The perfection of the believer is brought about through the offering of Christ's body. He could say, "A body hast thou prepared me."
Christ's complete submission to God's will places the believer in the position of perfection before God, there being only one will-the will of God.
In that long eternal day there will be only one will-God's. When the Lord Jesus came into this world, it was to do God's will, even unto death. This was costly for Him, yet it was His delight.
"By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." After offering one sacrifice for sins, He forever sat down on the right hand of God.
"For by one offering he bath perfected forever them that are sanctified."
"Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us."
The position in which the believer now is, as a result of the finished work of Christ, is one of perfection before God, all sins forgotten forever and the Holy Ghost making it all good to us in order that we might be at complete peace by believing the testimony.
We are sanctified.
We are perfected.
We are intelligent as to it all.
We have no more conscience of sins.
There is no more offering for sin.
We have liberty to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus.
There is a new and living way opened to us.
We have an High Priest.
We are invited to draw near in full assurance of faith.
This closes the direct teaching or doctrine of the epistle, the remainder being mainly an exhortation based upon the doctrine given, using examples of faith for our encouragement.
Hebrews 10:19-39
In the old order of the tabernacle, the priest washed in the laver before entering the holy place.
Applying this truth, the believer now sees not only his sins gone by the application of the blood, thus having a purged conscience, but by faith he applies the truth of the offering up of the body of Christ, to himself, by the washing of the body with pure water. By this is meant the complete setting aside of the old order and by faith entering into the new by a new and living way, no more conscience of sins-and the entire man cleansed and in a new place before God. This is regeneration, of which baptism might be a figure.
The day of apostasy is at hand. Believers should find themselves more and more assembled together as the moment of our complete salvation nears.
To sin willfully is to insult the Spirit of grace by turning back to ordinances after having the full testimony of a risen, glorified Christ as presented by Stephen.
Vengeance belongs to God. The time is coming when God will judge His people, separating the precious from the vile (Mal. 4:1-3).
The believers are reminded of their first reception of the gospel and the zeal manifested in which they were partners with the apostles in testimony and suffering. As we near the end of the road there is an increasing need for patience.
The Savior will come for the salvation of His own. The just live by faith.