Jesus, the Spotless Sacrifice

But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 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. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. . . . Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. (Hebrews 9:11:14, 25–26)

In something only God would do, not only is Jesus the Great High Priest and mediator of the New Covenant, but He was also the sacrifice that sealed the covenant. In the Old Testament, covenants were often sealed with blood by means of a sacrifice. Under the Old Covenant given to Israel, many different animal sacrifices were required to be made, either for specific sins (“I sinned, therefore I must sacrifice”) or at specific times of the year (the Day of Atonement). The author of Hebrews tells us that “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 sacrifices always had to be unblemished, with nothing wrong with them. They had to be in perfect health. This was particularly true of the sacrifices for sin. The bulls and goats used had to be firstborn and without spot or blemish. That’s all well and good, but as we noted in a previous post, there were some weakenesses in the sacrificial system.

The sacrifices were not human. Israel used the blood of bulls and goats in their sacrifies. But in order to actually remove sin, the sacrifice would have to be human. The author of Hebrews bluntly puts it this way: “For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4). How did this work then? Were the sacrifices pointless? Not at all. The people sacrificed in faith, and God honored their faith by accepting their sacrifices and agreeing to count their sin as atoned for or covered. Yet the sin remained, which brings us to the next problem.

The sins of the people were not done away with. Though God counted the sins of the people as covered when they sacrificed according to the law, the sin remained. It was not actually paid for. Not only that, but the very sacrifices reminded the people of their sin! The author of Hebrews says once again,

For since the law . . . it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. (Hebrews 10:1–3)

The point of a sacrifice is the put away sin. This the law did not and could not do. So, debt of sin continued to mount. This is what Paul means when he writes of the record of debt in Colossians 2:14. That record continued to accumulate until Christ came. Only by His sacrifice was that gigantic debt paid.

The Better Sacrifice

Now, let’s talk about Jesus. When John the Baptizer introduced Jesus to some disciples, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29; 36). He identified Jesus as the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world. How could one man’s sacrifice take away the sin of the world? Four reasons:

Jesus was and is human. This may seem obvious, but it needs to be stated. Some deny that Jesus was fully human, but that is not the biblical record. He was 100% human, and thus His sacrifice could take the place of humans.

Jesus was spotless. Even though the animals sacrificed under the old covenant were said to be spotless, even they were stained with sin and corruption due to the fall. All of creation was impacted by the fall, including animals. Jesus, however, was born perfect. He was untainted by sin. He was the true spotless lamb. Thus, while the Old Testament sacrifices were acceptable, His was perfect.

Jesus was and is divine. As God-incarnate, Jesus remained 100% divine. He cannot cease to be who He is, the eternal Son of God, coequal with the Father. As God-incarnate, His sacrifice is an eternal sacrifice, more than sufficient for the sins of all humanity. Hebrews says, “For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.”

Jesus’ sacrifice was once-for-all. As we read earlier, the sacrifices of old were offered day in and day out, year after year. They were unending because they were imperfect and unable to take away son. Jesus’ sacrifice, however, was done once for all. This is why He said from the cross, “It is finished” (John 19:30) and sat down at the right hand of the Father (Hebrews 10;12). Mission accomplished, the debt was paid. Because of His sacrifice, there remains no more sacrifice for sins (Hebrews 10:18, 26).

For those who trust Christ, we have the Father’s word. He had forgiven us, our sins are gone, and He remembers them no more.. This thanks to Jesus, the spotless Lamb of God, our sacrifice.