All Beholding Beauty devotionals are written as short, worshipful reflections to help you meditate on God’s Word.
“he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.” – Hebrews 9:12
The priests in the old covenant would enter the first section (i.e. the Holy Place) of the tabernacle or temple on a regular basis in order to perform their ritual duties (Hebrews 9:6). The high priest, however, would enter the second section (i.e. the Most Holy Place) only once a year to offer a sacrifice for the sins of himself and the people. “Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins” (Hebrews 9:22).
The Once-and-For-All Sacrifice
The priests needed to do this year after year because “it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.” It is here that we see that the old covenant sacrifices were pointing ahead to the once-and-for-all sacrifice that would truly accomplish forgiveness of sins! Jesus is the substitute for sinful humanity! He is the perfectly righteous One who came to be the “lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29)!
Jesus didn’t enter the tabernacle or temple; He entered heaven itself (Hebrews 9:24) to appear before God on our behalf! Jesus didn’t offer the blood of bulls and goats, but He offered His very own life as a ransom for His people.
The result of Jesus’ substitutionary, sacrificial death on our behalf is absolutely staggering. It is this: the “securing [of] of an eternal redemption” (Hebrews 9:12)! Let those words really sink in. Securing. Eternal. Redemption.
Allow me to work backwards. First, redemption.
Those who rest upon Jesus Christ for their salvation have experienced redemption. They have been bought with a price (1 Cor. 6:20; 7:23) and the result is forgiveness of their sins (Ephesians 1:7).
This redemption is eternal, meaning that one cannot lose it. It will last forevermore! Those who are in Christ will never finally fall away from Him! Instead, they are forever secure in the loving, good, perfect hands of God! The Christian’s eternal redemption is secure, and they will never be separated from the Triune God!
“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:28).
Oh Christian, delight in your eternal redemption that has been secured for you by the perfect, righteous, risen Christ! We will forevermore enjoy the blessed Trinity, and it’s all because of our perfect High Priest, the one who entered into heaven on our behalf!
Did you know? We publish a new Beholding Beauty devotional each week! View all Beholding Beauty devotionals.
Matt became a joyful follower of Jesus at the age of 21. He is very grateful to be a husband to Lindsey, and a father to four boys. He is an ordained minister (teaching elder) in the PCA. He previously served as a pastor of biblical counseling and is currently a corporate chaplain in southern Delaware. Matt received his Master of Divinity degree in Biblical Counseling from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and holds an advanced certification in biblical counseling from the Association of Biblical Counselors. In his free time, he loves playing with his boys, traveling with his wife, and reading (and buying!) books.
Leave a Reply