Hebrews 10 is like a “giant theological squid”—tentacles reaching into every doctrine from sanctification to covenant theology, sacrifice, priesthood, the Trinity, and more. And the more I’ve studied Hebrews 10, the more it exposed a deeper issue within me: My quiet assumption that sanctification—my growth in holiness—was mostly up to me. Hebrews 10 shattered that illusion.

 

When Scripture Slaps Your Self-Help Theology

If you’ve ever treated spiritual growth like a checklist, Hebrews 10 will confront you. You’ll find yourself in good (and squirming) company. This chapter doesn’t just talk about spiritual formation—it unravels every attempt to earn it.

Let’s get this out of the way: You can’t sanctify yourself.

Not with better quiet times. Not with more accountability groups. Not with the perfect prayer journal or theological book stack.

Hebrews 10:14 says it like this: “For by a single offering He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.”

Let that sink in. Perfected, past tense. Being sanctified, present tense.

You’re not climbing your way to holiness. You’re already perfect in Christ—and now you’re being shaped by that truth, not to earn it, but because it’s already yours.

 

The Redemptive Plot Twist: Sanctification Is God’s Work

Sanctification is not spiritual self-improvement. It’s surrender. The whole message of Hebrews 10 is that Jesus did what Old Testament sacrifices could never do. They were repetitive. Temporary. Incomplete. But His one offering? Total and final.

Here’s what hit me: I’ve spent years trying to help God help me. But the gospel isn’t about God giving you a boost so you can finish the job. Sanctification is the Spirit of God applying the finished work of Jesus to every part of your life—over time, yes, but fully His initiative.

It’s not a grind. It’s grace.

 

Psalm 40 and the Voice You Didn’t Expect

Just when you think Hebrews 10 can’t get weirder, it quotes Psalm 40 and claims Jesus said it. “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me.” (Hebrews 10:5, quoting Psalm 40)

Wait—Jesus said that? When? Not in the Gospels.

The writer of Hebrews reveals something stunning: those ancient words of David? They were actually the pre-incarnate Christ speaking. God had a plan from the beginning, and Jesus was never Plan B. The Old Covenant was pointing toward the true and final sacrifice all along.

Translation? You’re not the hero of your sanctification story. Jesus was always center stage.

 

The Divine Huddle: Father, Son, and Spirit Get It Done

Picture the Trinity like a perfect football team. The Father designs the play. The Son executes it. The Spirit empowers the whole strategy in real time. And in Hebrews 10, you see that huddle in motion.

The Father prepares the Son a body. The Son offers Himself once for all. The Spirit testifies to and writes the law on our hearts.

You don’t jump in to “carry your weight.” You receive the benefits of their flawless teamwork. The Old Covenant required repeated sacrifice because the work was never finished. The New Covenant? Done. Declared. Delivered.

(A brief word of theological caution: Don’t push the Triune football team analogy too far. The Trinity is not a team composed of three people. Rather, our Triune God is a perfect unity of three persons who share one will and one intellect. Thus, the football team analogy falls short in depicting God’s incomprehensible one-ness even as it helps us to understand the Trinity’s wonderful harmony in the work of redemption.)

 

What Happens When You Stop Trying to Fix Yourself

Hebrews 10 doesn’t let you stay in spiritual hustle mode. It calls you to draw near—not because you got it together, but because Jesus did.

“Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean…” (v. 22).

Here’s the lie: “If I can just get it right, then God will be pleased.”

Here’s the gospel: “Jesus got it right, and now God delights in me.”

The result? You change. Not because you’re trying harder, but because you finally believe you’re secure.

 

Forgetting Sermons and Growing Anyway

You’re probably going to forget most of this post. Maybe even the squid thing (though I doubt it). But that’s okay. Spiritual growth doesn’t depend on perfect memory or constant emotional highs. It’s the slow, quiet, beautiful work of the Spirit anchoring your heart to Jesus again and again.

You can’t sanctify yourself. You were never meant to. And in Christ, you don’t have to. He will do what you cannot do.

Stop striving for self-sanctification. Jesus already perfected you. Sanctification is not about performing for God—it’s about trusting the One who already finished the work. So drop the guilt, ditch the DIY faith, and rest in the glorious reality: you’re not working for holiness. You’re growing from it.