Many read Paul's internal conversation as a theological explanation of Jesus' death and priesthood. But when we look at it through Neville Goddard’s perspective, it's more personal: letting go of the old self and stepping into a new way of being through assumptive imagination.
Neville taught that the Bible is not history, but a universal story of the mind. It shows the journey of the self—its struggles, movement, and transformation. In this light, Hebrews 10:8–14 explains how change really happens: not through rituals or actions, but by holding an idea in imagination and staying holy wholly committed to it.
Scripture Passage Hebrews 10:8–14
First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law.
Then he said, “Here I AM,
I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second.
And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,
and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool.
For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.
“You Did Not Desire Sacrifices…” — The Importance of Feeling
These opening lines show that outward sacrifices were not pleasing because the heart was not truly engaged—the feeling, the desire, was missing. From Neville’s perspective, this reveals that change requires inner alignment and genuine desire, not empty action or ritual.
True transformation arises when the feeling matches the assumption.
The “law” represents effort without inner connection. Real holiness comes from assuming and feeling the new self as already true. Without that inner pleasure or desire, external acts cannot bring real change.
“Here I AM…” — Taking Responsibility for Change
"Then he said, “Here I AM, I have come to do your will.”
This marks the moment we stop looking for change outside ourselves and realise: I AM that I AM is the force that creates my life.
Doing “God’s will” is not following rules—it is feeling as if your wish is already fulfilled. That feeling, when held with faith, becomes the real change. Neville called this the letting go of the old self and taking on the new one.
The True Sacrifice: Holding the New Idea
“We have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” (v.10)
Jesus represents salvation realised: the condition that brings itself to fulfilment by carrying fully embodied wisdom, belovedness, and assumption through life, even in the face of opposition. He is the culmination of every stage in which the self has been raised—most clearly reflected in David, the beloved self, and Solomon, the beloved made wise in assumption. The “sacrifice” is not a literal offering, but the letting go of the old self and the persistent holding of the new idea.
To surrender the old self is to live as the person you wish to be, maintaining that condition until it is fully realised. This steadfast embodiment—the act of bringing yourself to salvation—is the true sacrifice.
Why Repetition Alone Doesn’t Work
“Day after day every priest... again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.” (v.11)
The “priests” represent old habits and thought patterns that keep life the same. Repeating prayers or affirmations without true belief is like offering empty sacrifices. “Sin,” in Neville’s teaching, is simply staying in a state that doesn’t match your desired self.
Real change comes not from effort, but from living as if you are already the person you want to be.
“He Sat Down…” — Trusting the Process
“But when this priest had offered... he sat down at the right hand of God.” (v.12)
Sitting represents resting in the new state. Once the idea is fully accepted, there’s no more striving. You wait calmly, confident that the change will show up in life.
This is the Sabbath—the pause between believing and seeing the result. “Right hand of God” shows the position of power: holding the idea fully allows it to shape reality.
Enemies Become Footstools: Old States Fade
“He waits for his enemies to be made his footstool.” (v.13)
The “enemies” are old states like fear, doubt, guilt, or unworthiness. By staying in the new belief, these old states eventually lose control. They become powerless—your footstool.
Perfect in Mind, Manifest in Time
“For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” (v.14)
Your new condition is already imaginatively complete. It takes time for life to match it. You are “being made holy” as the outer world adjusts to what you already hold inside.
Faithfulness is not trying to make something happen—it is trusting it has already happened in mind.
Final Thoughts: The Inner Meaning of Sacrifice
Hebrews 10:8–14 is not about rules or rituals. It shows the timeless principle of change: let go of the old self and step fully into the new.
The only sacrifice that matters is giving up the old identity and holding the new one in imagination. That is what truly makes you “holy.”
Architecture Series | Bible Verse Analysis | Exodus 3:14: I AM | Paul's Letters: Hebrews