Perfected for all time. How often do we take these words for granted in our age? How easily do we forget the tremendous blessing God has given to us in our eternal redemption? Our Author speaks here to a generation that had only known the sacrificial system of the Mosaic Covenant. So often our spiritual ancestors would march to Jerusalem to make sacrifices for their sins and the sins of their family. The priests constantly going over and over to the altar of God to cover and make payment for the transgressions we commit. Day in, day out, constantly reminded that the blood of goats and calves cannot clean us permanently. Wash us off and we so quickly return to our mud.

 

    Is this not our daily lives? Fighting against the sin in our hearts and seeing ourselves fail. Knowing how deep the well goes and how far we are from the perfect standard of righteousness God calls us too. Greed in our jobs, lust in our communities, pride in our hearts, selfish desires lead us and work themselves out in our lives. Fear of failure, the guilt and shame of sin, always a reminder of the wickedness that lives in the human heart. For so long the people of God came and went, repeating the same sacrifices and never becoming fully clean.

 

    But then in steps Jesus, the Lord of Glory. Our spotless Lamb and Great High Priest comes to pay our debt and wash us. Not just our past sins, only removing the stain of what we have done. His perfect atonement makes clean "for all time" those for whom it was offered. The wrath our sin deserves is removed, our filthiness purged, and our hearts cleansed in the blood of the Lamb of God. 

 

     It is the wrath of God against sin that Jesus paid for, and the sanctification of His people. He takes our sin upon Himself in His perfect person and gives us His perfect obedience. When God looks at His people He sees the flawless righteousness of Christ, accounting us just by His redemption. The Great Exchange, my sin for His righteousness. My flaws for His flawlessness, my shame for His glory, my empty deeds for His fullness and life.

 

    Meditate on the satisfaction of Christ. His work is complete and perfect for His people. No gaps, no doubts, only the surety that our redemption is purchased.