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Hebrews 10:1
ESV For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near.
NIV 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.
NASB For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things to come and not the form of those things itself, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually every year, make those who approach perfect.
CSB Since the law has only a shadow of the good things to come, and not the reality itself of those things, it can never perfect the worshipers by the same sacrifices they continually offer year after year.
NLT The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship.
KJV For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.
NKJV For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect.

What does Hebrews 10:1 mean?

In the previous verses, the writer of Hebrews explained how the old covenant was meant as a symbol of the new covenant. The physical qualities of the tabernacle were meant to explain both the weaknesses of the old covenant and the superior nature of the new covenant. In particular, the writer pointed out how the blood of animals was an imperfect sacrifice. Not only did animal sacrifice need to be offered over and over, it did not have the power to actually "cleanse" man from sin, only to "cover" that sin temporarily (Hebrews 9:8–10).

Here, the same ideas are summarized. The old covenant was not incorrect, or useless. However, its true purpose was not eternal salvation. The real purpose of the old covenant was to point people towards Jesus Christ, as the fulfillment of God's ultimate plan.

The phrase "made perfect," as used here, is not a reference to absolute sinlessness. In this context, "perfection" carries the same meaning it usually does in the New Testament, which is that of completion and maturity. The sacrifices of the old covenant could not fully cleanse man in order to stand before God. The new covenant, however, can change the conscience of man and totally remove sin, allowing us to be "perfected"—matured and completed—in the eyes of God.
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