Christ, future sin, repentance

This post is to look at Christ.

Hebrews 10:11-16 says:

"And every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; 12 but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time onward until his enemies be made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. 15 and the Holy Spirit bears witness to us for after saying, 'This is the covenant that I will make with them, after those days, says the lord: I will put my laws upon their heart, and upon their mind I will write them,' he then says 'and their sins and their lawless deeds, i will remember no more.'

Christ is above the previous priesthood. His sacrifice is sufficient for all time. This means past, present, and future. There is no other sacrifice. Furthermore, verse 13 refers to the rule of Christ over all. This is link to the authority of Christ in his rule. It is Christ's reign sitting at the right hand of God after his ascension. This is seen in Acts and earlier Hebrews.

For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, The Lord said to my Lord, 'Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.' Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified" (Acts. 2:34-36). ' This is also the place that Christ iintercedes for his saints below.

Hebrews elsewhere says there is no way that the sacrifice of Christ can be repeated. Here it is for all time. It is by necessity that future sin is covered by Christ. Christ is in full agreement with God, The Father in fact. The intercessions of Christ by his blood will always be answered for His people, the church universal. One cannot say that Christ saves if one has to keep themselves by works. What began in the spirit cannot be completed in the flesh.

Christ furthermore has perfected all those who are sanctified by this one sacrifice. It is perfect, complete, and finished! The Greek word for perfect agrees with the notion of completeness! Christ on the cross said it is finished! He meant all of it as he offered himself upon the cross. Christ saves to the utmost. It does not allow a 'Saved from what?' question. If one be damned by a sin after being a believer then the sacrifice is not for all time! It is not complete, perfect, and finished! This presents a problem if salvation is not secured. How can sins be punished a second time if they were paid in Christ. Wouldn't this make God unjust?

One may argue with me that this gives a free licence to sin. Absolutely not, The one who says "Relax be merry, I have worked up enough merit in my soul." is still under judgment. The merit that they trust in is not Christ's. They are still condemned.

Now to contrast this with a true believer. The righteous shall live by faith. Men are sanctified, set apart and made holy, by the blood of Christ upon justification and faith. Our hearts are said to be sprinkled clean. I don't believe that this means that we sanctify ourselves. Sanctification would better be described as living out the reality of our identity in Christ. It is living out the reality because we are walking by faith and not by sight. If people were to trust in Christ, they would be sure to realize that he demands almost everything but requires nothing. The pressure comes not from the duty but from the desire and need to give him worship for all that he has done. Romans 12 calls our actions our spiritual act of worship.

It is a sad thing these days to see Christians who do not worship the Christ who bought them. I do not believe that such total ingratitude is possible in those who have truly received salvation. Either, they do not believe or they still have a heart of stone. To have a heart of stone is to be unconverted, they are unmoved by the influences of God. They are the 'depart, I never knew you crowd.' Why is it that these people can show such ingratitude? How is it that they can treat the blood and salvation of christ as such a common thing to be thrown upon the ground by their actions. I can find no other answer than being unconverted because Christians -must- worship God in both spirit and in truth. I could almost say that is who we are. God is the one who wills and works within us. We walk in the works that he has prepared before hand. We are his workmanship.

In addition, Christ, more or less, in the new covenant has promised to rake any backsliding believers over the coals until they repent. This includes repenting of sin and turning toward God to glorify and worship Him. It is to switch sides completely. Such repentance must occur in believers. The laws of God are place within our hearts. Our inner man shall in time be made to agree with the goodness of God's law and we will agree with the odiousness of our sin in due time. It is to know the difference between the warmth of God and the fire of sin. No repentance can happen before this. This repentance be escaped either. The constant presence of the holy spirit and the intercession of christ are ever present to help us in our weaknesses. The trinity here acts in unison they are both effective, united and omnipotent. They are also do not differ in mind with the Father. Repentance cannot happen without God or without His grace. For a believer, grace will always be suffiecent. Just as in first John we see a trend, it is not that we loved christ but that Christ first loved us.

Finally, Jude 24 says that God is the only one able to keep us. There are no lost sheep in the flock of God. I could quote the verses of Jesus leading us by waters and others about him being a shepherd. Then quote the parable about the lost sheep/lost coin but I would rather not. It should be abundantly clear this complete salvation is from Christ's sacrifice. Hebrews 10:14 suggest such because of the completeness of the sacrifice. I do not believe that anything was left out. It was by the very worth of Christ's blood that everything was bought. Furthermore, Christ did not make bricks without straw. Christ secured the continual repentance of all who believe. Christ intercedes for all who believe. Finally, this includes Christ securing the faith of all who believe. To know the extent of this salvation we have received, beyond just present and past sin is to judge the worth of Christ's death rightly.

We were transfered from a kingdom of darkness to a kingdom of light. Not just for a short time but an infinite time. The distance of such a transformation is too much to calculate. Our debt against an infinite holy God who perfect angels dare not approach. This required the very death of God in human flesh. It is not that he saved us for now but rather he saved us for eternity. All the praise and all the glory be onto God forever and ever. Amen