What is the meaning of Hebrews 10:17? Then He adds – The writer of Hebrews points back to the Holy Spirit’s own testimony, already cited from Jeremiah 31:33-34. “This is the covenant I will make with them after those days, says the Lord… For I will forgive their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more”. – By saying “Then He adds,” God seals the promise with one final word. There is nothing left to negotiate or supplement. Hebrews 10:15-16 stresses that the Spirit Himself is bearing witness, echoing Hebrews 8:12. – The flow of thought: once the perfect sacrifice of Christ is presented (Hebrews 10:10), God “adds” this covenant assurance as the capstone. Their sins – Plural, personal, comprehensive. Romans 3:23 reminds us “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. – Isaiah 1:18: “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.” Every individual stain—hidden or public—is in view here. – 1 John 1:9 confirms the same heart: God “is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” and lawless acts – “Lawless” underscores deliberate rebellion, not mere mistakes. 1 John 3:4 states, “Everyone who practices sin practices lawlessness; indeed, sin is lawlessness.” – Christ’s work answers even presumptuous defiance. Titus 2:14: He “gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people who are His very own.” – Hebrews pairs “sins” and “lawless acts” so no form of wrongdoing is left uncovered. I will remember – God’s “forgetting” is not memory lapse but covenant choice: He no longer brings the charges to mind. Isaiah 43:25: “I, yes I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake and remembers your sins no more.” – Micah 7:19 pictures the same: “You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.” – Psalm 103:12 adds vivid distance: “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” no more – Two words that announce finality. Hebrews 10:14: “For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” – Hebrews 9:26 affirms the once-for-all nature: Christ “has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself.” – The cross concluded the matter: “It is finished” (John 19:30). No future remembrance means no future sacrifices are necessary, no lingering guilt is required. summary Hebrews 10:17 unveils the heart of the new covenant. God Himself, on the basis of Christ’s single perfect offering, voluntarily chooses never again to bring up our sins or rebellious deeds. Every variety of wrongdoing is covered, and the pardon is irrevocable. The verse is God’s own exclamation point: through Jesus, our record is cleared forever. |
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