Christ's Sacrifice Superior to the Sacrifice on the Day of Atonement: Hebrews 9-10:18

From: The Epistle To The Hebrews By: Stanley Bruce Anstey

HEB 9-10:18 • 47 min. read • grade level: 10

(Chapters 9–10:18)

The Earthly Sanctuary & Its Carnal Ordinances

Vss. 1-7—The writer says, “The first (covenant) therefore also indeed had ordinances of service, and the sanctuary, a worldly one. For a tabernacle was set up; the first, in which were both the candlestick and the table and the exposition of the loaves, which is called Holy; but after the second veil a tabernacle which is called Holy of holies, having a golden censer, and the ark of the covenant, covered round in every part with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna, and the rod of Aaron that had sprouted, and the tables of the covenant; and above over it the cherubim of glory shadowing the mercy-seat; concerning which it is not now the time to speak in detail. Now these things being thus ordered, into the first tabernacle the priests enter at all times, accomplishing the services; but into the second, the high priest only, once a year, not without blood, which he offers for himself and for the errors [sins of ignorance] of the people.” The first five verses of chapter 9 are a quick overview of the earthly sanctuary. Then, in verses 6-7, the writer gives a description of the main “services” performed by the priests in that system—particularly that which took place on the Day of Atonement.

The pattern that he refers to is that of the tabernacle in the wilderness, not the temple that Solomon built in the land of Canaan. This is evident by the fact that he mentions “the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded” being in the ark; whereas, when the ark was placed in the temple those two things were removed (2 Chron. 5:10¹⁰There was nothing in the ark save the two tables which Moses put therein at Horeb, when the Lord made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of Egypt. (2 Chronicles 5:10)). Using the pattern of the tabernacle in the wilderness to teach his point is in keeping with the context of the epistle, being that it is a wilderness book wherein the Christian is seen on a spiritual pilgrimage to heaven.

The writer mentions ten things that marked that earthly system: three in the “Holy” (the sanctuary) and seven in the “Holy of holies” (the innermost part of the tabernacle wherein was God’s presence). One thing that stands out is that the incense altar is not mentioned, but the “golden censer,” which the priests used at that altar, is! Furthermore, he speaks of the censer as being in the Holy of holies! This is interesting and instructive. It shows that he understood that the proper place of worship (which the incense altar and golden censer represent) is in God’s immediate presence—something unknown in Judaism, but the believer’s privilege in Christianity. This indicates that it is not God’s intention that His redeemed should worship Him at a distance, outside the veil (Heb. 10:19¹⁹Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, (Hebrews 10:19)). The court (Ex. 27:9-21⁹And thou shalt make the court of the tabernacle: for the south side southward there shall be hangings for the court of fine twined linen of an hundred cubits long for one side: ¹⁰And the twenty pillars thereof and their twenty sockets shall be of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets shall be of silver. ¹¹And likewise for the north side in length there shall be hangings of an hundred cubits long, and his twenty pillars and their twenty sockets of brass; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets of silver. ¹²And for the breadth of the court on the west side shall be hangings of fifty cubits: their pillars ten, and their sockets ten. ¹³And the breadth of the court on the east side eastward shall be fifty cubits. ¹⁴The hangings of one side of the gate shall be fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three. ¹⁵And on the other side shall be hangings fifteen cubits: their pillars three, and their sockets three. ¹⁶And for the gate of the court shall be an hanging of twenty cubits, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, wrought with needlework: and their pillars shall be four, and their sockets four. ¹⁷All the pillars round about the court shall be filleted with silver; their hooks shall be of silver, and their sockets of brass. ¹⁸The length of the court shall be an hundred cubits, and the breadth fifty every where, and the height five cubits of fine twined linen, and their sockets of brass. ¹⁹All the vessels of the tabernacle in all the service thereof, and all the pins thereof, and all the pins of the court, shall be of brass. ²⁰And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always. ²¹In the tabernacle of the congregation without the vail, which is before the testimony, Aaron and his sons shall order it from evening to morning before the Lord: it shall be a statute for ever unto their generations on the behalf of the children of Israel. (Exodus 27:9‑21)) is not mentioned here because the subject in Hebrews is the believer’s approach to God inside the sanctuary. The court has to do with the believer’s testimony before the world outside.

The writer notes that the sacrifices offered on that day only covered “sins of ignorance” (vs. 7 – J. N. Darby Trans. footnote; Lev. 4:2²Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a soul shall sin through ignorance against any of the commandments of the Lord concerning things which ought not to be done, and shall do against any of them: (Leviticus 4:2); Num. 15:22-29²²And if ye have erred, and not observed all these commandments, which the Lord hath spoken unto Moses, ²³Even all that the Lord hath commanded you by the hand of Moses, from the day that the Lord commanded Moses, and henceforward among your generations; ²⁴Then it shall be, if ought be committed by ignorance without the knowledge of the congregation, that all the congregation shall offer one young bullock for a burnt offering, for a sweet savor unto the Lord, with his meat offering, and his drink offering, according to the manner, and one kid of the goats for a sin offering. ²⁵And the priest shall make an atonement for all the congregation of the children of Israel, and it shall be forgiven them; for it is ignorance: and they shall bring their offering, a sacrifice made by fire unto the Lord, and their sin offering before the Lord, for their ignorance: ²⁶And it shall be forgiven all the congregation of the children of Israel, and the stranger that sojourneth among them; seeing all the people were in ignorance. ²⁷And if any soul sin through ignorance, then he shall bring a she goat of the first year for a sin offering. ²⁸And the priest shall make an atonement for the soul that sinneth ignorantly, when he sinneth by ignorance before the Lord, to make an atonement for him; and it shall be forgiven him. ²⁹Ye shall have one law for him that sinneth through ignorance, both for him that is born among the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them. (Numbers 15:22‑29))—which the KJV calls “errors” of the people. The legal system provided no remedy for “presumptuous sins” (Num. 15:30-36³⁰But the soul that doeth ought presumptuously, whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the Lord; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people. ³¹Because he hath despised the word of the Lord, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him. ³²And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day. ³³And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation. ³⁴And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him. ³⁵And the Lord said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp. ³⁶And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the Lord commanded Moses. (Numbers 15:30‑36); Psa. 19:13¹³Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression. (Psalm 19:13)). This fact is another proof of the weakness of that system. At best, those sacrifices could only cover certain sins—and such were only for a year at a time through the rituals on the Day of Atonement and the “forbearance of God” (Rom. 3:25²⁵Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; (Romans 3:25)). Those sacrifices could not “take away” sins before God (Heb. 10:3-4³But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. ⁴For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. (Hebrews 10:3‑4)) as did the one sacrifice of Christ (Heb. 9:26; 10:12-17²⁶For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. (Hebrews 9:26)
¹²But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; ¹³From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. ¹⁴For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. ¹⁵Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, ¹⁶This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; ¹⁷And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. (Hebrews 10:12‑17)).

The Great Lesson the Tabernacle Layout Teaches

Vss. 8-9—In verse 5, he says that it was “not now the time to speak in detail” of these things (as to their typical significance) because his purpose in mentioning the layout of the tabernacle was to show that it teaches the great lesson that access into God’s presence has been closed on account of sin. “The Holy Spirit” was “signifying that the way into the Holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing.” Since the things in the tabernacle are “figurative representations of the things in the heavens” (vs. 23), the Spirit is teaching that there is no access for man into God’s presence on account of the barrier that sin has created. The presence of the “veil” (Ex. 26:31-35³¹And thou shalt make a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work: with cherubims shall it be made: ³²And thou shalt hang it upon four pillars of shittim wood overlaid with gold: their hooks shall be of gold, upon the four sockets of silver. ³³And thou shalt hang up the vail under the taches, that thou mayest bring in thither within the vail the ark of the testimony: and the vail shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy. ³⁴And thou shalt put the mercy seat upon the ark of the testimony in the most holy place. ³⁵And thou shalt set the table without the vail, and the candlestick over against the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the south: and thou shalt put the table on the north side. (Exodus 26:31‑35)), which the writer calls “the second veil” (vs. 3), restricting entrance into the Holiest, indicated this. The Aaronic priests could enter the Holy place and minister, but they had no admittance into the Holy of holies—except for the High Priest, once a year, with blood from a victim. This clearly teaches us that man cannot come to God directly; he must approach Him through a mediator, and that through the blood of a sacrifice.

Thus, the message the Holy Spirit is communicating, in the type of the tabernacle, is that access into God’s immediate presence had not been opened while the tabernacle was “yet standing” and owned of God. This was a clear proof of the insufficiency of the sacrifices of that legal system. They could not make the worshipper “perfect” in the sense of cleansing his conscience from guilt (vs. 9), nor did they open the way into the presence of God. (The KJV says that it couldn’t make “him that did the service” perfect, which would refer to the priest, but it should read, “him that worshipped...” which is referring to the offerer.) Those sacrifices were instituted by God, and were not an attempt to perfect the believer, but rather, to point forward to “the good things” that would come in through Christ, which would perfect the believer (vs. 11).

As long as the tabernacle was standing, and owned of God, there could be no direct access into His presence. Such required a greater sacrifice that could, once and for all, put away sin (vss. 11-12, 26). Until sin had been dealt with in a sacrifice that satisfied the claims of divine justice, there would always be a distance between God and man. Therefore, approaching God in worship, until such time, would have to be through a system of rituals and ordinances that only kept man at a distance from God. H. Smith said, “Under such a system God was shut in and man was shut out. The Jewish system could neither open heaven to us, nor could it fit us for heaven” (The Epistle to the Hebrews, p. 48).

The tabernacle with the veil rent is “an image [figure] for the present time” when the way into the Holy of holies has been opened (Heb. 10:19-22¹⁹Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; ²¹And having an high priest over the house of God; ²²Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. (Hebrews 10:19‑22)). Christians generally, and historically, have not understood that the Old Testament tabernacle system is a figure of the true sanctuary in which Christians now worship by the Spirit. Instead of seeing it as a figure, they have used the tabernacle as a pattern for their churches and have borrowed many things in a literal sense from that Judaic order for their places of worship and their religious services. In doing so, they have entirely missed the point that God does not want a mixture of these two drastically different and contrasting orders (Heb. 13:10¹⁰We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle. (Hebrews 13:10)).

Vs. 10—The writer clearly states that the outward rituals of Judaism (“meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances”) were a provisional thing, given to Israel “until the time of setting things right [rectifying]” (W. Kelly Trans.). They were not intended to be used indefinitely in the way in which they were given to them. “The time of setting things right” not only refers to Christianity now, but also to the time when the new covenant will be made with Israel. J. N. Darby said, “Certain things were imposed on them until the time of reformation. Christ came, ‘an High Priest of good things to come.’ What does that refer to? Some may find a difficulty as to whether ‘to come,’ refers to what was future for the Jews, while that tabernacle was standing, or to what is now future. I believe both. All was new in Christ. It was to come on a new foundation. The basis is laid for the entire and perfect reconciliation of man with God.” (Collected Writings, vol. 27, p. 385)

The Superior Sacrifice of Christ

Vss. 11-28—The writer now contrasts the service that occurred in the tabernacle on the Day of Atonement with what Christ accomplished in His death on the cross. Thus, the greatness of Christ’s finished work is dwelt on here with some detail.

Looking at this passage with a cursory glance, we see that the two chief things performed on the Day of Atonement have had their fulfilment in Christ. Firstly, there were sacrifices offered for the sins of the people. This has had its fulfilment in Christ’s death on the cross (vss. 11-22). Then, the high priest entered the holiest with the blood of the sacrifice. This has had its fulfilment in Christ’s ascension into heaven after He rose from the dead (vss. 23-28).

J. N. Darby outlines what is before us in this passage by stating, “Here then are the three aspects of the result of the work of Christ: the immediate access to God, a purged conscience, and an eternal redemption.” He adds a fourth item by including an eternal inheritance (Synopsis of the Books of the Bible, pp. 331, 334 – Loizeaux edition). These are the main points in the chapter.

It Has Given the Believer Immediate Access to God

Vss. 11-12—The writer begins his grand treatise on the greatness of Christ’s sacrifice and the blessings which it has brought to believers by stating that Christ has become the “High Priest of the good things to come.” He serves in this capacity in “the better [greater] and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands,” which is heaven itself. In a short parenthesis at the end of verse 11, he says, “That is to say, not of this building [creation].” Thus, he makes it clear that he is not referring to a literal sanctuary in this material “creation” in which the priests offered the “blood of goats and calves,” but to the true (real) sanctuary—“the holy of holies” in heaven. The writer says that Christ, after rising from the dead, has entered there “once for all” as a glorified Man. This is monumental; for in doing so, He has opened “the way into the holiest” for the new race of men under His headship. (The KJV says that He entered “the holy place,” but it should be translated, “the holy of holies,” which is the immediate presence of God. The veil was rent in the Lord’s death, so when He entered the heavenly sanctuary, He was in the immediate presence of God – Hebrews 10:20²⁰By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; (Hebrews 10:20)).

The Lord entered the heavenly sanctuary, we are told, “by His own blood.” Note: the writer does not say that the Lord entered there with His own blood. Some have imagined that the Lord actually took His blood up to heaven as a token of His finished work, but this is misinterpreting the type (Lev. 16:13-14¹³And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not: ¹⁴And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times. (Leviticus 16:13‑14); Heb. 9:7⁷But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people: (Hebrews 9:7)) and is carrying it beyond what the New Testament teaches. The Lord made propitiation on the cross, not in heaven. “By” His own blood means that He entered the presence of God in heaven by virtue of the efficacy of His sacrifice.

The great point the writer is making here is that “the way into the holiest”—which was “not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing” (vs. 8)—has now been opened by Christ’s entrance there as a Man. Christ’s appearing in heaven “before the face of God” (vs. 24) is an everlasting witness that heaven has been thrown open to the believer. By virtue of Christ’s blood, the believer has access into the true holy of holies in heaven. The writer does not dwell on that privilege here (which is taken up in chapter 10:19), but simply states the fact that Christ has opened the way into the heavenly sanctuary. This is something that all the blood that flowed from the Jewish altar could not do.

It Has Obtained Eternal Redemption

Vs. 12—The second great thing accomplished by Christ’s finished work is that He has “obtained an eternal redemption” for all who believe. Redemption has to do with being set free from the judgment of our sins, from sin, from Satan, and from the world. The KJV adds the words, “for us.” But those words are in italics and this means that they are not in the Greek text, but have been supplied by the translators for what they thought would add clarity. Unfortunately, it narrows the application of eternal redemption to Christians, which misses the point. Christ’s great redemptive work is for all who have faith—including Israel under the new covenant and the believing Gentile nations in the Millennium. The fact that it is said to be “eternal” means that this great blessing continues forever. This stands in contrast to the blood of the sacrifices offered in the Levitical system on the Day of Atonement. The blood of those sacrifices only secured an annual atonement, whereas the blood Christ’s sacrifice obtained eternal redemption. The value of His sacrifice, therefore, is immeasurably greater than the sacrifices in the Levitical system.

Thus, not only has heaven been opened to the believer, but every hindrance to him being there has been righteously met and removed by the eternal redemption secured through Christ’s finished work.

It Purges the Conscience of the Believer

Vss. 13-14—The third thing which the writer focuses on that distinguishes Christ’s sacrifice from all of the Old Testament sacrifices, is that it purges the conscience of the believer. This has to do with the full weight of sin’s guilt as an accusing load being lifted off the believer’s conscience. It is a once-for-all thing that occurs when a person rests in faith upon the finished work of Christ, and is thereupon, sealed with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13¹³In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, (Ephesians 1:13)). This is something that was not known under the legal system, and as a result, the Old Testament saints always carried with them a conscience of sins (1 Kings 17:18¹⁸And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son? (1 Kings 17:18); Psa. 25:7, 11, 18⁷Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodness' sake, O Lord. (Psalm 25:7)
¹¹For thy name's sake, O Lord, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great. (Psalm 25:11)
¹⁸Look upon mine affliction and my pain; and forgive all my sins. (Psalm 25:18), etc.). They did not know the eternal forgiveness of sins (Acts 13:39³⁹And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. (Acts 13:39); Eph. 1:7⁷In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; (Ephesians 1:7), etc.) which was first announced after redemption was accomplished (Luke 24:47⁴⁷And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. (Luke 24:47)). This has to do with the believer having a conscious understanding that his sins are judicially gone before the eye of God. The only kind of forgiveness that the Old Testament saints knew, in their day, was the governmental aspect (Lev. 4, etc.).

To emphasize the great blessing of a purged conscience, the writer points to a striking contrast between the sacrifices in the Levitical system and the sacrifice of Christ. In the legal system, “the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean” with water (Lev. 16; Num. 19) prepared the children of Israel to approach God in worship. But those things merely purified their “flesh” (their physical bodies) in a ceremonial sense. In contrast to that, the writer asks, “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve [worship] the living God?” Thus, the blood of those animal sacrifices purified the flesh of the worshippers under the old covenant, but the blood of Christ purges the conscience of the believer. Those Jewish rituals made the worshippers in that system ceremonially clean, but Christ’s finished work makes believers judicially and eternally clean. Moreover, those Judaic rituals had to be repeated yearly to keep Israel in good standing with God, whereas the purging of the believer’s conscience is a once-for-all thing.

The three Persons of the Godhead are mentioned in verse 14 in connection with the purging of the believer’s conscience. For Jewish believers who were once in the Judaic system, this purging of their conscience was “from dead works.” This was mentioned earlier in chapter 6:1 and refers to the exercise that the children of Israel went through each year on the Day of Atonement in afflicting their souls in repentance (Lev. 16:29²⁹And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you: (Leviticus 16:29)). Such works are now a “dead” thing for the Jewish believer who rests in faith in Christ’s finished work. His sins are not merely covered for another year—they are gone forever! (1 John 3:5⁵And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. (1 John 3:5)) Since Christ has accomplished redemption, such a practise is now no longer needed.

The KJV says, “to serve the living God,” but it should be translated, “to worship the living God.” Approaching God through a caste of priests in a system of rituals was regarded as a “service” in that old economy (Rom. 9:4⁴Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; (Romans 9:4); Heb. 9:6⁶Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God. (Hebrews 9:6)). In contrast to this, Christians approach the Father by the Holy Spirit, on the ground of the finished work of Christ; it is not regarded as a service in Scripture, but true “worship” (John 4:23-24²³But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. ²⁴God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. (John 4:23‑24)). Thus, being set free in conscience, the believer in this dispensation becomes a worshipper of God.

Having a purged conscience is different from having “a good conscience” (1 Tim. 1:19¹⁹Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: (1 Timothy 1:19)). As mentioned earlier, a purged conscience affords the believer with an understanding that the eternal judgment of his sins has been taken care of in the atoning work of Christ. His conscience is, thereby, silenced forever as to this matter. A good conscience, on the other hand, has to do with the believer maintaining a good state of soul through self-judgment as he walks here on earth. Having a purged conscience does not mean that the believer will no longer be conscious of sinning if he fails in the path. “No more conscience of sins” (chap. 10:2) does not mean, “No more consciousness of sins.” If a Christian allows an evil thought, word, or deed to go unjudged, he will lose a good conscience. It is, therefore, quite possible for a person to have a purged conscience, and at the same time, not have a good conscience.

It Has Secured an Eternal Inheritance

Vss. 15-17—The fourth great thing accomplished in Christ’s sacrifice is the securing of an “eternal inheritance” for believers. Christ, “the Mediator of the new covenant” (Heb. 8:6; 9:15; 12:24⁶But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. (Hebrews 8:6)
¹⁵And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. (Hebrews 9:15)
²⁴And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. (Hebrews 12:24)), “by means of death,” met the righteous requirement necessary to put away “the transgressions under the first covenant.” Romans 3:25²⁵Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; (Romans 3:25), tells us that the judgment of those transgressions was held in abeyance through the forbearance of God, and when Christ came, He bore the just judgment of those sins in His atoning work on the cross. But more than this, Christ’s death also secured for “the called” (believers) “the promise of the eternal inheritance.”

The word “inheritance,” is used in two ways in the New Testament: to indicate the created things of this universe over which we will reign with Christ (Eph. 1:11, 14, 18¹¹In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: (Ephesians 1:11)
¹⁴Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:14)
¹⁸The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, (Ephesians 1:18); Col. 3:24²⁴Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. (Colossians 3:24)), and also to indicate the believer’s portion of spiritual blessings in Christ (Acts. 26:18; Col. 1:12¹²Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: (Colossians 1:12); 1 Peter 1:4⁴To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, (1 Peter 1:4)). Since the material things of this creation are not eternal (they do not last forever but will be burnt up at the end of time – 2 Peter 3:7, 10⁷But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. (2 Peter 3:7)
¹⁰But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. (2 Peter 3:10)), the aspect of the inheritance before us in this passage must be our spiritual blessings, because it is said to be “eternal.” Hence, those who believe have now received, not just the promise, but what has been promised—the eternal inheritance of spiritual blessings.

In a parenthesis in verses 16-17, the writer explains that in a similar way among men a will, or “a testament,” only comes into “force” through “the death of the testator.” That is, the one who made the will must die before its conditions come into effect. (The Greek word is rightly translated as “testament,” in the KJV, because he is speaking of it as a will. Elsewhere, it should be translated “covenant,” which is a different thing.) The writer’s point here is that the eternal inheritance of spiritual blessings has come to us through Christ’s death.

It Has Laid the Foundation for the Cleansing of Heavenly Things

Vss. 18-28—Another thing that Christ’s sacrifice has secured is the laying of the foundation for the future cleansing of the universe from the effects of sin. John the Baptist referred to this when he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29²⁹The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. (John 1:29)). This is something that is yet to happen.

When the first covenant was “inaugurated,” everything connected with the tabernacle was sprinkled with blood. Moses sprinkled “the altar” (Ex. 24:6⁶And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. (Exodus 24:6)), “the book” which contained the terms of the covenant (not mentioned in Exodus 24), and “all the people.” He also sprinkled “the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.” (These latter two things were not in existence at the inauguration of the first covenant in Exodus 24; the tabernacle and its vessels had not been made yet. Therefore, this had to have been done sometime later.) The sprinkling with blood purified the tabernacle in a ceremonial sense. The writer adds, “And almost all things are by the Law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission” (vs. 22). Thus, every aspect of remission (forgiveness) under the old covenant could only be done by an animal’s life being forfeited and its blood being shed. He says “almost all things” because there was an exception. In Leviticus 5:11-13¹¹But if he be not able to bring two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, then he that sinned shall bring for his offering the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour for a sin offering; he shall put no oil upon it, neither shall he put any frankincense thereon: for it is a sin offering. ¹²Then shall he bring it to the priest, and the priest shall take his handful of it, even a memorial thereof, and burn it on the altar, according to the offerings made by fire unto the Lord: it is a sin offering. ¹³And the priest shall make an atonement for him as touching his sin that he hath sinned in one of these, and it shall be forgiven him: and the remnant shall be the priest's, as a meat offering. (Leviticus 5:11‑13), there was an allowance made for a poor man to bring a meal offering (which had no blood) in place of a sin offering, and it would be accepted for him, and thus, the man would be forgiven. This typifies a person being brought into blessing through simple faith, even though he doesn’t have a clear understanding of the finished work of Christ, of which His blood is a token. This would include children and those like Cornelius (before he met the Apostle Peter – Acts 10) who have faith but have not had the gospel explained to them.

The writer then explains that as it was necessary for these “figurative representations [copies – W. Kelly] of the things in the heavens” (Ex. 25:40⁴⁰And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was showed thee in the mount. (Exodus 25:40)) to be “purified” by the sprinkling of blood from animal sacrifices, so also must the whole universe (of which the tabernacle is a replica) be purified by the “better sacrifices” in Christ’s death (vs. 23). (W. Macdonald states that the use of the plural, in describing the one sacrifice of Christ, is a figure of speech known as “the plural of majesty.”) This is a reference to the broadest aspect of Christ’s death, which the writer has already mentioned in chapter 2:9. Christ not only died to put away the sins of all who would believe, but He also tasted death for “every thing.” This is because the presence of sin and Satan in the universe have defiled it (Job 15:15; 25:5¹⁵Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight. (Job 15:15)
⁵Behold even to the moon, and it shineth not; yea, the stars are not pure in his sight. (Job 25:5)), and thus, it needs to be cleansed. Christ has paid the price for its cleansing in His death on the cross, and He will one day cleanse away every trace of sin in the creation. This will not take place until the Eternal State is reached and the last enemy (death) is destroyed (1 Cor. 15:26²⁶The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. (1 Corinthians 15:26)). Thus, while the blood of bulls and goats purified the figurative representations of the heavenly sanctuary, Christ’s blood is the means by which He will cleanse the heavenly places.

Three Appearings

Vss. 24-28—The writer then summarizes the foregoing points in three different appearings of Christ—in the past, in the present, and in the future.

Firstly, Christ has “appeared” (His first advent) for the purpose of settling the whole question of sin once and for all by the sacrifice of Himself. Our writer says, “But now once in the consummation of the ages He has been manifested [appeared] for the putting away of sin by His sacrifice” (vs. 26). Thus, Christ came into the world to deal with the whole outbreak of sin in the creation. As mentioned, His atoning death on the cross has laid the foundation for its complete removal (John 1:29²⁹The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. (John 1:29)). “To put away sin” is a comprehensive statement. It includes the sins of believers (1 John 3:5⁵And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. (1 John 3:5)), but goes beyond that to take in all the effects and bearings that sin has wrought in the creation. J. N. Darby said, “What is the meaning of Hebrews 9:26²⁶For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. (Hebrews 9:26), ‘Christ put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself?’ I believe that it extends to the new heavens and new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. So also, ‘The Lamb of God which beareth away the sin of the world.’ The work that accomplishes it is done, but the power is not yet put forth” (Collected Writings, vol. 27, p. 198). W. Kelly said, “The day will come when the new heavens and the new earth will display the reconciling power of Christ’s sacrifice, for every trace of sin will then have vanished from the world. And this is the full force of John 1:29²⁹The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. (John 1:29), as of our verse 26 also” (The Epistle to the Hebrews, p. 178). Thus, sin has presently been put away before God in a judicial sense in Christ’s atoning death, but in a coming day it will be put out of the universe, at which time the heavens and the earth will be “purified” (vs. 23).

“The consummation of the ages” refers to the closing up of the forty centuries (the number of divine testing in Scripture) wherein man in the flesh has been tested by God. This period has run from the fall of man to the cross of Christ. The testing has been brought to a close because man in the flesh has proved in every way to be an utter failure. As a result, God has put an end to that whole order of fallen manhood and has “condemned sin in the flesh” in the death of Christ (Rom. 8:3³For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: (Romans 8:3)). He has now begun a new race of men through Christ in resurrection in whom He will accomplish His purpose to glorify Christ in the world to come.

Secondly, Christ now appears in heaven before God, for us, where He carries on His high priestly intercessory service (vs. 24). The writer says, “Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence [before the face] of God for us.” The writer repeats what he has already stated in verse 11—that Christ did not enter the man-made sanctuary on earth, which was only a pattern of “the true,” but into the heavenly sanctuary itself. Thus, He represents us before God. Since He will remain there forever as a Man, our position before God can never change! His work of intercession there is exercised on behalf of believers with a view to saving them, in a practical sense, from spiritual dangers in the path of faith (Rom. 8:34³⁴Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. (Romans 8:34); Heb. 7:25²⁵Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:25)).

Thirdly, at the Rapture, Christ will “appear” out of heaven to deliver believers from the havoc that sin has wrought on earth (violence, sickness, suffering, sorrow, death, etc.) by taking them out of it to the Father’s house in heaven (vs. 28). Presently, believers on the Lord Jesus Christ have to walk through the corrupting circumstances that sin has caused because the creation has not been “purified” yet, and this has cast them on the Lord for His high priestly help (vs. 23). Their hope is to be taken out of this corrupted scene altogether when Christ comes (Jude 21²¹Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. (Jude 21)) before He undertakes to cleanse it through judgment. Thus, we do not look for better and rosier conditions in the Church, nor do we look for better and rosier conditions in the world—we “look for Him” to come. This is the normal Christian hope. Hence, the Lord’s coming “the second time” is viewed as a “salvation” which believers eagerly wait for, if they are in a right state of soul (Rom. 5:9; 8:23-25; 13:11⁹Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. (Romans 5:9)
²³And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. ²⁴For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? ²⁵But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. (Romans 8:23‑25)
¹¹And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. (Romans 13:11); Phil. 3:20²⁰For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: (Philippians 3:20)).

(Until that moment, God has made a provision for us to escape “the corruption that is in the world through lust” by being “partakers of the divine nature” in a practical sense (2 Peter 1:4⁴Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (2 Peter 1:4)). That is, being born again, we have the capacity to enjoy divine things—the very things that God Himself enjoys. When we are thus occupied, we partake in what His nature enjoys and we have fellowship with Him. By being taken up with those heavenly things, the attractions and temptations of sin that surround us on every side lose their power over us, and thus, we escape those corruptions.)

Verse 26, refers to the side of Christ’s atoning work known as propitiation (Rom 3:25²⁵Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; (Romans 3:25); Heb. 2:17¹⁷Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. (Hebrews 2:17); 1 John 2:2; 4:10²And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:2)
¹⁰Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (1 John 4:10)). It has to do with the vindication of God’s holy nature by rendering a full satisfaction to the claims of divine justice concerning the outbreak of sin. Verse 28, refers to the other side of Christ’s atoning work—substitution. This has to do with Christ’s taking the believer’s place in judgment, and bearing “our sins in His own body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24²⁴Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. (1 Peter 2:24)). J. N. Darby said, “In Hebrews 9:26, 28²⁶For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. (Hebrews 9:26)
²⁸So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. (Hebrews 9:28), we get two things: to ‘put away sin’ and ‘sins borne,’ just as we get the sin-offering and the scape-goat on the day of atonement (Collected Writings, vol. 21, p. 198).

Verse 27, is a solemn reminder that on account of sin man is destined to die (Rom. 5:12¹²Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (Romans 5:12)), and after death there will be a recompense for his personal sins in divine judgment. The writer states this clearly: “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” In verse 28, he hastens to say that this danger of judgment has been turned aside for all who believe. However, it is to be noted that He has not borne the sins of all men, but of the “many” who believe. Those who will not believe will bear the judgment of their sins. Hence, “Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many,” and as a result, they will “not come into judgment” (John 5:24²⁴Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24); Rom. 8:1¹There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. (Romans 8:1)).

Verse 28, is a correlation between the Day of Atonement and the great work of Christ in atonement. In Israel, when the high priest went into the Holiest with blood, on that day, the people stood without waiting for him to reappear. There might have been some trepidation on their part, for he may have entered there in some wrong way, which would result in his immediate death. However, upon his re-entry into the court, the people could breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that all was well. In a similar way, Christ has gone into the heavenly sanctuary by virtue of His blood, and believers (“them that look for Him”) are now waiting for Him to reappear “the second time without sin” for their “salvation.” The difference is that we are waiting for the Lord without any trepidation or fear of what may have happened to Him. The testimony of Scripture gives us the assurance that He “ever liveth” in the presence of God “to make intercession” for us (Heb. 7:25²⁵Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:25)). And, “as He is” accepted in the presence of God, “so are we in this world” (1 John 4:17¹⁷Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. (1 John 4:17)).

When the Lord comes the second time (the Rapture) it will be “without sin.” That is, when He comes, it will not be to settle the question of sin because it was dealt with and settled to the glory of God at His first advent. His second coming will be for the final salvation of believers—the taking of them home to heaven in a glorified state (Phil. 3:21²¹Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. (Philippians 3:21)). Note: they are not looking for death, the common portion of men, but “for Him” to come. Thus, there are some who will not keep man’s universal appointment with death.

The Believer Perfected

Chap. 10:1-18—In chapter 9, the writer spoke of the blood of Christ purging the conscience of the believer (vs. 14), now in this chapter, he returns to explain how it is obtained. Thus, the tenth chapter is the summing up (or conclusion) of the things presented in the ninth chapter. It sets before us the way in which the believer is fitted for the presence of God, and thus enabled to enter the heavenly sanctuary with holy boldness as a purged worshipper.

The doctrinal part of the chapter (vss. 1-18) has three parts in connection with the great sacrifice of Christ. All three Persons of the Godhead (the Trinity) are seen involved in securing the blessing of salvation for the believer:

The will of God—the source of our blessing (vss. 1-10).

The work of Christ—the means by which we are blessed (vss. 11-14).

The witness of the Spirit—brings us into the conscious knowledge of our blessing (vss. 15-18).

Thus, these verses teach us that the will of God has been accomplished by the work of Christ on the cross, and the witness of the Spirit gives us an intelligent understanding of it. J. N. Darby summarized it as follows: “I was full of sin; someone was needed to think about me, someone was needed to do the thing required, and then someone to tell me the effect...there is 1St the will of God—‘by which will,’ etc., 2nd, the work whereby it is done—‘by the offering of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all...’ 3rd, there is the knowledge of it given to me” (Collected Writings, vol. 27, p. 386).

The Will of God

Vss. 1-10—In summary of the foregoing chapter (9) the writer shows that with the coming of Christ (His first advent), the sacrifices in the Levitical system have been superseded by His one great sacrifice. Hence, the “shadow of good things to come” has given place to the actual substance it represents in Christ’s finished work. In Old Testament times, the light of God was shining upon Christ, and all the forms and ceremonies, including the weekly Sabbaths, were but shadows cast by Him. Since He Himself has come and thus fulfilled those types, they have given place to the actual substance. This being the case, the Levitical system with its forms and rituals has served its purpose in pointing forward to Christ, and it is now no longer needed.

The tabernacle system was a “figure” (chap. 9:9) and a “shadow” (chap. 10:1) of spiritual things in the heavens, but it was “not the very image” of those things. By stating this, the writer makes it clear that we shouldn’t think that every vessel and piece of furniture in the tabernacle necessarily has a counterpart in the heavens. Such ideas lead to mystical interpretations.

The main point in the opening verses of chapter 10 is that the sacrifices offered in that earthly system could not actually “take away sins” before God, nor could they “make the comers thereunto perfect” as to their conscience. In fact, those sacrifices were not given for that purpose. As mentioned, they were given to point forward to the time when Christ would come as the ultimate “sacrifice for sin” (Isa. 53:10¹⁰Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. (Isaiah 53:10); Rom. 8:3³For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: (Romans 8:3); 2 Cor. 5:21²¹For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)).

In contrast to the inability of those many Old Testament sacrifices which could not perfect a believer, the writer says that the worshipper in Christianity is “once purged” by simple faith in Christ’s finished work. By receiving Him as Saviour, the believer is purged forever! This never needs to be repeated! The practical result of this great blessing is that the believer has “no more conscience of sins.” As alluded to in our remarks on chapter 9:13-14, he who has a conscience of sins lives in the dread that God will one day bring him into judgment for his sins. To have no more conscience of sins is to have had that dread of judgment removed forever through understanding that the question of our sins has been settled righteously, by God in the sacrifice of Christ, and that we will never come into judgment. As mentioned in chapter 9, having a purged conscience is a blessing Christians have that Old Testament saints under the Levitical system didn’t have.

The writer reasons that if those sacrifices offered on the Day of Atonement did put away sins before God, then they would have “ceased to be offered” (vs. 2). But since they were continued “every year,” it is clear evidence that they did not accomplish this. The Old Testament ritual on the Day of Atonement covered their sins (the meaning of “atone,” in the Hebrew language) by virtue of the forbearance of God (Rom. 3:25²⁵Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; (Romans 3:25)), but that ritual could not take away sins. The blood of “bulls,” which made a yearly atonement for the priests in that system (Lev. 16:6-14⁶And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house. ⁷And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. ⁸And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the Lord, and the other lot for the scapegoat. ⁹And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the Lord's lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering. ¹⁰But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness. ¹¹And Aaron shall bring the bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and shall make an atonement for himself, and for his house, and shall kill the bullock of the sin offering which is for himself: ¹²And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the Lord, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail: ¹³And he shall put the incense upon the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is upon the testimony, that he die not: ¹⁴And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy seat eastward; and before the mercy seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times. (Leviticus 16:6‑14)), and blood of “goats” which made a yearly atonement for the rest of the children of Israel (Lev. 16:15-22¹⁵Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat: ¹⁶And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness. ¹⁷And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel. ¹⁸And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the Lord, and make an atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about. ¹⁹And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel. ²⁰And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat: ²¹And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: ²²And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness. (Leviticus 16:15‑22)), simply could not take away sins. Such could only be accomplished through Christ’s death (1 John 3:5⁵And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. (1 John 3:5)). F. B. Hole said, “The Old Testament sacrifices were like a promissory note. They had value, but it lay in that to which they pointed. They were but paper; the sacrifice of Christ alone is like fine gold. In Leviticus, their relative value is pointed out. In Hebrews we find that their value is only relative and not intrinsic. They can never take away sins. Hence, in them God had no pleasure, and the coming of Christ was a necessity” (Hebrews, p. 42).

The Jews, however, refused to accept that Christ was the grand fulfilment of the shadow. They clung to the outward forms and rituals of Judaism even though the very substance of which those things spoke had been fulfilled. It was willful ignorance. To prefer the Law to Christ is like preferring a picture of someone to the person represented in the picture! In regard to the Hebrews who had professedly taken the Christian stand, it is hard to understand how anyone would want to leave the reality in Christ and go back to the copies. Or, why anyone would want to leave a perfect High Priest serving in the heavenly sanctuary and return to a failing priest who served in the earthly sanctuary. Yet this was, evidently, a temptation to some of the Hebrews.

Vss. 5-7—Since the blood of bulls and goats could not satisfy the claims of divine justice in regard to sins, it was God’s will that an acceptable sacrifice would be made to accomplish this at some point in world history. The writer quotes Psalm 40 to show that it was in the counsel of God before the foundation of the earth that Christ would come into the world as the divine Sin-bearer, and by His one sacrifice, settle the question of sin for the glory of God and for the blessing of man. He says, “Wherefore when He cometh into the world, He saith, Sacrifice and offering Thou wouldest not, but a body hast Thou prepared Me.” This means that the Lord came with a full understanding that the claims of divine justice could not be satisfied by those Levitical offerings, and to be man’s Sin-bearer, He would have to become a Man. Thus, a human “body” was prepared for Him by God, which He took at His incarnation (Luke 1:35³⁵And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. (Luke 1:35)). And “through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ,” a sacrifice was made that put away sin “once for all” (vs. 10)

“A body hast Thou prepared Me” is a quote from Psalm 40:6⁶Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. (Psalm 40:6), in the Septuagint version (a Greek translation of the Old Testament Scriptures from the third century B.C.), as also are the other Old Testament citations in the epistle. We might wonder why the Spirit of God would lead the writer to quote it as such when its rendering in the Hebrew Scriptures is, “Ears hast Thou prepared Me.” However, in writing New Testament Scripture, it is the Spirit’s prerogative to alter that which He Himself originally inspired in the Old Testament, for He is the divine Author. Similarly, if we were to observe one of Rembrandt’s paintings, and in contemplating it, we thought that it would look better if we added a few touches of paint here and there to it—such a thing would be totally unacceptable. However, if Rembrandt himself were to walk in and look at his work, and decide to add a touch of paint to his painting, it would be acceptable because he is the original artist. Likewise, the divine Author of Scripture has every right to render a certain text differently in the New Testament. They don’t contradict each other, because to have “ears” is to have a “body.” Psalm 40:6⁶Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. (Psalm 40:6), emphasizes Christ’s obedience as a Servant, hence, it is appropriately rendered “ears.” Hebrews 10:5⁵Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: (Hebrews 10:5), emphasizes Christ’s giving Himself as a sacrifice, and there it says “body.”

The statement: “In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin Thou hast had no pleasure” (vs. 6) would be particularly difficult to accept for Jews ensconced in Judaism. They knew that those offerings were given by God and that He was pleased when they were offered. They were a “sweet savour unto the LORD” (Lev. 1:9, 13, 17⁹But his inwards and his legs shall he wash in water: and the priest shall burn all on the altar, to be a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the Lord. (Leviticus 1:9)
¹³But he shall wash the inwards and the legs with water: and the priest shall bring it all, and burn it upon the altar: it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the Lord. (Leviticus 1:13)
¹⁷And he shall cleave it with the wings thereof, but shall not divide it asunder: and the priest shall burn it upon the altar, upon the wood that is upon the fire: it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the Lord. (Leviticus 1:17), etc.). Any idea of God not being pleased with them would be a hard thing for a Jew to swallow. However, being that this is a quote from their own Scriptures (Psa. 40:6⁶Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. (Psalm 40:6)), the Jews are forced to admit that this was not some strange idea that the writer of the epistle invented. Their own Scriptures stated that there would come a time when those offerings and sacrifices would no longer be “required.” This can only be explained by the coming of the Messiah and the offering of His great sacrifice, as many passages of Scripture attest.

Vs. 7—Psalm 40 is quoted to show that Christ is the grand fulfilment of all those sacrifices. It describes His devotion to the performance of God’s will: “Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of Me), to do Thy will, O God.” The “book” is not the Bible, but rather, a figurative reference to the counsel of God concerning Christ’s coming into the world to make atonement. In quoting the Psalm, the Spirit of God purposely leaves out the words, “I delight.” This is because Psalm 40, in its primary interpretation, has to do with Christ’s death as the ultimate burnt offering. As the burnt offering, the doing of God’s will was something that the Lord delighted in—even if it meant going into death. However, the subject in Hebrews 9-10 is Christ’s sacrifice as the sin offering in which He was “made sin” (2 Cor. 5:21²¹For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)). As the ultimate sin offering, He suffered untold agonies under the judgment of God when He bore our sins in His own body on the tree. Those atoning sufferings were no delight to Him, but He remained on the cross in obedience to God’s will in order to put away sin. Thus, the phrase, “I delight” is dropped when the psalm is applied to the sin offering.

In verses 8-9, Psalm 40 is quoted a second time, but for a different reason. On this occasion, it is in connection with the removal of the whole Levitical system. The writer mentions the four main offerings in Leviticus 1-6 as the sum of the Levitical system, and then speaks of Christ’s coming into the world to take it away. This shows that the sacrifice of Christ was the consummation and closing up of the Levitical economy. Thus, Psalm 40 is quoted for two reasons: in connection with Christ’s coming into the world to take away sins once and for all (vss. 4-7), and also, in connection with His coming to take away “the first” order of approach to God (the Levitical system). This latter point was necessary in order to “establish the second” order under the new covenant. Simply put, the second could not be established while the first was still functioning.

Vs. 10—The great result of God’s will being done is that we “have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” By virtue of this great work of Christ, God has set apart (the meaning of sanctification) believers for eternal blessing.

The Work of Christ

Vss. 11-14—The writer then focuses on the finished work of Christ; firstly, in what it accomplished for the glory of God, and then, as to what it accomplished for the blessing of the believer.

As to God’s side, He says, “And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: but this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins, forever [in perpetuity] sat down on the right hand of God; from henceforth expecting till His enemies be made His footstool.” Christ’s “one sacrifice” so completely satisfied the claims of divine justice in regard to sin that He had every right to sit down on the right hand of God. In fact, after the work was done, God invited Him to sit there—“Sit Thou at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool” (Psa. 110:1¹<<A Psalm of David.>> The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. (Psalm 110:1)). This shows that the claims of divine justice were more than satisfied; God was glorified by the work that Christ accomplished on the cross.

The contrast between the sacrifices that the Levitical priests offered and the great sacrifice of Christ couldn’t be greater. In offering those Old Testament sacrifices the priest’s work was never done. It was an unfinished work. Those sacrifices had to be repeated over and over. The fact that there was no chair among the pieces of furniture in the tabernacle signifies this. Hence, the writer says, “Every priest standeth daily ministering....” In the 1500 years that the Levitical system was in place and operating, many thousands of animal sacrifices were offered—but none of them, nor all of them combined, could “take away sins.” In contrast to this, after offering His one sacrifice, Christ “sat down in perpetuity” at God’s right hand, thus signifying that the work of atonement was finally accomplished. Thus, Christ’s work on the cross is a “finished” work (John 19:30³⁰When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. (John 19:30)). The contrasts abound here. Those priests stood; this Man sat down. They offered often; He offered once. Their sacrifices covered sins for another year; His sacrifice takes away sins eternally.

The KJV says that He sat down at God’s right hand “forever,” but this could be misleading if we take the word in its ordinary sense. It would mean that He will never again rise up from God’s throne. But this is problematic because Scripture says that He will rise up and come again to take us to heaven, and afterwards, judge the world in righteousness. A better translation says “perpetuity.” This means that in connection with expiation for sin, He is seated there uninterruptedly; He will never need to rise up and deal with sin again. His work on the cross has settled the sin question. Thus, perpetuity has a sense of finality connected with it. Psalm 110:1¹<<A Psalm of David.>> The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. (Psalm 110:1) is then quoted—“Henceforth expecting till His enemies be made His footstool”—confirming that Christ indeed will one day rise from the throne of God to come back and judge the world.

When the heavens were “opened” for Stephen to look into, he saw Christ “standing on the right hand of God” (Acts 7:56⁵⁶And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. (Acts 7:56)). This does not contradict Hebrews 10:12¹²But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; (Hebrews 10:12). The Lord was standing at that time for a different reason. Opportunity was still being extended to the Jews to receive Christ as their Messiah. He stood there ready to return to earth to set up the kingdom, as stated in the Old Testament prophets, if they would but repent and be converted (Acts 3:19-20¹⁹Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; ²⁰And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: (Acts 3:19‑20)). Here, in Hebrews 10, the subject is Christ’s finished work in atonement. He is seated at the right hand of God because the work is done. The fact that He is seated here, tells us that the offer to Israel to have the kingdom at that time had been rescinded.

Vs. 14—Having spoken of what the work of Christ has done for the glory of God, the writer then speaks of the immediate effect that His work has on the believer. He says, “For by one offering He has perfected in perpetuity the sanctified.” The “sanctified” are those whom God has set apart for blessing—believers. They need perfecting as to their conscience if they are going to stand in liberty in God’s presence as worshippers. This comes through understanding and believing in Christ’s finished work. It is a grand fact indeed that as long as Christ sits at God’s right hand in “perpetuity” (vs. 12), the believer is perfected in “perpetuity!” (vs. 14) The one is contingent upon the other. A perfect work has been done by a perfect Person to make believers perfect. This perfecting of the believer’s conscience is something that those who had faith under the old covenant did not have. (There is another aspect of perfection which believers will get when the Lord comes at the Rapture [Phil. 3:12¹²Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:12); Heb. 11:40; 12:23⁴⁰God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. (Hebrews 11:40)
²³To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, (Hebrews 12:23)]—their glorification [Rom. 8:17, 23, 30¹⁷And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. (Romans 8:17)
²³And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. (Romans 8:23)
³⁰Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. (Romans 8:30); Phil. 3:21²¹Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. (Philippians 3:21)]. However, that is not the subject here.)

The Witness of the Spirit

Vss. 15-18—The witness of the Spirit is mentioned next as being the means by which the believer knows that he has been blessed through Christ’s finished work. The writer says, “Whereof the Holy Ghost [Spirit] also is a witness.” The witness of the Spirit is not some warm feeling that He creates in the believer’s heart—as some say, “I have a burning in my bosom”—but what He has said in the Scriptures. The way in which we know that we are “sanctified” (set apart to God for blessing) and “perfected” through Christ’s death is by our accepting by faith what the Spirit has declared in the Scriptures regarding believers.

The aspect of the Holy Spirit’s work which the writer is referring to here is not His indwelling—though that is certainly true of every believer in this dispensation (1 Thess. 4:8⁸He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit. (1 Thessalonians 4:8); Eph. 1:13; 4:30¹³In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, (Ephesians 1:13)
³⁰And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. (Ephesians 4:30); etc.). Note carefully: he says that the Spirit’s witness is “to” us, not in us. Thus, it is stated facts which the Spirit has made in the Scriptures, not subjective feelings produced in us. We should not be looking to our feelings to get assurance of our blessing, for our emotions and feelings are ever changing. It is what the Spirit of God has “said before” in the Word of God that will alone give us this assurance. (Romans 8:16¹⁶The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: (Romans 8:16), speaks of the Spirit’s witness being “with” us, and 1 John 5:10¹⁰He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. (1 John 5:10), speaks of the witness being “in” us—but these are different aspects that are not in view here.)

By saying “before” (vs. 15), the writer is referring to what the Holy Spirit wrote aforetime in Jeremiah 31 Concerning the spiritual blessings of the new covenant. Since this is one of the Jewish-Christian epistles, the blessings in view are particularly the new covenant blessings, rather than the distinctive Christian blessings “in Christ” mentioned in Paul’s epistles (Eph. 1:3³Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: (Ephesians 1:3)). These new covenant blessings are not exclusive to Christians, but they are the common property of all God’s children who believe on Christ—including the redeemed remnant of Israel and believing Gentiles in the millennial day to come (Rev. 7). Since the terms of the new covenant have been quoted at length in chapter 8, the writer does not see it to be necessary to quote them again here. Hence, he abbreviates them, emphasizing one particular blessing—“their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.” “Sins” are the deeds that we have done and “iniquities” are the evil disposition of our hearts (Psa. 41:6; 66:18; 78:37-38⁶And if he come to see me, he speaketh vanity: his heart gathereth iniquity to itself; when he goeth abroad, he telleth it. (Psalm 41:6)
¹⁸If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: (Psalm 66:18)
³⁷For their heart was not right with him, neither were they stedfast in his covenant. ³⁸But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath. (Psalm 78:37‑38); Isa. 32:6; 59:7⁶For the vile person will speak villany, and his heart will work iniquity, to practise hypocrisy, and to utter error against the Lord, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail. (Isaiah 32:6)
⁷Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths. (Isaiah 59:7); Matt. 23:28²⁸Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. (Matthew 23:28); Acts 8:22-23²²Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. ²³For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity. (Acts 8:22‑23)). This shows that God has taken up our whole case—from the conception of our evil deeds in our hearts to the actual acts—and has dealt with it completely in the atoning work of Christ. Thus, He not only removes our sins from our consciences, but He also removes every remembrance of them from His mind!

Let us note that he puts no qualification on the kind of sins that are forgiven here, as was the case under the legal covenant. Under that system, only “sins of ignorance” could be forgiven (Heb. 9:7⁷But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people: (Hebrews 9:7)), and only in a governmental way. In contrast to that, the sins that the one sacrifice of Christ can forgive—and forgive eternally—are not only sins of ignorance, but presumptuous sins too! “The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleanseth us from all [every] sin” (1 John 1:7⁷But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)). How wonderful this is indeed, for none can claim to have only sinned ignorantly!

Many people think that the statement, “Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more,” means that God forgets the believer's sins. However, to "remember no more" is not the same as forgetting. We might use catchy clichés such as, "Our sins are forgiven, forgotten, forever," but this is inadvertently attaching a human weakness to God’s dealings with our sins. The truth is that God has a righteous basis upon which He has acted to put away our sins—the finished work of Christ. On that basis, He can consciously remove them from His thoughts, as to eternal judgment, because the price has been paid for them in the death of Christ. This is a divine act of righteousness, not a human weakness of forgetfulness. To attach human weakness to God in regard to this question implies that He has dealt with our sins in a slipshod manner. Taken literally, it does not give the believer any real confidence that his sins have been dealt with properly. If God has forgotten them, maybe He will remember them again someday! And then what? Someone wrote to J. N. Darby asking about this in connection with Hebrews 10:17¹⁷And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. (Hebrews 10:17). He replied, "It is not as if God forgot the things, but He does not remember them—hold them in His mind—against them in any way" (Letters, vol. 3, p. 371).

The judgment seat of Christ shows that God still has a record of our whole lives, including our sins. At that time, both the “good” and the “bad” things in our lives will be reviewed. This will include things done before we were saved, for the review will be of things done in our bodies, and we were surely in our bodies before we were saved (2 Cor. 5:10¹⁰For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. (2 Corinthians 5:10)). This review could not be done if God were to delete parts of our lives from His memory. The simple answer is that He still has knowledge of what we are and what we have done, but based on the efficacy of Christ’s finished work, He will not remember them for judgment any more.

Vs. 18—The conclusion of this whole discussion regarding Christ’s superior sacrifice, which the writer has carefully followed through chapters 9-10, is that since there is now eternal “remission” of sins in Christ’s atoning work, there is, therefore, “no more” need of the Levitical sin offerings to be sacrificed. They are obsolete.

This statement brings the doctrinal part of the epistle to a close.

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The Epistle To The Hebrews

• Hebrews: Introduction

• Hebrews 1:1-3: Christ Superior to the Prophets

• Hebrews 1:4-2:18: Christ Superior to Angels

• Hebrews 3: Christ Superior to Moses

• Hebrews 4: Christ Superior to Joshua

• Hebrews 5-7: Christ's Priesthood Superior to Aaron's

• Hebrews 8: Christ's Ministry Superior to Aaron's

• Hebrews 9-10:18: Christ's Sacrifice Superior to the Sacrifice on the Day of Atonement

• Hebrews 10:19-39: Practical Exhortations

• Hebrews 11: A Parenthesis-the Path of Faith

• Hebrews 12: Two Means God Uses to Encourage Us to Pursue Christ

• Hebrews 12:28-13:25: Closing Exhortations

Christ's Sacrifice Superior to the Sacrifice on the Day of Atonement: Hebrews 9-10:18

The Epistle to the Hebrews [Paperback]