Can you explain Hebrews 10? I don’t understand the reference to “shadow” in verse 1. What was the purpose of the old covenant if it could not take sin away?
A shadow gives us a representation of a person or object, but the shadow is not the real person or object. Therefore, a shadow is inferior to the real person or object. In the same way, the Law of Moses gave us a hint of good things to come, but the Law was inferior to Christ. The entire book of Hebrews describes how Christ is better than anything or anyone else. This theme is continued in chapter 10 when contrasting the sacrifices offered under the Law and Christ’s sacrifice of Himself for our sins.
The purpose of the old covenant was to teach the nation of Israel that they could not remain faithful to it in their own strength. As we read in Galatians 3:24-25, “So that the law has been our tutor up to Christ, that we might be justified on the principle of faith. But, faith having come, we are no longer under a tutor” (JND). Romans 3:20 states, “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” God was teaching Israel through the old covenant of the Law that they were powerless to do anything to take away their sins. He was teaching them that they needed to have their sins truly and permanently washed away. He was teaching them that the only one who could do this was Christ. We Gentiles were never put under the law, but we can learn from Israel’s experiences that we are also powerless to take away our own sins. As Romans 3:20 states above, “no flesh” (neither Jew nor Gentile) can be made righteous through the Law.
The Old Testament sacrifices were beautiful pictures of Christ, but “it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4). The Lord Jesus Christ was the only one qualified to be the sin-bearer since He was the only sinless one. As John the Baptist said of the Lord Jesus in John 1:29, “Behold the lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” Christ was the holy, spotless, Lamb who alone was capable of taking away our sins. He was also the only One qualified because He was the only one who was fully God and fully man. This made it possible for Him to be the mediator to make peace between God and mankind. As we read in 1 Timothy 2:5, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
Yes, Christ is better than the Law. In fact, we read near the end of Colossians 3:11 that “Christ is everything” (JND). Dear believer, is He everything to you? Is He everything to me? It is a fact that He is everything, but do I give Him that place? As we read in Ephesians 1:21, the Lord Jesus Christ is “far above all.” He is the Creator of all, the Sustainer of all, and the only Savior. He is the preeminent one. All praise and worship to His wonderful name, for He is EVERYTHING! (229.5) (DJ)