For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. – Hebrews 10:14
When a child is adopted, there is a moment – usually marked by a court decision – when everything becomes legally and permanently true. From that day on, the child belongs to the family. The last name is theirs, the inheritance is theirs. The parents’ commitment is settled and irreversible. Nothing the child does afterward makes them more adopted or less adopted.
But after the papers are signed, real life begins. The child still has to learn how this family works… how love is expressed, how trust grows, how wounds heal, how habits change. The parents patiently shape, correct, reassure, and teach. The child is not trying to earn a place in the family; they are learning how to live as someone who already belongs.
That’s basically Hebrews 10:14. When we put our faith and trust in Christ, we immediately become part of God’s family.
- “He has made perfect forever” is the courtroom moment, our status before God being justified by Christ’s one sacrifice.
- “Those who are being made holy” is the lifelong home. Life that follows – with God patiently forming us into people who live out that settled reality – is His sanctifying work to make us like His Son.
Justification and Sanctification are in that order for a very important reason and should never be confused. The security of belonging to God’s family comes before the growth that occurs within the family – and it’s that security that actually makes growth possible.
Former Blackout Artist 