A Once for All Salvation
Soft light passing through a veil, reminding us that Jesus has opened the true way into the presence of God.
Devotional Credit: Grace and Truth Study Bible, Hebrews 9
Photo Credit: Unsplash
The ninth chapter of Hebrews brings us into the heart of Israel’s worship and then carries us beyond it. The author describes the tabernacle with care because it represented the center of Israel’s relationship with God. Every lamp, curtain, vessel, and chamber had meaning. The priests served daily in the outer room, and once a year the high priest entered the Most Holy Place with blood for himself and for the people. These rhythms marked Israel’s life with God, yet the chapter tells us that even these sacred acts hinted at something incomplete. The presence of God remained behind a veil. The sacrifices required repetition. The conscience was never fully cleared.
As I sit with these words, I recognize the weight the author places on the limits of the old system. The priests themselves needed cleansing. The sacrifices could not reach the deepest part of a person. The structure of the tabernacle, with its walls and barriers, revealed that access to God was still restricted. The people carried both hope and longing. Hope that God dwelt among them. Longing for a day when nothing would stand between them and His face.
Then the writer lifts our eyes to Jesus. He is not another priest in a long line. He is the final High Priest. He did not enter an earthly tent, but the true sanctuary in heaven. He did not bring the blood of goats or calves, but His own. And He entered not every year, but once for all. The text makes clear that only His sacrifice can cleanse the conscience. Only His blood can free us from dead works and bring us into a life that reflects God’s heart. Only His death could establish a covenant that grants forgiveness and belonging that lasts.
There is something steadying about letting this truth settle at day’s end. We do not approach God through a system that must be repeated. We do not stand before Him hoping to be enough. We come by a sacrifice that cannot be undone. We come through a priest who never needs to offer another offering. We come with consciences washed, not by effort, but by the finished work of Christ. Union with Him means we share the benefits of everything He accomplished. His once for all sacrifice becomes the ground on which we rest.
Christ’s Nearness in the Passage
The passage reveals that Jesus opened the way to God fully and finally. The barriers that marked the old covenant have fallen for those who belong to Him. His presence is not behind a veil. It is with us and within us. Through union with Christ, we stand in a relationship secured by His blood and kept by His life.
This nearness is not imagined. It is the result of His entrance into the true sanctuary on our behalf. He stands before the Father as the One who completed the work. And because we are joined to Him, we share His access. The freedom to draw near is not fragile. It is anchored in His finished offering. His presence becomes the steadying truth that shapes our days.
Communal Moment: What Jesus Is Forming in Us Together
This chapter reminds us that we are not isolated believers trying to maintain our standing with God. We are part of a people whose identity is built on Christ’s once for all sacrifice. The Holy Spirit forms a community that lives out of this settled reality. We do not gather as those trying to cleanse our consciences through effort. We gather as those whose consciences have been cleansed by Jesus Himself.
This shared confidence creates a fellowship marked by gratitude and rest. As we yield to the Spirit, the life of Jesus becomes visible among us. Our service is no longer driven by fear or striving. It grows out of the truth that we belong to a covenant established by His blood and held together by His intercession. Together, we live as those who wait with hope for His return, knowing that the one who came to remove sin will come again to gather His people.
Invitation to Trust: Yielding to His Life in This Passage
You may face a moment this week when you become aware of your own attempts to make yourself acceptable before God. Perhaps it surfaces through guilt, pressure, or the desire to earn what has already been given. Let Hebrews 9 draw your heart back to the finished work of Christ.
You might say, “Lord, I entrust this striving to You. Let Your finished work steady my heart.”
Prayer of Rest
Lord, thank You that Jesus entered the true sanctuary once for all. Thank You that His blood cleanses the conscience and brings me into Your presence without fear. I rest tonight in the truth that I am joined to Him and welcomed by You. May this confidence shape my heart and quiet my striving as I trust the completeness of His work.