“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.”
once
“Suffered once” — once for all. Jesus suffered for sin once for all. There is no need for anyone else to suffer for sin. His suffering holds perpetual validity, not requiring repetition (Heb. 6:4; 9:28; 10:2). The word “once” means a single occurrence — one time. Jesus’ suffering was a single occurrence to the exclusion of any other similar event – once and for all, once and never again.
The word “once” shows Christ’s suffering was conclusive in God’s eyes (Heb 9:26,27,28; 10:10,14). Jesus’ death for sin was unique because he suffered once for sin. This contrasts with Old Testament sacrifices that were constantly repeated (Heb. 7:27; 9:28; 10:10, 12, 14). Priests repeatedly brought sacrifices to the altar, but Jesus died once for sin to give us access to God.
In the New Testament, Jesus is the sacrifice for all sin for all time. Unlike the Old Testament sacrifice, his death occurred once. Christ’s suffering for sin never needs to be repeated. He eliminated any further sacrifice for sin. He paid the price fully. Now God can fellowship with us with integrity.
Ro 6:10, “For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.”
Jesus defeated all sin for all men for all time. Jesus finally defeated sin in his death. There is no need for any repetition of his sacrifice because his sacrifice was sufficient for everyone for all time.
He 9:25-28, “Not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another— 26He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 27And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, 28so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him, He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.”
He 10:10, “By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
PRINCIPLE:
Jesus’ death for sin was totally efficacious (effectual).
APPLICATION:
On the cross, something happened that never needs repeating. Jesus suffered for sin, and no one needs to suffer for sin again. He defeated sin finally. On the cross, God dealt with man’s sin in a satisfactory way for all sin, for all men, for all time. No one ever has to sacrifice for sin again.
Jesus’ death eliminated any need for a further sacrifice for sin. He paid the price for sin fully, so we do not need to suffer for sin at any point. His sacrifice was the utter sacrifice. He fully paid the price for sin.
Something happened on the cross that never needs to happen again – no one has to suffer for sin again. On the cross, God ended any further need for suffering for sin. The cross is sufficient suffering in God’s eyes for all men, for all sin, for all time.
The work of Christ on the cross finished suffering for sin. We have finished salvation, an accomplished redemption. Nothing we can do can add to the finished work of Christ upon the cross.
We need not do penance for sin. Jesus is the only person who has the coin that God Almighty will accept in payment for sins because he was the only “just” person who ever lived. The good news is that he paid for our sins fully.
No further enactments of Calvary are necessary. No other sacrifice of the body of Christ is required because he suffered “once” for sin. He suffered once and for all. Any attempt to react to add to the price he paid on the cross discounts his finished work on Calvary. To reenact that work is blasphemy.
Have you accepted the finality of the suffering of Christ for your sin?
Heb. 10:12, “But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God.”
