Hebrews 2:5-18

It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. But there is a place where someone has testified:
"What is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?
You made him a little lower than the angels;
you crowned him with glory and honor
and put everything under his feet."

In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. He says,  "I will declare your name to my brothers; in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises." And again,  "I will put my trust in him." And again he says,  "Here am I, and the children God has given me."

Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death €”that is, the devil and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham's descendants. For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement forthe sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Here we see the first real glimpse of the hope of Jesus in the book of Hebrews: "...so that by his death he might destroy...the devil and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death." The fear of death from sin under the law, the law of life perverted by the enemy. 

Knowing what sin was by the law, they were afraid to live lest it bring about their death. And they were afraid of death because they feared the punishment of God. They couldn't be sure of their salvation because they had sinned too much and they couldn't be sure whether they had done enough to atone for those sins.

So Jesus came and died for all the sins. He was the last sacrifice to fulfill the sacrifice required under the law.

Simple, yes?

Well, not really. I mean how easy is it to believe that there's nothing to be done to make ammends for sins? If it were so easy, people would do it. This takes away all of the control. I have no control. If I sin, i can't do anything to make it right again.

I can't pray five times, or fast for 10 days, or give money to the poor, or give 10% to my church, or spend 3 years in prison, or clean the church bathrooms, or go on a missions trip to Africa, or sell all of my belongings, or suffer through disease, or go silent for a few months. Nothing. I can't suffer my way through my guilt to earn forgiveness.

It's freeing and scary all at once. 

If you watch enough Dr. Phil, you'll see that people do this stuff all the time. They live a life that is less than they could live because they believe they don't deserve it, that they deserve to be punished. Well, sure you deserve to be punished, but you don't need to be. Jesus paid for those sins already and no amount of self-inflicted punishment can earn you a damn thing. So stop it.