“But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year.”

If you were to be baptized every year, you would understand that you still had sins that needed to be forgiven and removed. That’s what happened to the Jews under the old covenant. Each year on the Day of Atonement they came to celebrate the annual removal of sins. Each year a goat was taken out of the camp symbolizing the removal of that year’s sins.

The scapegoat was a visual picture of what the ‘true’ scapegoat would do. Jesus became our scapegoat but He only needed to take our sins away once. That is the big point in Hebrews. Jesus is the once and for all remedy for sin and sins. In comparison to the law, Jesus is profoundly better because everything He accomplished was permanent. When Jesus comes back it will be to claim those who were saved by His blood.

Task for Today: Trust Jesus for salvation. Trust Jesus as your high priest. Trust Jesus as your sacrificial lamb. Trust Jesus as your covenant bringer. Trust Jesus to come back and take you home with Him. Trust your baptism as the one-time death, burial and resurrection you need to be a new person in Christ.