1. The law gave us only an unclear picture of the good things coming in the future. The law is not a perfect picture of the real things. The law tells people to offer the same sacrifices every year. Those who come to worship God continue to offer those sacrifices. But the law can never make them perfect.
2. If the law could make people perfect, those sacrifices would have already stopped. They would already be clean from their sins, and they would not still feel guilty.
3. But that’s not what happens. Their sacrifices make them remember their sins every year,
4. because it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
5. So when Christ came into the world he said, “You don’t want sacrifices and offerings, but you have prepared a body for me.
6. You are not pleased with the sacrifices of animals killed and burned or with offerings to take away sins.
7. Then I said, ‘Here I am, God. It is written about me in the book of the law. I have come to do what you want.’” Psalm 40:6-8
8. Christ first said, “You don’t want sacrifices and offerings. You are not pleased with animals killed and burned or with sacrifices to take away sin.” (These are all sacrifices that the law commands.)
9. Then he said, “Here I am, God. I have come to do what you want.” So God ends that first system of sacrifices and starts his new way.
10. Jesus Christ did the things God wanted him to do. And because of that, we are made holy through the sacrifice of Christ’s body. Christ made that sacrifice one time—enough for all time.
11. Every day the priests stand and do their religious service. Again and again they offer the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
12. But Christ offered only one sacrifice for sins, and that sacrifice is good for all time. Then he sat down at the right side of God.