Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him (Hebrews 9:25-28 NIV).
Israelites often used certain patterns when writing, such as the “concentric” pattern. Though the author of Hebrews is far from over with this book, this passage does reach a certain pinnacle, and is an appropriate place for a conclusion of this sectional commentary of Hebrews. And once again, the fact that the author of Hebrews speaks of a high priest entering the Most Holy Place in the present tense shows this book was written before the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 A.D. Also, the author speaks of the “end of the ages.” The arrival of the Messiah marked the beginning of a final age of history, an age of mercy and grace being available for all.
I love the author of Hebrews, a person who only increases in his insistence that Jesus died for your sins and mine. He relentlessly continues to give a thorough explanation that a permanent sacrifice for sins has been paid for by Christ. (I use the word "he," yet I add there is a slight chance a woman contributed on Hebrews, since Aquila and Priscilla are two people in the list by scholars of possible authors.) Earlier our author penned a thorough argument that Jesus is the High Priest for all humanity. Here he adds another exclamation mark stating of how Jesus has sacrificed Himself for the forgiveness of sins.
Two epic doctrines are brought to light in this passage. First, the ministry of Jesus was “once for all.” Why then does the author go on to say, “…so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people…?” Does this imply the atonement of Christ was limited? This is what many theologians argue today, since they argue “predestination” means God, before the creation of the world, destined certain people to go to heaven and certain people to go to hell. They conclude Christ only died on the cross for selective people whom God elected to be saved. This doctrine of limited atonement is tragically wrong. Friends, I beg you to listen to Scripture teaching of how the sacrifice of Jesus was for all human beings. Inspired Scripture clearly states: “He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9 NIV). Regarding this Hebrews passage, the proceeding phrase “once for all” needs to be the starting point. And we see that phrase elsewhere, such as in Hebrews 7:27; “…He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself” (NIV). In Hebrews 10:10; “And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus once for all” (NIV). So the reason for the statement in verse 28 that Christ’s sacrifice took away the sins of “many” is to show unlimited atonement did not result in the automatic salvation of all people, which is termed “universalism.” People still have the choice of whether to receive Jesus, or not. This is also a warning from God that not all people are saved.
I think quoting Jesus is best for summing this up. Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks find; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8 NIV). Ultimately, what Jesus is talking about here is asking you to be with Him. Being united with Jesus results in salvation. Being united with Jesus results in joy and peace. Christ has made that possible by His mercy and grace offered in accordance by His sacrifice on the cross. Salvation is by the grace of God through faith in Jesus! How correct the reformers were about that. And Jesus invites all to receive His mercy and grace.
The author has made it clear that God set aside the annual sacrifices of the Mosaic Law, because Christ made the sacrifice for sins once for all. The annual ritual of the priests in the temple has been put aside because Jesus Christ accomplished the permanent forgiveness of sins. Christ did it. We Christians are blessed with traditions such as Easter and Christmas, yet Christianity is not a weekly or annual rite. Christ is risen every day. Jesus made the Sacrifice, and this very day a person can receive the atonement Jesus made on the cross, and this very day a follower of Jesus can celebrate the life she or he has in Christ. And the author states boldly in this verse that Jesus Christ is coming again.
Being an adult and a celibate single is a tough life, and even tougher when living distant from family members who care about you, at least for this Christian. I have been able to persevere as a celibate single all these years only since Jesus has been my constant friend for 24 years. Holidays are the most challenging times, and I was alone for some holidays in Colorado after my grandma died. On Thanksgiving of 2011, I did not have a meal invitation, and I thought I was going to be alone for the entire day. It turned out someone from CCU did return a call in the afternoon while I was hiking, and I did end up enjoying a meal with a small group of CCU students at the student union that evening. Yet as of noon I had no plans, and I was feeling lonely. Though it was late November, it was a gorgeous Colorado day, so I decided to go hiking. I drove to mountains west of Boulder. I had a nice hike, and a long one. I made time to spend with God on that hike, and to be honest, I spent much time dreaming of having a girlfriend whom I could take on just such a hike. When driving to the hiking spot, I listened to the album “Pray,” by Rebecca St. James. The song she sings, “Come Quickly Lord,” about the second coming of Christ, was a song I repeated a whole bunch of times driving to the remote parking area. I mentioned the Nicene Creed when discussing Hebrews 8:1-2. There it states: “He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead…” During my years in Colorado, I recited that sentence during church worship hundreds of times. Yet do I believe that Jesus really is coming back? I am thankful to Jesus for teaching me and convicting me that indeed He is going to return to this world. No one but the Father knows when, yet we can have faith that Jesus is coming back to take His children home. If you believe in Jesus, and truly believing is always truly receiving, then Jesus is going to come back for you. I personally need to rely on God’s strength to patiently wait for that day.
I give thanks to our Heavenly Father for this glorious book of Hebrews. And I thank you for reading my commentary on a section of Hebrews. Doing this blog has actually been a dream come true, and my hope is that it has been and will continue to be a blessing to some people.
love, Hunter
Nicol was formerly a singer in Selah with her brother Todd Smith. She retired from the trio sometime after she got married, then Selah brought in Amy Perry.
This is special!
