The Best-Kept Secret of Redemption

In Hebrews 9, the author contrasted the Old Covenant way of doing things with the New Covenant way of doing things.

In the Old Covenant, every time a person sinned, there had to be an offering to atone for that sin. There had to be an animal sacrifice, and blood had to be shed for sin every single time a sin was committed. But under the New Covenant, Jesus entered into the holy place once and obtained eternal redemption for us.

But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once Excellence 110 into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. Hebrews 9:11-12

Ephesians 1:7 and Colossians 1:14 are identical verses which state that we have received redemption or the forgiveness of our sins.

In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace. Ephesians 1:7

In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:14

The biblical definition of redemption is the forgiveness of sins. We just read Hebrews 9:12 telling us that Jesus entered into the holy place once to obtain eternal forgiveness of our sins. Yet many Christians think that every time they sin, it’s a new offense against God—they are once again rejected and there will be varying degrees of punishment because of their sin. Some ultra-Pentecostals believe that every time Christians sin they lose their salvation, become backslidden, and need to get born again, again.

A similar interpretation of this is that we won’t necessarily lose our salvation when we sin, but we will lose our fellowship with God, and He will no longer answer our prayers or use us if we have sin in our lives. It’s like having a stick with total rejection on one end and partial rejection on the other, but the whole stick still speaks of rejection. But none of this is true. God has forgiven us of all sins—past, present, and even future sins. All sins have been forgiven through Christ.

The veil wasn’t torn in two to give us access into the holy of holies only until the next time we sin. The veil does not come back together and separate us once again from God until we put our sins under the blood. No, God forgave all of our past, present, and future sins when we were born again.

You’re Going to Sin

I know some of you are thinking, How can God forgive a sin before it’s committed? Jesus only died once for your sins 2000 years ago. If He can’t forgive a sin before you commit it, you can’t be saved because you hadn’t committed any sins yet when He died for them. He died for all of our sins. First John 2:2 says that Jesus died for the sins of the whole world:

And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

The atonement has already been made for the sins of the whole world. When Hebrews 9:12 tells us that Jesus “entered in once . . . having obtained eternal redemption for us,” this isn’t talking about momentary redemption just until the next time we sin. If I really believed that every time you sin you lose your salvation, become backslidden, and have to get born again, again, I’d do you a service to kill you the moment you got saved. I might go to hell, but the only way you’d ever get to heaven is to have someone kill you right at that moment, because I can guarantee you that you will sin again.

James 4:17 says “to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” Sin isn’t only when you break the “big ten.” Some Christians categorize sins into cardinal sins versus acceptable sins, but there are no acceptable sins with God.

Look what James said in chapter 2:

For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. James 2:10

If you believe that you could somehow or another never sin, then you don’t understand that when you fail to be the person you’re supposed to be you are sinning. It’s not just when you break a direct command. If husbands don’t love their wives the way they’re supposed to, or if wives don’t reverence their husbands the way they’re supposed to, then they’re sinning. We may be doing better than we’ve ever done before, and we may be doing better than other people, but none of us is perfect; therefore, we’re sinning.

None of us loves each other and thinks about others more than we think about ourselves. All of us are failing to be perfect as we’re supposed to be. If you believe that by having sin in your life God won’t accept you, then get saved and let me kill you immediately. That’s the only way you’re ever going to maintain your holiness and get to heaven.

Turkeys, Eagles, and Sin Consciousness

This is why most Christians have no confidence or boldness in their relationship with God. They’re still living under the Law and are constantly aware of their shortcomings. There was a man named Peter Lord who used to preach a message called “Turkeys and Eagles.” It’s a classic message about how, as Christians, we’re supposed to be eagles that soar high in the sky, but instead we’re turkeys that walk around on the ground and stay earthbound because we don’t know who we are in Christ and what we’ve been forgiven of.

One Sunday morning at an eight o’clock service, Peter Lord asked the congregation, “How many people in here sinned this morning?” Every person raised a hand. Peter’s wife was sitting in the front row, and even she raised her hand. He asked her, “What have you done? It’s only eight o’clock in the morning.”

His wife said, “Well, I can’t really think of anything, but I know I’m constantly falling short. I know I’ve done something wrong!” Peter used that as an illustration of how we live with a sin consciousness and a sense of unworthiness. He continued by asking, “Why don’t you think about what you’ve done well? You woke up and took a shower. That’s good!”

Peter’s point was that you brushed your teeth, you combed your hair, you put on clothes; you’ve done a lot of good things, but instead of seeing the good you do, you live under a sin consciousness. If someone asks, “How many of you have sinned today?” even if you can’t think of something you did, you’d raise your hand because you just know you’ve done something wrong.

Sin consciousness comes because of the Law. Hebrews 10:2 tells us that we “should have . . . no more conscience of sins.” It doesn’t say “no more consciousness,” but rather “no more conscience of sins.” There’s a difference. This means that your conscience should not condemn you if you understand Jesus’ atonement.

We learned in Hebrews 9:12 that through one offering we have been forgiven of all sins—past, present, and even future sins. Continue reading in verses 13-14:

For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh [talking about if the Old Testament symbols could actually do something to affect you spiritually], How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? - Hebrews 9:13-14, brackets added

The Old Testament Law couldn’t really do anything. Hebrews 9:9 says that it couldn’t perfect the person according to the conscience. But the blood of the Lord Jesus can purge your conscience from dead works so you can serve the living God. If your conscience isn’t purged, you can’t serve God acceptably. You may be religious and humble yourself, going through the motions, but you’ll never have the true joy, relationship, or peace that God intended for you to have because you’ll be living with sin consciousness.

Once Was Enough

Hebrews 9:15 begins with the phrase: “for this cause.” For what cause? For the cause of Jesus purging your conscience from dead works, because your conscience can now be reset, cleansed, and purged to where it doesn’t condemn you but instead gives you confidence and boldness. Very few Christians live in this place, but this is what Hebrews 9:15 is all about: “for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.”

Hebrews 9:12, talks about eternal redemption, and Hebrews 9:15 talks about eternal inheritance. Many in the body of Christ believe you lose your inheritance every time you sin, and if you die with unconfessed sin in your life you’ll go to hell, even if you’ve been walking with the Lord for decades. This is completely contrary to everything the New Covenant stands for and represents.

This was the case under the Old Covenant, however. If a person died with unconfessed sin—a sin that hadn’t been atoned for—they’d lose everything, even though they had been walking with God for a long time. The Lord would leave the person and separate from them. But under the New Covenant, He’ll never leave us nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5).

Every time your conscience condemns you with, “You messed up again, you sorry thing. What makes you think God can answer your prayer and love you? What makes you think God could use you?” you have to purge your conscience with the truths found in Hebrews 9. Verses 12, 14, 15, 26, and 28 prove that Jesus has set you free, perfected you, and cleansed you forever. You cannot lose your right standing with God.

For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; for then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. - Hebrews 9:24-26

If Jesus was still doing things the way they were done in the Old Testament, He would have to offer Himself over and over and over. If you always have to put your sins under the blood, Jesus would have to be dying and shedding His blood and reapplying His blood constantly. Jesus couldn’t sit at the right hand of God (Heb. 10:12) if He had to offer a new sacrifice and make atonement for us every time we sinned. He only had to do it once.

Hebrews 9:26 is saying that Jesus is not doing things the same way they were done under the Old Covenant. His onetime sacrifice perfected us forever. Again, in verses 27-28, we see that Jesus, with one sacrifice, has paid for all of our sins, even those we haven’t yet committed:

And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of 117 Once for All many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

Look also at Hebrews 10:10-12:

We are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God.”

Jesus offered one sacrifice not just for all people but for all time. If you use the verses I’ve discussed so far in this chapter when your conscience tries to condemn you, you will purge your conscience from dead works. Then you can be empowered to serve God and resist the devil, and he will flee from you ( James 4:7).

You Are Perfect!

Many people have a problem with Hebrews 10:14, which reads, “For by one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.” As we just read in Hebrews 10:10, we have been sanctified “once for all.” And, if we’re sanctified, we are now perfected (verse 14). Some people struggle and ask, “What do you mean I’m perfected?” after they look in the mirror and see zits, gray hairs, and wrinkles. Then they search their soulish realm and discover all sorts of fears and dysfunctions.

Hebrews 10:14 isn’t talking about our body or soul. Our spirit is what gets born again, and our spirit is what becomes sanctified and perfected forever. Hebrews 12:22-23 explains this further:

But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect.

Our physical body will eventually change; and according to 1 Corinthians 13:9-12, our soulish realm will also change because right now we only know in part, but someday we’ll know all things. But our spirit is sanctified and perfected forever. Ephesians 4:24 tells us that our new man is “created in righteousness and true holiness.” The moment we are saved, we are “sealed with that holy Spirit of promise” (Eph. 1:13); our spirit is vacuum packed!

As Christians, when we sin, that sin could afflict our physical body with sickness and our natural lives with poverty and so forth, or it could affect our soul by causing condemnation and giving Satan an inroad into our life. But that sin cannot penetrate the seal around our spirit. Our spirit retains its righteousness and holiness.

God is a Spirit, and He sees us in the spirit realm (John 4:24). Even though we may be a mess in the natural, when we approach God in Jesus’s name, we instantly enter into the holy of holies in our spirit, which has been sanctified and perfected forever (Heb. 10:14). This is how we can still fellowship and relate to God even though we sin.

These truths will change your life and how you relate to God. It is so awesome to know that Jesus’s one sacrifice has paid the price for all of our sins—past, present, and future. And because of His death, our spirit is sanctified, and God now sees us just as He sees Jesus—we are perfect in His sight! It is good news to know that we no longer have to live with a consciousness of sin, but our conscience can be purged so that we are free to serve the living God. Praise God!