Once for all

Hebrews 7:26-27 For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. We have much to be encouraged about when we consider that Jesus’ sacrifice of Himself was once for all. The author contrasted the effectiveness and sufficiency of Jesus’ one-time sacrifice for sins with the repeated, daily sacrifices the earthly high priests had to make in the temple. Because every priest was a sinner, he first had to offer a sacrifice for his own sins before offering sacrifices for the people. However, Jesus never sinned, so the sacrifice of Himself was an offering without moral blemish or stain. His offering was perfect and pleasing to God, so it only had to be offered once for all. Is. 53:10 declares this reality. “If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand.” This great truth gives us confidence to enter into the presence of God for help to trust and love in Jesus’ name.  Jesus entered the presence of His Father with His own blood as the offering for sin one time for all who were given to Him by the Father. The following verses highlight the power and sufficiency of Jesus’ once for all offering. Hebrews 9:12 says, “And not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.” Hebrews 10:10 “By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”  1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit.” Once for all can also mean, not just one time for all people, but one time for all of time. That’s the idea in Hebrews 10:14, “For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.” Our confidence in Christ will last until the end of time. His offering was so powerful that it covered all of our sins, once for all, for all of time.  This is great encouragement to us who are intentionally seeking to love with Jesus all the days of our lives. We need help, and this verse encourages us that when we fail, it’s covered by Jesus’ blood. When we need help, His blood speaks for us and gives us confidence that we will receive mercy and grace to love when we ask for it. We glorify God by boldly approaching His throne of grace through the sacrifice of Jesus, our high priest. The more we do so, the more God is glorified through His Son. Jesus’ once for all sacrifice of Himself invites us to daily add to God’s glory every time we seek His help to live to love with Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit.