Hebrews 9:23 - Meaning and Application

In the last part of this chapter, the apostle shows what the Holy Spirit meant by the old purifications of the copies of the heavenly things. From that, he draws the conclusion that there must be better sacrifices to set apart the heavenly things themselves.

The need to purify the earthly copies came from God’s command, which must always be obeyed. It also came from the purpose of that command, which was to keep a clear likeness between the things that pointed ahead and the things they pointed to. Here we should notice that God’s sanctuary on earth is a pattern of heaven, and fellowship with God there is a kind of heaven on earth for his people.

The heavenly things themselves also had to be purified with better sacrifices than bulls and goats. The real things are greater than the copies, so they had to be dedicated with a greater sacrifice. These heavenly things are the blessings of the gospel state, which begins in grace and is completed in glory. They had to be confirmed by a fitting sign of dedication, and that was the blood of Christ.

The superiority of Christ’s sacrifice over the sacrifices of the law is very clear. One reason is the place where the sacrifices were offered. The sacrifices under the law were offered in holy places made with hands, which were only copies of the true sanctuary (Hebrews 9:24). Christ’s sacrifice was offered on earth, but he carried its merit into heaven himself, where he now presents it in his ongoing work of prayer and pleading for us. He is in God’s presence for us, to present our persons and our works, to answer and silence our accuser, to secure our good, to finish all our affairs, and to prepare a place for us.

Another reason is the sacrifice itself (Hebrews 9:26). The sacrifices under the law involved the lives and blood of other creatures, creatures different from the worshipers. They were the blood of animals, which had little value and would have meant nothing here if they had not pointed ahead to Christ’s blood. But Christ offered himself. He gave his own blood, which is truly called the blood of God because of the union of his divine and human natures, and so it has infinite worth.

A third reason is how often the law’s sacrifices had to be repeated. Their repetition showed the weakness of that law. But the honor and perfection of Christ’s sacrifice are seen in this, that it was offered once and was enough for every purpose. Anything else would be unreasonable, for then he would still need to keep dying, rising, ascending, descending, and dying again. Then the great work would always be in progress, always to be done, but never finished. That would go against both reason and Scripture, and it would not suit the dignity of his person. But now, once at the close of the age, he has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. The gospel is the final way in which God gives grace to people.

A fourth reason is the weakness of the legal sacrifices and the power of Christ’s sacrifice. The old sacrifices could not, by themselves, remove sin, obtain forgiveness for it, or give power against it. Sin would still have stayed on us and ruled over us. But Jesus Christ, by one sacrifice, has ended sin’s claim and destroyed the works of the devil.

The apostle then supports his argument by looking at God’s appointment for human beings (Hebrews 9:27, Hebrews 9:28), and he notices something similar in God’s appointment for Christ.

God’s appointment for people includes two things. First, they must die once, or at least go through a change that is like death. It is a serious thing to die. It means the tie of life is cut, all earthly relations end at once, our time of testing and preparation is over, and we enter another world. It is a great task, and it can only be done once, so it must be done well. This comforts godly people, because they shall die well and only once. But it warns the wicked, who die in their sins, because they cannot come back and do that great work better.

Second, it is appointed for people to face judgment after death, first a personal judgment right after death, when the soul returns to God as its Judge and is fixed in its eternal state, and then the final judgment at the end of the world. This is God’s unchanging decree about people, they must die, and they must be judged. It has been appointed for them, and they must believe it and think seriously about it.

God’s appointment concerning Christ is similar in some ways. First, he must be offered once, to bear the sins of many, that is, of all the Father gave him, all who would believe in his name. He was not offered for any sin of his own. He was wounded for our sins. God laid on him the guilt of all his people. They are many, though not as many as the rest of mankind. Yet when they are all gathered to him, he will be the firstborn among many brothers.

Second, it is appointed that Christ will appear a second time, without sin, for the salvation of those who are waiting for him. He will appear without sin. At his first appearing, though he had no sin of his own, he stood charged with the sins of many. He was the Lamb of God who carried the sins of the world, and he appeared in the form of sinful flesh. But his second appearing will bring no such charge, because he has already fully dealt with it. Then his face will not be marred, but will be wonderfully glorious.

This second appearing will be for the salvation of all who are waiting for him. Then he will finish their holiness and their happiness. Their full number will be completed, and their salvation will be brought to its end. Notice that the mark of true believers is that they are waiting for Christ. They look to him by faith, and they look for him by hope and holy longing. They look for him in every duty, every act of worship, and every providence now. They expect his second coming and prepare for it. To the rest of the world, who mock that promise, it will mean sudden destruction. But to those who are waiting for him, it will mean eternal salvation.