Hebrews 10:1-4/Formalism

"For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins?But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins."

The debate over the continuity/discontinuity of the Old and New Covenants rages on. There are those who see absolutely no continuity between the covenants with regard to redemption and the moral code. They would see little need to read the Old Testament. On the other side you'll find those who incorrectly see no distinction between the covenants. They say the only difference is that the New Testament now includes the previously-ostracized Gentiles.

While I disagree with both of these viewpoints, I do not seek to discuss that now. I want to discuss a problem I see among both camps. Almost nobody would say that Christians have to offer the blood of bulls and goats. You would be laughed to ridicule. But I am here to say today that we have replaced the blood of bulls and goats with our programs and liturgies. Just as the Jews in Jesus's day had done, we have ignored the important things in the Bible--love, mercy, truth--and replaced them with club rules. We may not have blood sacrifices or intricate tithing rules, but we certainly have a moral code constructed by man and applied with severity by those who have logs in their own eyes.

What am I trying to say? What am I trying to get across with this strange rabbit trail? Simply this: It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins, but it is also impossible to cleanse sins by perfect adherence to rules--God's or man's. We love our pride so much that we refuse to receive Christ's free expiation from sin. We try to add to our salvation by keeping the Law, by attending church three times a week, by abstaining from smoking and drinking and swearing, etc. We would never dare to try and replace Christ's blood with the blood of an animal and hope to be saved, but for some reason we think our clean living and tithing will.

I'm not saying that these are bad things to do. God's Law, as found in the Old and New Testaments, is good. We should endeavor to reflect the moral character personified therein. We should try to avoid all appearance of evil. We should try to live cleanly and respectfully. The one thing that we must never do, however, is replace or supplement the finished work of Christ on our behalf. Our good works must always be from genuine love for God and others, not from an attempt to earn what is already ours--forgiveness and sonship.

It is impossible to remove sins by anything but the blood of Christ. Your list is no better than anyone else's list. Your works come no closer to earning or maintaining salvation than the whore's down the street. Your constant attendance at church is no closer to earning you salvation than your neighbor's frequency at the local bar. Of course God is pleased by it and wants us to worship and learn about Him, but these things are a reaction to salvation, not a means of winning it. If your Christian lifestyle is formalistic and legalistic, your works are no better than the blood of bulls and goats.

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Always Reforming

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