阅读经文 

很多时候，我们会有意无意地尝试为我们的罪付上代价。我们努力遵守各种条例和律法，我们努力做个“好人”。当我们后悔犯罪时，内心有些东西会让我们觉得必须“纠正它”。我们想努力向神偿还些什么，就好像我们可以换得救恩。但是，我们不能。而且，因着耶稣，我们已经得以成圣了。

正如我们在默想《希伯来书》时所了解到的，祭司们每天都忙着为人们的罪献祭。在赎罪日这天，大祭司要为百姓所有的罪献上祭物，年复一年。

现在，有一位已经来了，祂将自己的身体一次献上，作为完美的祭物。耶稣为我们死在十字架上，这一点足以使我们成圣。我们不再需要日复一日，年复一年地献上祭物。基督已经将自己一次献上，永远成全了。

我们不必努力赚取自己的成圣，因为基督已经使我们成圣了，我们的回应是，靠着祂的能力，努力活出基督造我们的样子。

我们已经得以成圣了；现在，靠着基督，我们的救主，我们可以开始更加像祂。

There are many times in which we try, either intentionally or not, to pay for our sins. We try to follow all kinds of rules and regulations. We try to be “good” people. When we are sorry for our sins, something inside makes us think we have to “make things right.” We want to try to pay God back, as if we might pay for our salvation. But we can’t. And yet, because of Jesus, we have been made holy already.

As we have learned in these reflections on Hebrews, the priests were busy every day offering sacrifices for people’s sins. And on the Day of Atonement the high priest would make a sacrifice for all the sins of the people, year after year after year.

Now we have one who has come and has offered us his own body as the perfect sacrifice, once for all. Jesus’ death on the cross for our sake was enough to make us holy. We no longer have to offer sacrifices day after day, year after year. Christ has already sacrificed himself, once for all.

We do not have to try to earn our holiness, for Christ has already made us holy. And as we have already been made holy, our response is to strive, in his strength, to live into what Christ has already made us to be.

We have already been made holy; now, in the strength of Christ, our Savior, we can begin to be like him.