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December 27 Hebrews 10:5–7 22 Keith Wells, DMin Associate Professor of Theological Bibliography and Research & Director of Library T herefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. en I said, "Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll— I have come to do your will, O God" (Heb. 10:5–7, TNIV). In these words from the Epistle to the Hebrews we gain a unique perspective on the entrance of Christ into the world, for the very words of Christ concerning His Incarnation are recorded in this text! First of all, our Lord Jesus said to the Father, "A body you prepared for me." e bodies of animals, sacrificed for sin, could not atone once and for all for the sin of the people. Only the body of the spotless Lamb of God, prepared by God for entrance into the world, could bring about such an atonement. Second, by quoting Psalm 40:6–8, Jesus affirms that the Father is dissatisfied with the old covenant sacrificial offerings because they could not provide a final and definitive cleansing from sin. ird, our Lord Jesus affirms to the Father that He has come into the world to do the will of God. Here, the Incarnation is viewed as an act of submission to a sacrificial and efficacious death. e body of Jesus is the gift that God has prepared as the means by which His divine will can be accomplished in the Atonement for sin. Christ finds His purpose as a sin offering and carries it out with whole-hearted obedience. It is as if the writer to the Hebrews overhears the Son communicating this to the Father on the occasion of the Incarnation. Breathtaking! As we celebrate the coming of Christ into the world this Christmas season, let us remember our Lord's unwavering obedience and commitment to do God's will. Let us find confidence and assurance in the merits of Christ. Let us find hope that the decisive work of Christ in atoning for sin grants us access to God forever. Let us find purpose in doing the will of God. And let us be grateful for this indescribable gift. When Christ Came into e World