The book of Hebrews is commonly quoted off point and out of context to demonstrate that we have no current need of the Levitical Priesthood.  This simply is not true, rather, Hebrews proves that not only does the law of God still exist today, but so should the Levitcal Priesthood.  To get a better understanding of  theTabernacle and the Levitical Priesthood please watch my video "The Sacrificial System. 

Forgiveness vs. Perfection:

          Chapter ten is a continuation of chapters eight and nine, which is the "main point" of the book of Hebrews.  "For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect" (Heb. 10:1).  It is clear that the law spoken of here is the law regarding the Day of Atonement and it's sacrifice.  This sacrifice was done "year by year" and was to atone for the sins of the high priest and the people of God (Lev. 16:34).  Although this sacrifice forgave them of their sins, it did not make them "perfect."  If it did, they would no longer need to sacrifice (Heb. 10:2).  Within these sacrifices is the, "remembrance again made of sins every year" (Heb. 10:3).  Why the remembrance, because it is impossible, "that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins" (Heb. 10:4).  Here is a confusing section of scripture.  The phrases "take away sins" and "make the comers thereunto perfect" are not referring to forgiveness.  The Greek word for "perfect" is teleioō and means "to complete, accomplish, consecrate, finish, fulfil, (make) perfect" (Strong's Concordance - G5048).  The Greek word for "take away" is aphaireō which means "to remove - cut off, take away" (Strong's Concordance - G851).  The writer is speaking of removing sin from a life.  The blood of bulls and goats forgave them year after year, but it did not give them the ability to keep God's commandments.  If it did, the sacrifice would have "ceased to be offered" because they no longer sinned (Heb. 10:2).  The new covenant gives us the power to "walk in the spirit" and "not fulfil the lust of the flesh" (Gal. 5:16).  Under the new covenant we now have the power to keep God's commandments.  This can only be done with the Holy Spirit, which is what distinguishes the old covenant from the new.  The Messiah issued in the Holy Spirit which causes us "to walk in [His] statutes, and ... keep [His] judgments, and do them" (Eze. 36:27).

          This is why, "Sacrifice and offering [God] wouldest not, but a body hast [God] prepared me" (Heb. 10:5).  "In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin [God] hast had no pleasure" (Heb. 10:6).  The blood of bulls and goats may offer forgiveness for a year, but it does not remove the sin from your life (Heb. 10:11).  A perfect sacrifice is required.  Verse 11 uses the word "daily ministering" in the same way as in Heb. 7:27.  This is still referring to the continual nature of the Day of Atonement offering, though not offered daily.  John Gil says of this verse, "the Syriac and Ethiopic versions, read, "every high priest."  This is still referring to the work of the high priest on the Day of Atonement.  "Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God" (Heb. 10:7-8).  The Messiah did God's will, according to all the scriptures, which made Him the perfect sacrifice.  This perfect sacrifice, "taketh away the first, that he may establish the second" (Heb. 10:9).  The Day of Atonement sacrifice has been taken away, or rather, made manifest by the Holy Spirit (Heb. 9:8), and replaced by the perfect sacrifice of the Messiah of Israel.  By this new covenant, "we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all" (Heb. 10:10).  Keep in mind, we are speaking of sanctification, not justification, though the Messiah brought both.  We are justified by the death, burial, and resurrection of the Messiah, but we are sanctified by the promised Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit's responsibilities are to "teach us all things" (John 14:26), to "testify" of the Messiah (John 15:26), and to "reprove the world of sin" (John 16:8-11).  God promised to give us His spirit so we might "walk in [His] statutes, and ... keep [His] judgments, and do them" (Eze. 36:27).  The sacrifice of the Messiah brought us justification and the Holy Spirit brings us sanctification.  The old covenant forgave them "year by year" with bulls and goats, but it did not "sanctify" them and make them "perfect."  The new covenant, by the Holy Spirit, does "sanctify" us and make us "perfect", if we "walk in the spirit" and "not fulfil the lust of the flesh" (Gal. 5:16).  Please see my articles on justification and sanctification for more on these topics.

          Many people get confused and assume that the entire levitical priesthood is abolished.  Hebrews 10:11 says, "And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins."  This, in my opinion, is a poor translation.  The phrase, "standeth daily" leads people to believe that the daily sacrifices are what is referred to here.  Please keep in mind the context is clearly the Day of Atonement offerings.  In fact, some of the earliest manuscripts of Hebrews (ethiopic and syriac) use the word for high priest instead of priest.  This is still speaking of the Day of Atonement sacrifices, not the daily sacrifices.  If you remember back to Heb. 7:27, the same phrase is used and it is clearly referring to the Day of Atonement sacrifices that the High Priest offered for himself and then for the people.  The High Priest never offered the daily sacrifices.  We are still speaking of the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement.  What this verse is saying is that the high priest offered the Day of Atonement sacrifices continually.  It was this law that was transfered to heaven, which is why the vail tore to the Holy of Holies, not the vail to the Holy Place.
 

A full pardon:

          After the Messiah offered Himself as the sacrifice for sins, He "sat down on the right hand of God" (Heb. 10:12).  Here He waits "till his enemies be made his footstool" (Heb. 10:13).  This position in heaven He earned by the "one offering" He made which "perfected for ever them that are sanctified" (Heb. 10:14).  This word "perfected" is the same Greek word as before, teleioō which means "to complete, accomplish, consecrate, finish, fulfil, (make) perfect" (Strong's Concordance - G5048).  This is further evidence that the new covenant is better in that it brings the Holy Spirit to aid in the practice of God's law.  This new covenant has the ability to not only forgive sins, but make us perfect.  The writer continues this thought by quoting the book of Jeremiah.  The Holy Spirit confirms this by inspiring Jeremiah to write, "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them.  And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more" (Heb. 10:15-16).  The writer then concludes that, "where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin" (Heb. 10:17).  The word for, "remission" is aphesis which literally means "freedom; pardon: - deliverance, forgiveness, liberty, remission" (Strong's Concordance - G859).  We have now been pardoned from all our sins, which is why there is no more, "offering for sin" (Heb. 10:18).

          Since we have a full pardon of our sins, we can now have, "boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus" (Heb. 10:19).  This is a, "new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh" (Heb. 10:20).  Though "the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest", we now know, that the way was made, "through the veil", or through the Messiah's "flesh."  Since we now have a, "high priest over the house of God" (Heb. 10:21) we should, "draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water." (Heb. 10:22).  This is what was, "shadowed" beforehand.  The high priest being washed with water (Lev. 16:4) and the mercy seat sprinkled with blood (Lev. 16:14) shadows our bodies being "washed with pure water" and our "hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience."  As a result, we should, "hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering" for the Messiah was faithful to us (Heb. 10:23).  We should, "consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works" (Heb. 10:24) and avoid, "forsaking the assembling of ourselves together" (Heb. 10:25).  The assembly here spoken of surely is the Sabbath assembly instituted by God (Num. 28:25).

          Though our pardon is freely given by grace, we are not to forsake God's Holy Law.  "For if we sin (break God's law - 1 John 3:4) wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins.  But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries" (Heb. 10:26-27).  We cannot take advantage of the grace of God and sacrifice the Messiah over and over.  If we do willfully sin we should fear "judgment" for "whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth" (Heb. 12:6).  Just as under Moses' law you were punished for your sins, how much more so under grace (Heb. 10:28-29).  Remember, "Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord.  And again, The Lord shall judge his people," (Heb. 10:30) and, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Heb. 10:31).  This is nothing new, but now it is renewed with greater promises.  Under the old covenant, God was, "the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations" (Deut. 7:9).  God has always kept His covenant (disciplined His people) and showed mercy with those that love him and keep his commandments.  This is God's duty under the old covenant.  He was to give curses and blessing for following His law.  Our duty was to follow God's commandments.  Under the new covenant we still have the same duty to follow God's law, but now the Holy Spirit has made manifest that the death, burial, and resurrection of the Messiah is the way into the Holy of Holies (Heb. 9:8).  This has given us the Holy Spirit and grace to learn God's law and follow it.

          The chapter is concluded by, "calling to remembrance" the former days when the Hebrews received, "afflictions" for their faith in the Messiah (Heb. 10:32-33).  They are reminded of their, "compassion" and how they suffered loss for the sake of the Messiah, but have a, "better substance" in heaven (Heb. 10:34).  This should not affect their faith for they should, "cast not away [their] confidence" because it has great potential for reward in heaven (Heb. 10:35).  For if they continue with patience and do the will of God, they will "receive the promise" (Heb. 10:36).  They should continue this course untill the Messiah comes again (Heb. 10:37).  We are to put our faith in the Messiah of Israel to forgive us of our sins, then we are to learn and practice the Law of God, the end result is a reward in heaven for our faithfulness.  To continue this study in chapter eleven click here.

By Steve Siefken
 

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Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth

not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

2 Timothy 2:15 KJV