A One-Time Sin Sacrifice With Continuing Efficacy
Christ's sacrifice was a one-time event with perpetual efficacy, making perfect forever those who are being made holy.
A.W. Tozer emphasizes the significance of Christ's one-time sacrifice, which has ongoing effectiveness for the forgiveness of sins, contrasting it with the repetitive sacrifices of the Old Testament priests that could never truly atone for sin. He highlights that through Jesus' sacrifice, believers are made perfect forever and that no further sacrifices are needed for sin. Tozer argues that the notion of a perpetual sacrifice undermines the profound nature of Christ's atonement and is a serious error in understanding biblical theology, particularly in relation to Catholic beliefs. He calls for a compassionate correction of these misunderstandings rather than mere tolerance.
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And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God (Hebrews 10:10-12).
And if that is not plain enough the inspired writer further says, "Because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy" (verse 14); and, "where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin" (verse 18).
The teaching of the New Testament is not that there is a perpetual sacrifice, but that there is one sacrifice of perpetual efficacy. The thought that Christ's sacrifice needs to be repeated is obnoxious to the spirit of biblical theology and an affront to the tears and sweat and blood and death of the Lamb of God.
Obviously our Catholic friends are in serious error here, and the kind thing is not that we in the name of tolerance smile away their error, but that we point it out and try to correct it.
Sermon Outline
- The Sacrifice of Jesus Christ
- The Efficacy of Christ's Sacrifice
- The Implications of Christ's Sacrifice
- No longer any sacrifice for sin
- A call to biblical theology and reverence for Christ's sacrifice
Key Quotes
“The thought that Christ's sacrifice needs to be repeated is obnoxious to the spirit of biblical theology and an affront to the tears and sweat and blood and death of the Lamb of God.” — A.W. Tozer
“Because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” — A.W. Tozer
“where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- We should reverence and honor Christ's sacrifice, not diminishing its significance or sufficiency.
- We should be careful not to fall into the error of the Catholic Church, teaching that Christ's sacrifice needs to be repeated.
- We should trust in the perpetual efficacy of Christ's sacrifice, knowing that it makes us perfect forever.