Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD, waiting from that time onward UNTIL HIS ENEMIES BE MADE A FOOTSTOOL FOR HIS FEET. For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. (Hebrews 10:11–14)
We would do well to remember that salvation was never free. Salvation is given freely to believers, but it was secured by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. There is nothing more that is required for salvation than faith alone in Christ. His death on the cross completely satisfied the wrath of God against our sin. We do not need to perform any further works of righteousness in order to secure our salvation. We do not need to do any further penance or borrow from the treasury of merit to expiate our sin. Christ paid for our penalty of sin on the cross in full.
This understanding of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross is often called the sufficiency or finality of the atonement. To say that Jesus’ death is sufficient is to say that nothing more is required on our part to be forgiven of our sin. Jesus paid it all. This is due to the fact that the sacrifice of Christ is of inestimable value. The Canons of Dort state, “The death of the Son of God is the only and most perfect sacrifice and satisfaction for sin, and is of infinite worth and value, abundantly sufficient to expiate the sins of the whole world” (Heading 2, Article 3).
This doctrine can be demonstrated even in the narratives of Scripture. As Christ was suffering on the cross, there was a moment in time when He knew His work on the cross was finished. “After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said, “I am thirsty. …Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit” (John 19:28, 30).
Another moment worthy of our attention in the gospels is when the veil in the temple was mysteriously torn in two. “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split” (Matt 27:50–51). Matthew speaks of the veil that concealed the most holy place from the rest of the Temple. The veil was intended to prevent all people from entering before the Mercy Seat, or the Ark of the Covenant. Only the High Priest was permitted to enter once a year on the Day of Atonement. Yet God rent the veil to demonstrate that Christ’s sacrifice meant that the sacrifice of animals was no longer needed. Christ’s blood accomplished what the blood of animals could not (Heb 10:4).
One of the primary points communicated in the book of Hebrews is that animal sacrifices are no longer, because Christ’s one sacrifice made a sufficient atonement for all our sins. Hebrews 10:11–14 (cited above) demonstrates His sacrifice on the cross is sufficient because He sat down. A person is only allowed to sit when his work is finished. This is certainly true for Jesus. He does not continue to toil. His sacrifice was “one and done.” The section concludes, “Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin” (Heb 10:18). Nothing more is required.
The beautiful application in this doctrine is that all believers now have access to God in prayer. The same book of Hebrews draws this application: “Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus” (Heb 10:19). Every believer has all that is required to have fellowship with God. Every believer has what was lost on the day that Adam and Eve sinned. Every believer now has what everyone in the Old Testament thought was impossible. We can come within the veil. We can boldly approach the throne of God. Not by our works, but by Christ’s work on the cross.
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