By Joe Chesser
I love the
expression “once for all” as it pertains to Jesus. Five times the expression
appears in the New Testament (ESV) to encourage us and to deepen our faith by
what Jesus did for us through his death on the cross.
- “For the
death he died he died to sin once for all ...” (Romans 6.10)
- “He has
no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own
sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he
offered up himself” (Hebrews 7.27)
- “He
entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats
and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal
redemption” (Hebrews 9.12)
- “But as
it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by
the sacrifice of himself” (Hebrews 9.26)
- “And by
that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus
Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10.10)
I’m sure all of
you who are reading this are also grateful to Jesus for what he did on the
cross once for all. What Jesus did once for all is rich with meaning. The cross
of Jesus did away forever with the need for more sacrifices for sin (Hebrews
7.27). By what Jesus did on the cross we are comforted knowing that God will
never again remember the sins of those who belong to Christ (Hebrews 8.12;
10.17-18). That wasn’t possible under the Old Law. Forgiveness of sins makes it
possible for the Holy Spirit to personally live in us (Acts 2.38), which wasn’t
possible before the cross. Because of what Jesus did on the cross we are
confident that he will come again to take us to be with him forever (John
14.3). Once for all means all of these promises are always available.
However, what
“once for all” does not mean is that everyone has accessed these promises. This
is where the other time “once for all” appears in the New Testament is
important to consider. It is found in Jude 3: “Beloved although I was very
eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write
appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to
the saints.” Is Jude saying that “our common salvation” based on what Jesus did
at the cross is not as common as they might have thought?
Despite what is
popular in our culture today, according to Jesus, salvation is anything but
common (see Matthew 7.13-14). Jesus said the wide and easy way is the most
common way, but it does not lead the masses to salvation. He went on to say
that the narrow and difficult way, which only a few will travel, is what
actually leads to salvation. Further, Jesus said, “”Not everyone who says to
me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the
will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 7.21 emphasis mine). Is that
perhaps why Jude was led by the Holy Spirit to appeal to his readers (and us)
to contend for the faith once for all delivered to the saints? Is the will of
the Father to be found only in “the faith” to which Jude referred? Was Jude
pointing to the faith that was taught in the 1st century when the gospel was
preached (Romans 1.16-17); or the faith that is foundational to Christians
unity (Galatians 4.5); or the standard of teaching to which we are to be
committed (Romans 6.17)? I believe so.
“The faith that
was once for all delivered” to the 1st century saints should never be taken
lightly, even today. It is that same
once for all faith that informs us how to access the salvation that the once
for all sacrifice of Jesus on the cross provides. Both are to be etched on our
hearts. Neither are to be altered or dismissed in any way. In fact, it would do
you (and me) good to regularly “examine yourselves, to see whether you are in
the faith. Test yourselves” (2 Corinthians 13.5). And stand firm once and for
all!
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