No More Sacrifice For Sins.

     Many professed believers hold a very lax view on sin, and the need to repent of it. Some seem to think that it doesn't matter how they live, because it is all covered by the blood of Jesus.
     We see something different in the Word of God however.

     For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said "Vengeance is mine, I will repay", and again, "The Lord will judge His people." It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
                             Hebrews 10:26-31 NASB

     Contrary to what we might believe, we cannot just go on sinning and presume upon God's grace. As this passage shows us, if we continue in a willful lifestyle of sin, we cannot expect the blood sacrifice of Jesus to atone for our sins.
     The writer takes us back to the Old Covenant where those who sinned willfully against the law were put to death without mercy. This was because God, as a just and holy being could not tolerate sin, and even though in His mercy He provided a sacrificial system for sins committed in ignorance, yet His justice demanded retribution in the case of a willful sin. The only chance one had was to throw oneself on the mercy of God, such as David does in Psalm 51:1-19.
     If the judgment of God was severe under the Old Covenant, how much more severe will it be under the New Covenant where we have the blood sacrifice of Christ, and the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in our lives?
     By our deliberate sin, we trample the blood that has sanctified us, and insult the Holy Spirit, the Spirit who convicts us of sin, and is responsible for drawing us to Christ!
     That is why we are told "If you hear My voice, do not harden your hearts" (Hebrews 3:7-8, 15). Our only hope is to cast ourselves upon the mercy of God with repentant hearts.
     We are told if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us (1 John 1:9). If we sin we have an advocate in Jesus Christ (1 John 2:1). This is not meant as blanket covering for a life of sin however. It is for those who are striving to live for Christ, but fall. Sin should be the exception, not the rule.
     It is a dangerous thing to become careless with sin. If you are playing with it now, if you are allowing a known sin to exist in your life, repent now! Cast yourself upon the mercy of God through Jesus Christ, and be washed clean. If you don't, there is no longer a sacrifice for you.