Hebrews 10:1 The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship.
This conclusion affirms what Paul the Apostle writes in Galatians 3 and Romans 7. Paul’s argument is that the law is not able to save because no one can keep it perfectly. We all will fall short and sin. Thus, Paul comes from a legal perspective. Hebrews’ argument comes from a cultic perspective and that the sacrificial system set up by the law cannot remove sin and make us holy enough to be in God’s presence. The sacrificial system was temporary and had to be constantly repeated. The yearly repetition on the Day of Atonement never permanently solved the problem of sin. Those who came near to God’s presence in the tabernacle could only come so close; there always remained a distance. Even the high priest could only enter the Holy of Holies once a year. The key point is that the law was pointing ahead and preparing for something greater. It was only a “shadow” cast by the greater light that came with Jesus. This verse has similar thought to Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. The real truth was outside the cave and cast a shadow inside. Those inside the cave thought the shadows were the truth and could not see the truth. The same idea is present here. The real solution to sin is found in Jesus. The law is only a reflection of this solution. It cannot make anyone perfect enough to worship in God’s presence. Only Jesus can.
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