One Time, One Man, One Sacrifice
How many songs can you name with “One” in the title without using Google? I could only name three! I did have to use Google, and I found there were a lot more than three songs that have “One” in the title. And nobody used “one” the same way. Sometimes it was the loneliest number, and sometimes it was the luckiest number! It simply depends on what the writer wants us to know, feel, and experience. Although no songs are involved, the writer of Hebrews and Romans understood the power of the number “one” and the message behind it delivers to us an opportunity to know, feel, and experience the power of the One.
The Message of the One
The number one is noted 1,969 times in scripture with 1,361 times in the Old Testament and 608 times in the New Testament. Another consideration is the number one is only divisible by itself. Its biblical significance emphasizes the oneness and priority of Unity. (BibleStudy.org). It is not the loneliest number after all. It is a number that displays power and strength.
Hebrews 9:25-28 provide a beautiful message of the power of one. The writer compares the priests of the past and the old covenant with the One who has brought the new covenant (vs. 15-23). Throughout this passage, the writer clearly conveys the necessary sacrifices needed to uphold the Old Covenant. Notice it was not just one sacrifice in the Old Testament for the old covenant, but multiple sacrifices and atonement. However, the New Testament brought a new covenant that required only one sacrifice, one time, by the One. Additionally Romans 5:12-21 also offers the power behind One emphasizing its various aspects.
Within these passages, the Old Testament prophesies the coming of a Messiah; the New Testament reveals the Messiah. Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice. His sacrifice covers our sins once and for all. He is the final sacrifice! We are forever redeemed!
One Time, One Man, One Sacrifice
Romans 5:12-21 along with Hebrews 9-10 emphasizes the finality of Jesus’ sacrifice. Below are ways we can understand this finality and rejoice that we are His once and for all.
1) “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man…” (Romans 5:12)
The “one man” references Adam. His sin involved two aspects: disobedience and pride. And this sin that entered through one man impacts all of mankind still today. But that is not the end of the story.
2) “…much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ…” (Romans 5:15-19).
Just as it only took one man through sin to enter, so it only took one man to conquer that sin. And the result of one man’s sin is not the same result as the One’s free gift. Through one trespass condemnation was brought; however, through Jesus we have the free gift of redemption and salvation.
3) “….once and for all…securing eternal redemption.” (Hebrews 9:12)
The phrase “once and for all” is often repeated within Hebrews. It emphasizes completion, a finished sacrifice, a “securing of eternal redemption.” No longer do we have to have a sacrificial system of “…by means of the blood of goats and calves…” (Romans 9:12). Rather, we can enter the holy of holies stepping bolding and with confidence to the throne of God! Amen! (Hebrews 4:16; Phil. 4:6)
4) “Nor was it to offer himself [Jesus] repeatedly…but as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” (Hebrews 9:25)
We cannot lose our salvation! We cannot be plucked from the Father’s hand! When we accept Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior, he washes us, purifies us, forgives us for eternity. For the loss of salvation to be true would mean that Jesus needed to suffer repeatedly, continually die for our sins; however, he died and rose again “once and for all” (vs. 26).
5) “And we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10: 10)
There is no guess work here. Jesus’ death on the cross, his blood shed for us put an end to the power of death and hell. We are eternally is when we ask him to enter our hearts and change us. His “single sacrifice” (vs. 12) brought for us an eternity of forgiveness, sanctification, and redemption.
Final Thoughts
It is amazing the power of Christ, that one man, one time, with one sacrifice, and one resurrection redeemed us for eternity. The Old Covenant is gone, and the New Covenant has come holding power forever. And that power lives in us! May we live like it celebrating daily the redemption, sanctification, and love that pours over us from the Father!