(Hebrews 10:1) The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship.

The law of Moses in the Old Testament required the priests to offer numerous and diverse temple sacrifices for the sin of the people day after day.

The sacrifices were never ending, daily they had to be offered for the people’s sin. But no matter how many sacrifices were offered by the priests, they could never make the worshippers perfect, or take away their conscious guilt of sin.

The people had to carry the burden of their sins from morning to evening, each and every day. 

These sacrifices were powerless to purify them from the sins that led to death. All these continuous sacrifices could do was to remind the people over and over again of their many sins.

Each sacrifice, yelled out, “You are a sinner!”

But they never had the ability to forgive sin once and for all. The people knew they were sinners, but these sacrifices provided no hope for internal cleansing, or to remove the heaviness that sin brought into their lives.

The good news is that these many Old Testament temple sacrifices were only temporary, and only a fleeting shadow until the coming and death of Jesus Christ.

When Jesus died for us, he took away our sins once and for all. There was no more need for the blood of animal sacrifices to be offered every day. 

Jesus Christ offered himself on the cross—once and for all time—to take all our sins upon himself.

The forgiveness we receive by the grace of God in Jesus Christ is eternal. Our conscious guilt of sin is removed, and our condemnation has ended forever.  

Rejoice today, God’s grace in the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ in our place has set free from sin and death!