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Lyall Johnston—May 17, 2025
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We have talked about the preciousness of the blood of Jesus Christ, but:
- What about His body?
- What is it about the body that was so important to Paul in his writings to the Hebrew brethren?
Let's have a look and begin in:
Hebrews 10:1—Paul writes this:"For the priestly law…"
You will notice the word priestly is in italics; it has been added for clarification to show that it's not talking about the decalogue, it's not talking about the Ten Commandments. But it is talking about the priestly laws of sacrifices and offerings, which Paul is addressing along with the subject of the Old Covenant as he begins to explain and expound the New Covenant in an absolutely magnificent and incredible way. How the New Covenant affects each one of us.
Verse 1: "For the priestly law, having only a shadow of the good things that are coming, and not the image of those things…"
They were not the reality, they were just a shadow, like Paul says in another place, like looking through a glass darkly!
That's the way it was for those under the Old Covenant, even for the prophets and the patriarchs. Even though they were revealed many things, there's so much that we understand, that we know today that simply was just not given to them, and Paul addresses that in other places, particularly Heb 11.
"…and not the image of those things… [not the reality of those things] …with the same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, is never able to make perfect those who come to worship" (v 1).
So, even when the third temple is built and they reinstate the animal sacrifices, this statement is still true. It will not be able to make those who come to worship perfect! Only through the sacrifice of Christ can we be made perfect! Only can we become perfect! Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered?
What Paul is saying, IF the blood of bulls and goats were offered and was able to perfect them, there would be no need for any more sacrifices, but they continued year after year and didn't actually finally come to an end with the destruction of the temple.
But here Paul is actually addressing, in these chapters, the tabernacle that was in the wilderness; addressing it from that point of view. God told Moses to make it exactly according to the image that God had given him for a very special purpose.
Why? Because it was to represent the very Temple of God or the Tabernacle of God as it was in heaven, and that was given to Moses. He had everything made according to that.
Verse 3: "On the contrary, in offering these sacrifices year by year, there is a remembrance of sins…"—through the sacrificial system, they could not forget!
As long as they kept up to the Old Covenant, they couldn't forget the fact that they were sinners, and so forth.
Verse 4: "Because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.."
Did they understand that? Probably not! But what we know is that what it did, it purified their flesh, and Paul tells us that. They were able to come into the presence of God. So it had that effect, but it could not, as Paul says, cleanse their conscience!
There's a very important key to tell the difference between the old sacrificial system and the system that was introduced, which is called the New Covenant. The New Covenant that we are under, that we live in, and there's more to say about that.
Verse 2: "Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered? For once those who worship had been purified, they would no longer be conscious of sin"—but they were!
Verse 3: "On the contrary, in offering these sacrifices year by year, there is a remembrance of sins, because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins" (vs 3-4).
That's an important statement. But as we know, there is a blood, which will take away, which will purify.
Verse 5: "For this reason, when He comes into the world…" Now this is a reference to Christ:
- when He comes into the world
- when He becomes man
- when Jesus Christ becomes flesh and blood
"…He says, 'Sacrifice and offering…'" All those sacrifices and offerings in the Old Covenant never satisfied the requirements to pay the penalty of sin.
"…'Sacrifice and offering You did not desire…'" (v 5).
Yet, God gave them to them as reminder of sin so they wouldn't forget the fact that there is a Law, the Law of God!
Of course, today we know that Christianity has rejected that. So, the blood of Christ today does not cover the sins for any 'religious body' calling themselves 'Christian,' or any person calling themselves 'Christian,' The blood of Christ:
- cannot wipe away their sins
- cannot cleanse their consciences
because they have rejected the Law of God!
Now it's interesting that even back in the days of Patrick—called Saint Patrick—the Christians at that time were actually in Ireland following the Decalogue. They rejected Rome in those days, and they were actually following the Ten Commandments. Everything they did, they tried to do that on the basis of the Decalogue and the laws that God had given through Moses in the Old Covenant. That's very interesting when we begin to talk about the history of Christianity. But moving on.
Now what was that body? Let's go to 1-Tim., and we'll come back to Hebrews shortly.
1-Timothy 2:1—we read this very important statement: "I exhort, therefore, first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made on behalf of all men."
That's a point to consider, to think about and meditate on. Why? Paul gives the answer:
Verse 2: "For kings and all who are in authority…"
Don't we need that today with the corruption and everything that's taking place against the Laws and Commandments of God.
"…in order that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in all Godliness and respectability" (v 2).
A good reason to be praying for our leaders today. And the way things are shaping up in the world, it seems like there may—well actually, there will be—a time of peace coming. We know that from Scripture, and maybe it's going to come because of what's taking a political realm at this particular point in time.
Now, it says about the praying for leaders and kings and so forth,
Verse 3: "For this is good and acceptable before God our Savior, Who desires all men to be saved…" vs 3-4).
Now not everyone is going to be saved, because not everyone is going to accept the fact that they are required by God the Father to keep His Laws and His Commandments. So, God does desire all men to be saved. It's not the will of God that anyone should perish. It's a matter of personal, individual choice!
"…and to come to the knowledge of the Truth" (v 4).
Where is the Truth found? It's not found in:
- the philosophies of men
- the thinking and the rationalization of men's or women's minds
It's found only in the Word of God, because the Word of God is, indeed, the foundation of all knowledge! Actually, that's the motto of the high school that I attended a few years ago—maybe more than a few!
In Hebrew text and by translation, the Word of God is the foundation of all knowledge! That's a Biblical Truth.
Verse 5: "For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men…"—a very important point! We know Jesus revealed Him as God the Father. His Father, the One Who begat Him in the womb of Mary.
He became not a spirit possessing a human body, but He became fully man with flesh and blood, with all the functioning of a man, able to suffer, able to bleed! To bleed, you have to have flesh. You have to have blood.
Verse 6: "Who gave himself as a ransom…" because He was a man. He was able to sacrifice His own body.
"…the testimony of which is to be preached in its appointed times" (v 6).
It's always the appointed time to be preaching this, but particularly on those Holy Days of God, the Passover and the Day of Atonement in particular.
Verse7: "For this purpose I was ordained a preacher and an apostle…"
I want to go back to v 5 and just point out this one point that we have done many times before.
Verse 5 "For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men—the Man Christ Jesus."
Yes, Jesus Christ was a man. He became a human being. God took on the flesh in the very person of Jesus Christ, the One Who is the Savior of mankind.
So, when we go back now to Heb. 10, let's see what Paul continues to say.
Hebrews 10:5: "For this reason, when He… [the Man Jesus Christ] … comes into the world…"
That has already happened; we know that. But there are many false Christs in the world today. There's one group, in particular, that say that Christ has already returned and He's living on planet Earth.
- Not so!
- That's a lie!
- That's a heresy of Satan the devil!
"…'Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but You have prepared a body for Me'" (v 5)—the man Jesus Christ!
God prepared a Man and that Man was to be a sacrifice for mankind because He was, as we know, the Creator of all mankind.
So, His one life is worth more than every human being that was ever begotten or ever born of the flesh. His blood alone, because He was the One Whom God the Father used and gave the authority as the Word of God to create all things that we are aware of, right down to ourselves.
Verse 6: "You did not delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin."
This was necessary, but burnt offerings and all the animal sacrifices were not able to do something very important. As Paul says, to cleanse the conscience! There's only one blood that could do that!
Verse 7: "Then said I… [here's Jesus in the first person making the statement]: …'Lo, I come (as it is written of Me in the Scroll of the Book)…'"
Yes, the Man Jesus Christ was coming in flesh and with blood. "…(as it is written of Me in the Scroll of the Book) to do Your will, O God" (v 7). A very important statement!
Christ came to do the will of God. Now there's an important lesson in this for us. Let's go back to the very beginning, which we do many times, but we do it for a purpose. We go back and we examine the beginnings
Genesis 1:26: "And God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of heaven and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that crawls upon the earth.'"
So, God gave man dominion over the earth, but He did not give man the dominion of this earth, which is still in the hands of Satan the devil. This is the very reason why God came in the flesh. We read of that in Gen. 3. This is a Truth that is understood by, I believe, most Biblical commentators and theologians who are prepared to speak the Truth that this particular verse is a reference to the crucifixion, the death of Jesus Christ!
We read in 1-Tim. 2, the Man Jesus Christ was already foretold. And we know in Isa. 46:9-10, where God says and declares the end from the very beginning.
So, here in Gen. 3—in those beginning chapters—God's already given us the end result of what the history of mankind is going to be, and what God is doing about the problem of sin in the world.
Genesis 3:15—here is God, which actually at this time was the One Who became the Man Jesus Christ, addressing Satan, who had tempted Adam and Eve and brought sin into the world. So, the world has become corrupt just by the influence of Satan, just as he corrupted his own kingdom that God gave him. His demise, of course, is going to be placed in a detention, a place of outer darkness!
Genesis 3:15: "And I will put enmity between you and the woman…"
This is the woman being Eve, but also the Church, as we read in Rev. 12.
There's that constant struggle as Satan attempts to affect our flesh and struggle against the Spirit of God that He gives to all those who are true believers and truly are Christians and saints in Jesus Christ!
"…and between your seed and her Seed… [that's the battle between Satan and his demonic powers, and Jesus Christ] …He will bruise your head…. [eventually that is going to be the demise of Satan] …and you shall bruise his heel." That is the death of the Man Jesus Christ!.
Now what's interesting is that in Gen. 1 we see that God created man in His image and His likeness.
- What then did God the Father do with Jesus Christ?
- Did not God the Father make Jesus in the image of man?
God took on the image of man and became flesh and blood!
Hebrews 10:5: "For this reason, when He comes into the world… [Jesus Christ, or the Man Christ Jesus, as Paul addressed to Timothy, says] …'Sacrifice and offering…'"
Remember Who the administrator of the Old Covenant was—Christ the One Who gave it to ancient Israel—even with the knowledge that that first covenant was insufficient.
For a very good reason, because God wants man to learn the lesson that he cannot obtain salvation by anything he plans or does—even when he's successful in the flesh—he needs a New Covenant, a superior covenant!
Paul addresses this right throughout.
Verse 5: "For this reason, when He comes into the world He says, 'Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but You have prepared a body for Me.'"
A human body and that body is going to be sacrificed as we know.
Verse 7: "Then said I, 'Lo, I come (as it is written of Me in the Scroll of the Book) to do Your will, O God.'"
So this is all very important and there's a very great lesson in this for us. If Jesus Christ came and put on the flesh to become that human sacrifice that will be the one that will eventuate in the salvation of all those who are willing to accept the call that God gives:
- to be faithful to the Word of God
- to obey all His Commandments.
And even back in the days of Patrick in the 4 or 5 hundreds A.D. the Celtic Christians were actually keeping the Ten Commandments including the Sabbath Day.
Sadly, like today, in came Rome and eventually the Celtic Christians finally submitted to the teachings of Rome and gave up all that they had been blessed with.
The point is, and we won't address this in this message, but next time we're going to have a look at the very sacrifice and what Jesus says about this. He also is giving us a message: He came in the flesh to set us an example! So let's look at that again.
- Has God prepared a body for you?
- What's your answer?
- Has God sent Jesus Christ prepared a body for Him to set us an example?
- Can we say that we are doing what Christ did and we'll leave with a question?
Are we also as Christ have we come, are we committed to as He was, as it says, to do your will, O God?
So we'll pick that up next time. So in the meantime, may God be with you all as you continue to study the Scriptures and also to put them into practice in your lives. That is pleasing in the eyes of God!
Scriptural References:
- Hebrews 10:1, 3-4, 2-5
- 1-Timothy 2:1-7, 5
- Hebrews 10:5-7
- Genesis 1:26
- Genesis 3:15
- Hebrews 10:5, 7, 5, 7
Scriptures referenced, not quoted:
- Hebrews 11
- Isaiah 46:9-10
- Revelation 12
LJ:bo/po
Transcribed: 5/23/25
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