"And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."
Hebrews 10:10 (NIV)
Christmas happened once, and it was enough. Jesus wasn't born in Bethlehem multiple times. He didn't come back year after year to try again. One incarnation. One life lived perfectly. One sacrifice on the cross. One resurrection from the dead. Done. Finished. Complete. The phrase "once for all" means exactly that: one time, forever effective, never needing repetition.
This is radically different from the old system. Under the law, priests stood daily at the altar offering sacrifices. Day after day, year after year, the same animals, the same rituals, the same blood. But those sacrifices could never truly remove sin. They were reminders of the problem, not the solution. They pointed forward to someone who could actually finish the job. They pointed to Jesus.
Think about trying to fill a bathtub with a hole in the bottom. You keep pouring water in, but it keeps draining out. You can spend hours adding more water, but you'll never fill the tub. The problem isn't that you need more water. The problem is the hole. No amount of repetition will solve it. You need someone to fix what's broken, not just keep managing the symptoms.
That's what the old sacrifices were like. They managed the symptoms but couldn't fix what was broken. Year after year, guilt returned. Year after year, separation remained. Year after year, people wondered if they'd done enough. But when Jesus offered Himself, everything changed. He didn't just manage your sin problem. He fixed it permanently. His sacrifice plugged the hole. His blood covered it all.
Here's where this becomes your Christmas freedom. You don't have to get this year right to make up for last year. You don't have to earn God's approval again in December. You don't have to worry that one bad day will undo everything. Christ's work was "once for all." Your standing with God was settled at Calvary. Your holiness was secured by His sacrifice. You're not on probation. You're not in a trial period. You're fully accepted, permanently loved, completely His.
Godseekers, stop living like you need a do-over with God. You don't need to re-earn His favor every Christmas season. You don't need to make this year's celebration perfect to compensate for last year's failures. Jesus did it once, and once was enough. His sacrifice made you holy. Not "will make you holy if you try hard enough." Not "might make you holy if you perform well enough." Made you holy. Past tense. Finished work. Permanent status. Let that truth fill your heart with unshakeable gratitude this Christmas.
Prayer
Dear Lord, thank You that Jesus came once and that was enough. Thank You that His sacrifice doesn't need repeating and my standing with You doesn't need re-earning. I'm grateful that I'm not on spiritual probation, constantly trying to prove myself. You made me holy through Christ's body offered once for all. This Christmas, help me rest in that finished work. When I'm tempted to think I need to do more or be better to maintain Your approval, remind me that Jesus already did everything necessary. Let the permanence of His sacrifice fill me with permanent joy. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Personal Reflection
- In what ways are you still living as if you need to re-earn God's approval this Christmas?
- How would your stress level change if you truly believed that Christ's "once for all" sacrifice settled everything permanently?
Step of Faith
Today, I will thank God that His acceptance of me doesn't depend on this year's performance, and I will rest in the permanent security of Christ's finished work.
