Therefore, after reading so many verses, we can know the meaning of the verse, "There no longer remains a sacrifice of bulls and goats for sins." The portion of Hebrews from chapters seven through ten, with the exception of chapter eight, says that the work of redemption, once finished, is eternally accomplished. If you do not want Christ, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins. Christ only offered Himself once as the sacrifice for sins. If you do not want the redemption of Christ, but turn to Judaism, you will no longer find any other sacrifice for sins. So, it is not a matter of being saved or perishing here. What is said here is that the work of Christ is accomplished once. If you do not want this sacrifice, you will no longer have a second one.

If you take heed to the words "no longer," you will see what they are linked to. The foregoing verses repeatedly mention the words "once for all," and the following verse says, "There no longer remains." It is equivalent to saying, for example, in chapter eight, "Here is the only pencil." Then in chapter nine I repeat, "Here is the only pencil." Again in chapter ten I say, "Here is the only pencil." After this I may explain, "If you do not want this pencil, or if you want to exchange this for another one, there will not be another one. Take this one if you want it. If you do not want it, there is no other one left for you." This verse does not mean that after receiving the knowledge of the truth, and then sinning willfully, you will not receive forgiveness anymore. This is not a matter of sin. This is a matter of the truth, a matter of the Christian faith. If you forsake the Christian faith and look for another Savior, another sacrifice for sins, you will not find it.

Some of the Jews at that time probably thought that if they rejected the Christian faith, they could still go back to the temple. They could still go back to the altar and have the priests offer bulls and goats for them. But this would indicate another sacrifice for sins. The Jews during that time still had the priests and the altar. Their believing in Christ was different from our believing in Christ. To them, they could choose to believe or not to believe. They were not like the Gentile believers, who could only go back to idol worship if they did not believe. If the Gentile believers wanted God, they could choose God. But if they did not want God, their only choice would be the world. They did not have a third choice. With the Jews, it was different. The Jews thought that if they did not want Christ, they could still be saved. If they did not want Christ, they could still have redemption for sins, because they still could keep the priests and the offerings. If they had more money, they could buy a bull. If they did not have that much money, they could still purchase a goat.

The apostle was telling the Jews that Christ had already offered Himself once for all and had completed the eternal redemptive work before God. God had already abolished the old covenant together with the old sacrifices. Before the coming of Christ, the bulls and goats could atone for their sins. But after the coming of Christ, the sacrifices of the bulls and goats could no longer take away their sins; these sacrifices have actually been abolished. This is what Hebrews chapters seven through ten point out. God not only gave His Son as the sacrifice, but He abolished the sacrifices of bulls and goats. The first half of chapter ten mentions that God does not take pleasure in bulls and goats, nor does He take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices for sins. God prepared His Son. Bulls and goats cannot redeem men from their sins. Only His Son can redeem us from sins. The sacrifice of bulls and goats in the Old Testament were only types and shadows. They refer to the Son of God as the sacrifice. God said that the old covenant is a thing of the past; the types are over, and the reality is here. It will no longer be acceptable if they reject God's Son, that is, if they reject the reality and offer up the types. According to God, there is only one sacrifice for sins. Besides Him, there is no other sacrifice for sins. Hebrews 10:26 tells us that if we forsake Christ to look for another Savior, we will not find one.