The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Hebrews 10:1-4, “For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things

to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices

which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near.

2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, because the worshipers,

having once been cleansed, would no longer have had consciousness of sins?

3 But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year.

4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”

I’m sure you’ve often thought about things that happened yesterday.

But, you’ve never thought about things that happened tomorrow! God

has so constructed us that we can remember the past, but not see the future.

So, you will not be shocked when Paul says that no one was or ever will

be saved by keeping the Ten Commandments. In fact, the Ten Commandments

were only ever for the Jews, and only for them until Jesus came. Paul says

the Law was only “a shadow of the good things to come.” He says the Law

can never make anyone perfect. Then why did God give the Law to Moses?

“…in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins”; but sin was never cleansed

by the blood of bulls and goats. It was only cleansed by the Blood of Jesus.

And He died only once, and ALL of our sins, past and future, were forgiven.

Yes, we still sin; and we are told to confess that sin. Confess (???????? homologeo)

means to agree with. We are to agree with what God has said about our sin,

and He looks back to our acceptance of Him (when we were saved) and

forgives (?????? aphiemi – sends away) our current sin, cleansing us in the process.

Back in Romans 6:14, Paul said, “…you are not under law, but under grace.”

So, when we sin, we should admit it to God, receive His forgiveness and forget it –

BUT, forget it so that we will not commit it again! The Holy Spirit can remove our

very remembrance of that sin in much the same way that He caused Israel to

remember theirs! Indeed we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psa. 139:14).

You are in our faithful prayers every day,

Nana & Dado III

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas