high priest then unlike the priest then we have a high priest who has no need to atone for himself that is Jesus Hebrews tells us that he's a high priest who also can identify with us but he has no need for atonement he has no need to have his sin atone for because he has no sin and then in John we're told we're John the Baptist he's Jesus he says look the Lamb of God interesting term for him to use the term Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world here is the one who would take away the sin how is that well what did the lamb or the scapegoat under the old covenant do he would take away the sins of the people the sins will be confessed on the scapegoat and in this case upon Jesus he will bear the sins of the people and take their sins away then he will play the other part the third role that he will play is the part of the sacrificial lamb the the offering his blood will be shed for the many remember that so it's important to understand that Jesus plays a part of the high priest the mediator between man and God and interestingly enough he's the only one because to mediate between the two efficiently and effectively he has to be man so he can mediate the he can mediate the side of man because he is man and he can also mediate the the side of God because he is God a perfect priest we have in him secondly he plays the part of the scapegoat who takes away all of our sins and in third he also offers of his own blood as an offering to pay the debt for our sin now remember under the old there had to be this humbling or afflicting of our soul and i said before that this is like a repentant heart of the people the problem is though that the hearts of men are not repentant normally we can say so for a day for a week temporarily but over the course of time will prove that we are not as repentant as we thought so our work of the Lord is also required in that regard that's why in John 3 Jesus makes a statement that no one can see the kingdom of God unless now he's given chronology so the first thing that has to happen before you can be part of this kingdom where he is going to be the leader of the king before this can happen you have to be born of the spirit or as he says born of again or born of water and spirit or born of the spirit three ways of saying the same thing born from above and first Peter tells us that it's God who caused us to be born again well why is that important to understand because the humbling of our souls the afflicting of our souls this repentant heart that is brought about initially by God he is the active agent in that remember in Ezekiel 36 he says what he's going to do to Israel that he will take out the heart of stone and put in the heart of flesh he will sprinkle clean water on their heart and put his spirit in their heart and then he will cause them to walk in their statutes we find that also that he's going to do the exact same thing with the Gentiles making the Jews jealous by calling up people who are not his people to be his people and John 1 says that everyone who is a child of God that's us Gentiles or Jews have been born of the spirit have been born of God so all of us not just the Jews but Gentiles have to be born of God first and this is something that is not according to our will but his will amen now I want to bring this out even more so as we go to the book of Hebrews but I want to point out something before we get there because we don't really see the word atonement in English in in our Bibles in the New Testament we do see the reference of it there but it's not called the atonement it's called something else which lets us know oh he's speaking about the atonement go to Romans chapter 5 starting verse 9 he says much more than having been justified I want you to look at the terms the words that are used here this word having been justified is an heiress passive participle in other words his passive was done to us it's participle meaning that it's kind of ongoing but it's heiress meaning that it happened in the past so us justified we were justified in the past this justification is an ongoing thing and it happened to us how are we justified by his blood understand this atonement is an effect he he justifies us by the blood just like that was done then and if you're justified what does that mean to be declared right and treated as such we were justified and so having been justified by his blood we shall be safe guys this is a plural future passive so a couple things one it's all of us we shall be safe but it's future meaning we will have this happen this will happen so no one could come back and say well that salvation uh doesn't we don't have it now we have to wait well we're told though uh yeah to actually realize the the fullness of it that's going to be in the future but he's guaranteeing us that it will happen we will be safe and oh by the way it's in the passive which tells us that it is done to us so we will be safe from the wrath of god to come or through him for if while we were enemies we were reconciled and again this is important we were reconciled this word right here catalegemen this is in the era's passive indicative so it's happened in the past we were reconciled to god how so through the death of his son that is the shedding of his blood much more having been reconciled since we have been reconciled we will be saved by his life now here's a point about the atonement and not only this but we also exalt in god through our lord jesus christ who through whom we have now received the reconciliation this word right here in the greek uh tain catalegemen that is the reconciliation it's a definite article so the reconciliation alabomen which is we have received so the reconciliation we have received the reconciliation not a generic or general reconciliation but the reconciliation this is clearly pointing back to an event an act well he's told us what the act is that is the redemption that we have in his blood so i hope you all are getting a picture our atonement is just like the atonement of the old of the old covenant for the jews it's also here present with us Gentiles as well as the jews meaning what was required for atonement then there had to be one this shedding of blood well that happened by christ there has to be this scapegoat where there is no sin that is attached to us but the sin has been placed on someone else remember he bore our sin he became the vessel of sin that god would just treat as sin not that he had sin but we sin he would treat him as though he has and that he would then take our sins awake and this is mediated by this high priest none other than the same person who's bearing sins and who's paying the debt jesus himself now this is brought out even more so in the book of Hebrews the book of Hebrews is written to these jews who have placed their faith in christ and it's a book written for comfort to them because what are they used to they are used to this yearly day of atonement having to do this year after year after year after all it's we're told that this is an eternal statute that this is going to be ongoing the difference is what they're not understanding is that it is a perpetual statute however it's been realized it's been fulfilled remember Jesus makes a statement I didn't come to destroy the law but to fulfill the law Romans 10 4 also says that Jesus is the end of the law how so well the end of the law the fulfillment of the law is that there needs to be the people's sins to be atoned for we see this as we read really in Daniel 9's prophecy as well as Jeremiah about this new covenant for Israel but then he's also going to apply this not just for Israel this salvation this atonement for Israel but he's going to also apply it to us but even though this book is written to the jews who are who are in christ we can also glean from this as well here's how this comforts them because he's telling them that the atonement that you receive it's not like the old atonement where you have to have it done every year year after year once was enough so let's go to Hebrews chapter 8 let's go to starting verse one you all part me for the the length of reading but I think it's important we get this now the main point and now he's summarizing everything that he said he's summarizing all that he said from the first few verses matter of fact he's really summarizing everything in this if you could ever say here's the whole point of what I'm trying to get you guys understand he had just read or just came over a controversial passage that we today take as controversial wasn't for them that there are those that were still thinking they could lose their salvation they could walk away they could fall away and he says that if you could fall away guess what guys it's impossible to get it back why because the very thing that gave you your salvation the very thing that gave you atonement won't happen again remember it's important to understand this if I atone for your sin this atonement covers what I say it's going to cover if you don't think so if you can fall away from that you can't go back to the previous atonement in other words think about it this way if in 1000 bc your sins are atoned for and then in 999 bc you want to have your sins atoned for you can't rely on the atonement from a year prior or two years prior or three years prior that's not how this system of atonement worked what would need to be what would need to happen is that you would need a new sacrifice for your current sins a new atonement that no matter what faith you have at that moment there must be something that you put your faith in some atoning work well the atoning work in the past was not beneficial for you you need something new that's the point that he's trying to get them understand that they already understand this we as Gentiles were not used to this old covenant system of atonement we're not used to how this works but his point is to them if you think that you have fallen away well then what atonement is there left for you you can't go back and claim the old atonement there needs to be a new atonement and there won't be any and since there won't be any new atonement then it would be impossible to renew you again hopefully this is this is clear or clearing up some misconceptions now we get to Hebrews chapter 8 verse 1 and he says now the main point of what has been said is this we have such a high priest who has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of majesty in the heavens a minister as he says in the sanctuary and in the true tabernacle which the lord pitched not man remember under the old everything had to be atoned for even the tent this tent however is not like one that's been made by man this is in the heaven leagues literally in heaven and so he states that for every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices so it is necessary that this high priest also have something to offer so even Jesus as our high priest he has to offer something now if he were on earth he would not be a priest at all since there are those who offer the gifts according to the law who serve as a copy and the shadow of the heavenly things just as Moses was warned by God when he was about to erect the tabernacle for see he says that you make all things according to the pattern which was shown on the mountain but now he has obtained a more excellent ministry by as much as he is also the mediator of a better covenant so this Jesus is now in the place of a mediator of what a better covenant better than the one that Moses brought about he's a mediator of a better covenant he says this particular covenant which has been enacted on better promises well what are the better promises that part is important the better promises is not an if-then promise it is an unconditional continual promise not that it expires like the old it's good for a year in this case the promises are forever for if that first covenant had been faultless there would have been no occasion sought for a second for finding fault with him he says behold he says days are coming says the Lord when I will affect a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah not like the covenant which I made with their fathers on the day that I took them by the hand to leave them out of the land of Egypt he's speaking of the old covenant for they did not continue in my covenant and I did not care for them says the Lord for this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel and he's reiterating what was spoken in Jeremiah after those days I will put my loss into their minds or their hearts and I will write them on their hearts I will be their guide and they should be my people and they shall not teach everyone his fellow citizen and everyone his brother saying know the Lord for all will know me from the least of the grace of him in that time even if you are tone for your you are faithful in Israel you still needed someone to tell you about the Lord you won't need that anymore they don't need that anymore for I will be merciful to their iniquities and I will remember their sins no more this is piggybacking off of Jeremiah as well as Daniel 9 when he said a new covenant has made the first obsolete but whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear so before we go to chapter 9 you should have a good picture of what was happening and what will be happening and how Jesus is now fulfilling these requirements so in verse 6 chapter 9 now when these things have been so prepared the priests are continually notice that continually entering the outer tabernacle performing the divine worship but into the second only the high priest enters once a year not without taking blood which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance the Holy Spirit is signifying this that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing which is assembled for the present time accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worship perfect in kinds in other words these offerings are not going to make you in your mind feeling guilt-free your conscience is still going to be bothered by the fact that is if you are true it's still going to be bothered by the fact that you still sin that has to be dealt with he says since they relate only to food and drink and various washings and regulations for the body imposed until a time of reformation that's what he's given he's that's what he's speaking about now what Jesus is doing but when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come look what he says he entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands that is to say not of this creation and not through the blood of goats and calves but through his own blood and there's a reason why he's stating his own blood remember in comparison to what we said about the old covenant and and leviticus 16 and 17 says he entered the holy place once for all one time having obtained eternal redemption that's important guys he obtained eternal redemption so that he does it one time those who have been afflicted in their souls are repentant and have placed their faith in what was done for this perpetuation that was paid the redemption was eternal there's not an ongoing sacrifice need to be made there's not an ongoing repentance needs to be made it was made once everything was done once and the redemption is eternal so if you were redeemed you have been redeemed eternally that's important guys again it's necessary to understand how the atonement works whether a person understands it or not doesn't change how it works but it's beneficial to understand how it works there that way you can have some comfort some confidence you can be at ease which is what the writer of Hebrews is trying to do to these Jewish believers he says verse 13 for if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling with those who have been defiled defiled the sanctified defiled who have been defiled sanctified for the cleansing of the flesh how much more notice this how much more will the blood of Christ who through the eternal spirit offered himself without limbs to God so if the blood of bulls and goats did this not only for one year it was temporary how much more would the blood of Christ do this wouldn't be a temporary thing just like like the blood of bulls and goats this would be even better that's why it says how much more would it cleanse your conscious also going to the latter part of it would it cleanse your conscious from dead works to serve a living god you don't have to have this guilt your conscious is clear to do what to serve a living god no more worrying about lord god i'm not worthy to serve you well no we get that part but you have been cleansed you are now in right standing to serve alert which to serve the lord which is why he says in regards to your salvation he didn't say work out your salvation in other words work to get your salvation but in view of your salvation and we look at the the ordering of the word especially in the Greek in view of your salvation then work work because of your salvation so he says in verse 15 of chapter 9 for this reason he is the mediator of a new covenant so that since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed this is past transgressions that were committed their redemption has been taken has taken place under the first covenant those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance for where a covenant is there must of necessity be the death of one who made it so here's how we also can point to something else it says the person who makes the covenant there must be a death notice what it says there must be a necessity be the death of the one who made it very important to understand as well when i leave a will a covenant a testament the beneficiaries don't receive that until when until i die until there is a death why is that important well who makes this covenant god does well who has to die well and he's saying the person that made the covenant well going back to leviticus 17 chapter 11 i myself have given the blood put that on pause for a second but he stated the person that makes a covenant is his word for a covenant is valid only when i'm sorry verse 16 back to verse 16 where covenant is there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it for a covenant is valid only when men are dead for it is never enforced while the one who made it lives are you are you getting this picture we're speaking about jesus who is god who makes this covenant therefore verse 18 even the first covenant was not inaugurated without blood for when every commandment has has been made has been i'm sorry for when every commandment had been spoken by moses to all the people according to the law he took the blood of the calves and the goats with water and scarlet and wool and his and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people saying this is the blood of the new covenant which i commanded you and in the same way he sprinkled both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry with the blood and according to the law one may almost say all things are cleansed with the blood and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness so there needs to be this shedding of blood in order therefore there to be this remission or this forgiveness of sin there has to be this taking away of sin the greek word that's used here for forgiveness is the greek word aphasis which is to remove to release to forgive remission there's no longer anything left after this is forgiven there's no longer anything left after it's been released after it's been remitted there's nothing there no more payment is needed that's important understand verse 23 therefore it was necessary here's an important point it was necessary for the copies of the things in heaven to be cleansed with these but the heavenly things themselves which better sacrifice than these that is christ what he's doing for christ not enter a holy place made with hands a mere copy of the true one but into heaven itself now to appear in the presence of god for us on behalf of us he's the mediator he's the go between on the side of man on the side of god to do what to appear in the presence of god for us nor was it that he would offer himself often as the high priest enters the holy place year by year without blood that is not his own he didn't have to do that but the high priest is entering into the tent into this place with blood that doesn't belong to him someone else is paying the debt for him jesus doesn't have to do that there is no sin attached to him except the one that god puts on him on our behalf verse 26 otherwise he's making a contrast between the priests having to go every year year after year versus Jesus having to do it one time otherwise verse 26 he would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world but now once at the consummation of the ages he has been made he has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself in this word for manifestation is the word reveals not that he became something it's just been revealed it's been revealed to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself so he's dealing with sin what does that mean to put away sin when we say putting away sin that means we're putting away sin just like the scapegoat never to be seen again which sin past present and future guys there you cannot miss this guys past present and future guys he's doing exactly what was done under the old covenant which sins were atoned for for that one year past present future up until the following year the problem is you have to do it every year year after year after year but you stand in right standing with him until the next time are you with me well in this case you stand in right standing with god until the next atonement well there won't be another atonement so you stand in in right standing with god forever and in as much as it is pointed for men to die once and after this becomes a judgment so christ also having been offered once to bear the sins of many will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin to those who equally awaited point of this for these users understand is that the next time that he appears is not to make another atonement there won't be another atonement needed to be made this time he's coming to pick us up this is where he says i go to prayer place if i go to prayer place i'm coming back for you so now chapter 10 he says for the law since it has only a shadow the good things that come and not the very former things can never by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year make perfect those who draw near understand this they couldn't make you perfect continually being offered year by year by year or wouldn't it be odd if jesus's blood or jesus's sacrifice or jesus himself would have to make the same thing have to do the same thing year after year after year after year after year no that would be that would be much of a difference it wouldn't be much of a difference for them to have to have their sins atone for every time that they fell away every time they lost their way every time that they fell out of right standing if you fall out of right standing then you would need something to atone for you to put you back in right standing but there won't be anything that will be offered to put you back in right standing why because what was offered the first time is good enough forever continuing otherwise verse two would they not have ceased to be offered because the worshippers having once been cleansed would no longer have had an occasion or consciousness to sin so if they could if it could have been done with that it would have been done if the one offering would have been enough it would have been but they weren't so we found or god gave us an offering that was good enough one time being offered that will have us redeemed eternally verse three but in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year in this case there should not be a reminder of your sin let me just say this there are those that will always want to remind you of your sins someone on the outside or also yourself that is not what is what is after the enemy wants you to be reminded of your sin anyone that does or says that you are literally going against what god is trying to do the whole point and purpose of christ on the cross so some outside person reminding you of your sin you did all of these things that's what the enemy is supposed to do you yourself don't be don't be your worst enemy also by by remembering or reminding yourself of all your sins did you sin yes can you learn from them yes don't do those again fine but you are not guilty anymore that's the point we'll come to that in a second for it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins they can't take away sins that's the point taking away sins sins are not taking taken away if i have to be reminded of them every year and i have to deal with them every year if i have to deal with them continually then they haven't been taken away so what can take them away to where i don't have to deal with these ever again by the way it's it's of note that also this word of faces is also as a matter of fact it's two words this is the shoes here it's affa fame which is it's the infinitive form of a faces but it's also apa which kind of adds a little extra to it and is an infinitive which means i'm kind of in the i'm in the habit of this happening this is happening this is gone i don't have to worry about or the state of i don't have to worry about these sins being taken away because they have already been taken i don't have to deal with them anymore even though i still might see and i still have these issues does not mean that they were neglected by god that he neglected to deal with those no i'll get past those i'll grow and overcome those even as people will see me struggle they'll see me overcoming those sin and then also see my good work they'll glorify god that's important but now here's more important here's a big point that i want to get to having said that it's impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins but he says therefore when he comes into the world he says that's jesus sacrifices and offerings you have not desired so all those sacrifices and offerings that's not what you're after but a body you have prepared for me why is that important because remember we have to go back to leviticus 1711 where he says that i will give you the blood on the altar and we use this we look at this term over here the Hebrew i need i i have given so i i myself have given the blood how do you give the blood since you don't have a body jesus god well this is where he comes back in and says a body you have prepared for me that is jesus in whole and burnt offerings sacrifices for sin you have taken no pleasure then i said behold i have come in the scroll of the book that is written of me to do your will what is his will now i want to drop down and look what he says verse nine then he said behold i have come to do your will he takes away the first and or to establish a second by this look what he says we by this will we have been it's important we will have been sanctified through the offering of jesus christ's body or the body of jesus christ once for all so any believer who has placed their faith in christ through this offering through this atonement you have been as he says sanctified through that offering how long how many times once how long does it last for all once for all it won't have to happen again and so matter of fact look what it says in verse 11 he says every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices which can never take away sins wait a minute didn't they take away sins at that time it's temporary so he's not talking about a temporary taking way of sin he's talking about a permanent take away taking away of sin it can never these offering can never completely fully permanently take away sins but he that's jesus having offered one sacrifice for all sins for all time and he is perfected for all time verse four those who are sanctified so we have for he perfected us even though i don't feel very perfected but in far as as far as he's concerned it has happened and there's a sanctifying process that we go through until we ultimately reach him in the fullness of him to being in his full presence but he looks at us in that way why and here's the important point guys we no longer have a debt that's over for him that's the whole point of the atonement the atonement means that there is no longer a debt oaths why use the analogy early on about the person who stole the watch and then paid me what i required gave me what i wanted then i can no longer hold that over their head in other word his debt like a person's gone to prison come out his debt is paid to society in this case our debt has been paid to god we know that for a fact because paul tells in collusion 214 having canceled out the certificate of debt this debt that we owe god consisting of decrees against us which was hostile to us what happened he has taken out of the way having nailed it that it was the it our debt to the cross the debt that was owed on our behalf to god was nailed to the cross and to make this even clear paul had to say this jesus says jesus says in john 1930 therefore when jesus had received the sour wine he said it is finished this term to tell us die is the perfect tense which is a completed action that happened in the past he's literally referring to the reason why he came he's literally referring to the plan that was enacted in leviticus 71 or that we hear about it was that actually enacted long before then but this plan is now coming to fruition to tell us die is a past action perfect tense past action it's a completed action from the past and what it really conveys is a debt that has been paid if you go back and if you can find writings from the first century even before the first century that are in greek you'll find this the stamp on any bill of sale a deed once the final payment is made you will see this to tell us die meaning that there is no longer a debt oh it has been finished it is complete that's what jesus says that's what the writer recounts and there's no longer a debt so if we understand the atonement that that is our salvation is the picture for our salvation and not really the picture for our salvation it is our salvation we have been atoned for to be in right standing how can a person who's in right standing not being right standing well there must be a debt the debt however has been paid paid in full and there will no longer be a requirement by god to say the debt that you paid is insufficient this person now on second thought has more of a debt that's owed that's not going to happen so if you understand the atonement then you'll understand salvation and you'll understand that what was done for you to you on behalf of you for the glory of god is complete and you can never lose