Hebrews Chapter Ten
We are MADE Perfect
“ For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy.”
Hebrews 10:14
Read Hebrews 10
Only the Best
When Sjon-Paul was young, he said we should have named him Eugenius. The boy definitely lacked a little in the humility department. Most of us don’t struggle with that. In fact, most of us find ourselves on the other end of the scale. We suffer from insecurity.
The author of Hebrews is rounding out his theological arguments for Christ and Christianity and heading into the practical application phase of his letter. As such, Hebrews 10 reiterates a lot of the themes from his previous chapters, but he also introduces something new—the idea of our own perfection.
Throughout this book, we have discussed how our identity is formed by who Jesus is. Jesus is God’s Son; therefore, we are MADE to be in a relationship with God, to follow Christ, and to be God’s dwelling place. Jesus is our high priest. Therefore, we are MADE to believe, to learn and grow, to hope and to be confident. Jesus is the perfect sacrifice; therefore, we are MADE for better things and MADE to be free. We readily admit that Jesus was perfect, but to say that we are MADE to be perfect might feel like a stretch. But, it’s not.
We’ve already established that in the Old Testament, God commanded people to bring sacrifices as an example of their desire to pay for their sins. They could not bring just any sacrifice though. In fact, the first murder occurred over this very thing. Cain was jealous of his brother, Abel, and killed him because God accepted Abel’s sacrifice and rejected his.
God makes the rules. While sacrifices of grain and other things were made as a form of worship, God declared that only a blood sacrifice could atone for sin. In addition, the animals that were brought had to be unblemished. A person could not bring the scraggliest lamb from their flock. He could not bring a sick or injured animal. The sacrificial animal had to be the best. When Jesus died for us, he met this requirement because he was the best human ever. He was perfect, without sin.
Missing Pieces
The boys and I were working a puzzle together. It was a family activity, but their patience was growing thin. Thankfully, they stuck with me, and we finished putting all the pieces in—except we didn’t. When we got to the end, there was one piece missing. Is there anything more frustrating than an unfinished puzzle?
The Israelites recognized that their previous form of sacrificial worship was incomplete. There was something missing. Each year they did the same thing they had done the year before. Rather than make them feel better, the whole process simply reminded them again and again of their inability to please God.
Jesus is our high priest who goes before the Father to present himself as the perfect sacrifice. Because of this, everyone who commits their lives to him, has been freed from their sin and guilt. But the blessing extends beyond how we feel. Not only are we free from our guilt and our guilty feelings; we are also free to enter into the Holy of Holies ourselves. In case you’re wondering, this is not a curtained room in the church building where we go to meet with God. Instead, we are able to meet with God anywhere through the Holy Spirit who lives in us.
The boys and I found the missing puzzle piece tucked under the table leg. We put it in place, and the picture was complete. In Matthew 5:17, Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” Like the missing piece of a puzzle, Jesus’s sacrifice of Himself completed the former system of worship.
Membership Benefits
Have you ever belonged to a club or paid for membership into a gym or big box store? In order to enter, you usually have to present your club ID, or maybe you have been given a special key. As Christians, we have been given special access to the Father. It’s not something we could have achieved on our own. Our membership card is Jesus.
He has made us clean. He paid the price, and because of Him, we have not only been forgiven. We not only been joined to God’s family. We also have incredible membership benefits. One of the most important of those benefits is that we can approach God without the aid of another human being.
This is something we take for granted, but we shouldn’t. I once worked with a man named Andrew. Andrew’s father was an important doctor. Andrew told me that if he wanted to see his father, he had to make an appointment. The process didn’t seem to bother Andrew, but I couldn’t imagine.
Think about the most important person in your life. Maybe it’s a parent, a spouse, or a child. Can you imagine wanting to talk to that person but having to first schedule an appointment with the secretary?
God wanted us to have a personal relationship with him, but our access was blocked because of sin. Jesus broke down the barrier of sin. The author of Hebrews says, “let us go right into the presence of God.” Because of Jesus, we not only have right to speak to God personally, we are actually encouraged to do so.
Unrealistic Ideas of Perfection
At the time of this writing, there is a popular song out on social media called “Victoria’s Secret.” The author, Jackie Miskanic, said she wrote the song about her own battle with body issues and to remind young girls that they shouldn’t worry about trying to attain an unrealistic look based on someone else’s idea of beautiful. Part of the lyrics say, “I wish somebody would have told me when I was younger. That all bodies aren't the same. Photoshop itty bitty models on magazine covers. Told me I was overweight.”
Our world has a funny way of defining perfect. If you look at historical photos, you will discover that the perfect woman of the Renaissance age looks nothing like the perfect woman of today. The perfect woman in one culture looks very different from the perfect woman in another.
Perfection is subjective, but because we live in such a visual culture, it’s hard to separate ourselves from what the world thinks is beautiful—even when we want to. And it’s not just about what the perfect woman looks like. It’s also about what she does.
The perfect woman of the 1950s was probably a stay-at-home mom who kept an immaculate house and served a delicious dinner every night. The perfect woman of today is likely to bring home a five-figure salary, look like a model, and be an understanding and attentive wife and mom.
The question is. Who’s establishing these definitions, and why do we fall for them?
The author of Hebrews says that because Jesus offered himself on our behalf, we are MADE perfect. Notice that it’s past tense. It’s already happened. Is it the kind of perfection that the world is seeking? Absolutely not. It’s so much better. We have been MADE perfect not in the eyes of man, not even in our own eyes. We have been MADE perfect in the eyes of God.
Completion in Christ
Is there a perfect family at your church? You know what I’m talking about. It’s the family that comes in with the dad dressed in a suit, or at least a nice pair of slacks with a dress shirt and tie. Mom has her hair fixed, her nails done, and her make-up applied. The children all look as if they were recently bathed, wear designer clothes, and are very well-behaved. I used to look at families like that and wonder what I was doing wrong. Then one day I discovered that other women were looking at me like that!
The truth is no matter what people look like; everyone has flaws. That dad who looks so successful may struggle with a drinking problem on Saturday night. The mom who looks so put together may have cried herself to sleep the night before. Those kids were probably yelling at each other on the way to church. Perfect is not what we think.
When I say that we are MADE perfect, it’s not meant to put more pressure on you. Our perfection has nothing to do with what we have done and everything to do with Christ. What is the real definition of perfection?
The Greek word in the original manuscript means to bring to an end, to be complete. Because of what Christ has done, we don’t have to live by the world’s standards of perfection—whatever they may be. Christ brought an end to those expectations. In Him, we are complete.
We, as believers, are the church, and Ephesians 1:22-23 says, “God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.”
Colossians 2:10 says, “So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.”
When God looks at us, he doesn’t see us as a puzzle with lots of missing pieces. He sees the beautiful picture he created us to be. We don’t have to strive to attain unrealistic standards of beauty, wealth, or popularity. We don’t have to worry about not being enough. Because Jesus is our perfect sacrifice, we are MADE perfect.