Page 73 - Hebrews- Student Textbook

7. 10:1, Jesus' offering made believers perfect forever
8. 11:40, OT and NT saints perfected together
9. 12:23, spirits of righteous men made perfect

10:1 "shadow" The Mosaic legislation ("The Law") and rituals were a type and foreshadow of Jesus' high
priestly ministry in the heavenly tabernacle, not made with human hands (cf. 8:5; 9:23-28).

The Jerome Biblical Commentary has an interesting comment:

"Here the author is not using ‘shadow' as he does in 8:5, where the Platonic heavenly-earthly contrast is
intended, but in the Pauline sense of a foreshadowing of that which is to come through Christ (cf. Col.
2:17). . .The annually repeated Day of Atonement sacrifices were not able to remove sin; they simply
foreshadowed the sacrifice of Jesus" (p. 399).

"make perfect" This term means "to bring to completion," "to fully accomplish." This word (teleioō and
its other forms) has been a constant theme throughout the book.

The term telos
1. Means "a consummation," "to reach a goal," or "end" (cf. 3:6,14; 6:11)
2. In Heb. 5:14 teleios is used of a mature person
3. In 6:1 teleiotes is a call to maturity
4. The terms are used in connection with the ministry of Melchizedek and the heavenly tabernacle in
7:11 and 9:11

10:5 Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not,

But a body didst thou prepare for me;

NASB "when He comes into the world, He says"
NKJV "when He came into the world, He said"
NRSV "when Christ came into the world, He said"
TEV "when Christ was about to come into the world, he said to God"
NJB "and that is why he said, on coming into the world"

This introduces a quote (cf. vv. 5-7) from Ps. 40:6-8, which shows YHWH's displeasure with the Old
Testament sacrifices because they were not accompanied by lifestyle faith. Our author uses Ps. 40:7 as
an allusion to the coming Messiah who would perfectly please God.

This quote also implies the pre-existence of Christ (cf. John 1:1-2; 8:57-58; 2 Cor. 8:9; Phil. 2:6-7; 1 John
1:1). There has never been a time when Christ did not exist! His one essence with the Father can be
documented from John 5:18; 10:30; 14:9; 10:28.

"A BODY YOU HAVE PREPARED FOR ME" This quote follows the Septuagint of Ps. 40:6. The specific mention of
a physical body prepared for the Messiah would also function in the late first century to combat
incipient Gnosticism. Jesus was truly human.

10:6 There are several passages like this in the Old Testament (cf. 1 Sam. 15:22; Isa. 1:11-17; Hosea 6:6;
Amos 5:21-27; Micah 6:6-8). They must not be interpreted as God rejecting the sacrificial system, which
was an act of His grace to deal with mankind's sin and fellowship problem for a limited time. But fallen
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