A Better Sacrifice under Grace

Christ’s blood didn’t just cover sin—it cleansed it completely.”

Devotional Credit: Day by Day by Grace by Bob Hoekstra
Photo Credit: Unsplash

Today’s reading from Bob Hoekstra lifts our eyes to the once-for-all sacrifice of Christ, highlighting the glorious difference between the old covenant of law and the new covenant of grace. Under the law, priests offered countless sacrifices—day after day, year after year—yet sin remained. The blood of animals was insufficient to remove guilt; it merely pointed forward to a greater, perfect offering yet to come.

That greater offering is Jesus. As our High Priest, He did not bring a sacrifice—He became the sacrifice. And unlike the priests who stood daily in their unfinished work, He sat down, signaling that His redemptive work was complete. With His own blood, He entered the Most Holy Place—not to cover sin temporarily but to remove it eternally.

The cross was not a repetition; it was a finality. No more altars. No more rituals. No more remembrance of sin. Through Jesus' perfect blood, we are not just pardoned—we are purified. We have eternal redemption, secured not by our sacrifices but by His finished work.

✍🏼 Personalized Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture

I am the Lamb that was slain, not again and again, but once—for all. My sacrifice is not a temporary measure, nor a symbolic gesture. It is a complete cleansing, an eternal redemption. You need not bring Me anything to atone for your guilt—I have already borne it.

Under the old covenant, the priest stood daily. But I have sat down. The work is done. The stain is gone. The shame is silenced. You are not marked by your sin—you are marked by My righteousness. I do not ask for your penance. I invite your rest. You do not need to keep remembering what I have already forgotten. Your sin is cast away as far as east from west.

I did not offer the blood of animals—I offered My own. Spotless. Willing. Effective forever. The price has been paid, and the proof is in My presence at the right hand of the Father. I stand there as your advocate and sit there as your completion.

Live today, not as one still carrying guilt, but as one carried by grace. My blood speaks a better word over you: forgiven, cleansed, Mine.

Scriptures referenced: Hebrews 7:26–27; 9:12, 22, 26, 28; 10:4, 11–12; 1 Peter 1:19; John 1:29; Psalm 103:12

🧺 Real-Life Analogy

It’s like washing a dish with soap that only masks the smell—it looks clean, but residue remains. Then someone comes with a deep-clean solution that lifts every stain, leaving it spotless. That’s what the blood of Christ did: not just a cover, but a cleansing.

🙏🏼 Prayer of Confidence

Father, I thank You that the work is finished. I rest in the complete and eternal redemption that Christ secured with His own blood. There is no sacrifice I could offer that compares—so I offer instead my trust, my worship, and my joy. Thank You that I stand today, not striving to be clean, but rejoicing that I am clean in Christ.