Hebrews 9:22-28
9:22 a Many of the rituals of cleansing in the law of Moses involved the death of a sacrificial animal; blood was involved both in the rites of cleansing (see Exod 29:12 b; 30:10 c; Lev 4:6 d, 17 e; 16:14-19 f; Num 19:4 g) and in making atonement (see Lev 16 h). The shedding of Christ’s blood established the new covenant, providing permanent purification and complete forgiveness of sins (Heb 8:12 i; 10:15-18 j; Matt 26:28 k; Eph 1:7 l).9:23 m This verse argues from lesser to greater (see study note on 9:14). Just as heaven is greater than the earthly Tabernacle, so Christ’s sacrifice had to be . . . far better than the earthly sacrifices.
• That is why: See 9:16-22 n; Lev 16:14-19 o.
• copies of things in heaven: See study note on Heb 8:5.
• in heaven, had to be purified: Just as the Tabernacle had to be cleansed because of the sin of the Israelites (Lev 16:16-19 p), the heavenly Tabernacle required that the uncleanness be removed from those who would enter heaven under the new covenant.
9:24 q Under the new covenant, Christ did not offer his sacrifice in the earthly Tabernacle. Rather, he entered into the very presence of God in heaven to act on our behalf. His sacrifice makes him a much better mediator to bring us into a right relationship with God (2 Cor 5:19-21 r).
Summary for Heb 9:25-26: 9:25-26 s Under the old covenant, the sacrifice on the Day of Atonement had to be made again and again (Lev 16:29-34 t). Christ’s superior sacrifice was made once for all time.
9:26 u If that had been necessary: The author makes an argument using reductio ad absurdum (reduction to absurdity), logically showing that Christ’s one-time sacrifice must be permanently effective. Since Christ himself is the sacrifice as well as the high priest, if his offering were made every year as with the earthly high priests, he would have to die again and again. But of course this is absurd; so, clearly, Christ died once for all time . . . to remove sin.
Summary for Heb 9:27-28: 9:27-28 v Christ’s first coming was to take away the sins of many people. When he will come again, it will not be to deal with sins, since that has already been accomplished. Instead, he will bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him (see study note on Gal 5:5).
Hebrews 10:1-19
10:1 w The old system under the law of Moses (literally The law), like the Tabernacle itself (8:5 x), was only a shadow, a dim preview of a greater reality—namely, the good things that Christ inaugurated in the new covenant. Under the old covenant, sacrifices had to be repeated again and again because they were not able to cleanse worshipers permanently or in such a way that they could come into the presence of God perpetually.10:2 y The perpetual nature of the sacrifices demonstrates their inadequacy. If the sacrifices of the old covenant had offered true, lasting purity, they would have stopped.
• their feelings of guilt would have disappeared: Cp. 9:9 z, 14 aa; 10:22 ab; 13:18 ac.
10:3 ad Instead of removing guilt, the ongoing sacrifices actually reminded those who wished to come near to God, year after year, that they were guilty before God.
10:4 ae The blood of bulls and goats in the sacrifices of the old covenant offered a degree of cleansing (9:13 af, 23 ag), but that cleansing was limited in that it could not take away sins. It could not eradicate sin in a way that would offer permanent cleansing and peace with God (see Acts 10:36 ah; Rom 5:1 ai; 11:26-27 aj).
Summary for Heb 10:5-7: 10:5-7 ak These verses quote Ps 40:6-8 al. Psalm 40 am is a hymn of praise to God in which the psalmist confesses his desire to do God’s will. The author of Hebrews understands Christ to be the speaker. 10:5 an But you have given me a body to offer: God had prepared the psalmist to be obedient, ready to do God’s will; Hebrews now applies this idea to Christ. For Hebrews, the preparation of a human body, specifically Christ’s body, shows that God would use it as a superior sacrifice.
Summary for Heb 10:8-10: 10:8-10 ao The author follows the flow of thought in the psalm with great precision.
• First, Christ said, “You did not want animal sacrifices ...”: The author of Hebrews understands this as God’s rejection of the old system of sacrifices.
• Then he said, “Look, I have come to do your will”: The author of Hebrews takes this to be Christ’s willingness to be the supreme sacrifice for sins.
• The author of Hebrews concludes that because of Christ’s sacrifice, God has canceled the first covenant—God’s will, as shown by Ps 40:6-8 ap, was that Christ would die for sins as a sacrifice, and this only had to be done once for all time.
Summary for Heb 10:11-14: 10:11-14 aq Christ’s superior offering was decisive, in contrast with the sacrifices made by the priests of the old covenant. 10:11 ar the priest stands: See Deut 18:5 as.
• day after day: E.g., 2 Chr 13:11 at.
Summary for Heb 10:12-13: 10:12-13 au Christ’s sacrifice contrasts with that of the earthly high priests in that he offered himself to God as a . . . sacrifice, rather than offering animal sacrifices.
• After the sacrifice was accomplished, he sat down in the place of honor (see Ps 110:1 av). Instead of standing daily like the priests of the old covenant (Heb 10:11 aw), he waits until his enemies are humbled and made a footstool under his feet (Ps 110:1 ax).
10:14 ay made perfect: See study notes on 7:11, 28.
• those who are being made holy: What the author has in mind is complete purification from sins.
Summary for Heb 10:15-17: 10:15-17 az The author again quotes from Jer 31:33-34 ba (see Heb 8:7-12 bb) to support the statement in 10:14 bc, that Christ’s one offering under the new covenant has made worshipers perfect forever.
• God’s laws have now been placed in their hearts and on their minds. This has internalized the believer’s relationship with God.
• I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds: As the author has shown (9:11–10:14 bd), the superior sacrifice of Christ has made this new covenant reality possible.
10:18 be The logical conclusion when sins have been forgiven—that is, when sins have been taken away completely and permanently (10:1-4 bf, 11 bg)—is that there is no need to offer any more sacrifices. Thus, the superior sacrifice of Christ has made the entire sacrificial system of the old covenant obsolete.
Summary for Heb 10:19-25: 10:19-25 bh The author of Hebrews repeats words and concepts from 4:14-16 bi to mark off and summarize the central section (4:14–10:18 bj) and to introduce the exhortations that follow, offering a concise statement of the message of Hebrews: The new covenant, established by Jesus’ superior ministry, gives us a superior basis for drawing near to God and for persevering in the Christian life. 10:19 bk The earthly Most Holy Place was not freely accessible (see study note on 9:3). Now, however, the very presence of God in heaven (9:11 bl, 24 bm) is open because of the blood of Jesus in his sacrificial death (9:11–10:18 bn).
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