And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary. (Hebrews 10:18)
Today’s verse brings us full
circle. We began with the notion that forgiveness requires sacrifice. Now, the
author of Hebrews says that forgiveness doesn’t require sacrifice. Which is it? Is Scripture being contradictory?
I don’t believe so. First, there is the fact
that the sacrificial system described in Leviticus was part of the Old
Covenant. Christ fulfilled the law
through His death and resurrection, and we live under the New Covenant. The
formal requirement of sacrifice has been set aside.
Secondly, and more importantly,
the passage in Leviticus requiring sacrifice approached the topic of
forgiveness from the present. Those who seek forgiveness must sacrifice. The
act of forgiveness requires sacrifice from the one who forgives. Today’s verse deals
with forgiveness in the past tense. The people involved have made their sacrifices.
Forgiveness has been granted. And for those to whom forgiveness has been granted,
sacrifice for that sin is no longer necessary.
Sometimes we understand this.
We ask why someone who has made a “mistake” should be required to pay for it
for the rest of their lives. With the next breath, we may pronounce that someone
should pay for their inappropriate behavior for the rest of their lives – there
is no sacrifice big enough to earn forgiveness for that sin. The moment another sin is uncovered, the old
sin is trotted out. Even without a new sin, the old is always there, always
standing between the sinner and the victim.
Today’s verse tells us that true forgiveness means no revisiting what has been forgiven. There
may be consequences of sin. If you kill someone and ask for and receive
forgiveness from the family, that doesn’t mean you don’t go to jail. Being forgiven may not result in your being granted full trust or access to the
person you sinned against. But it does mean that the person harmed by the sin no longer seeks to harm the sinner.
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