The Sufficient and Final Sacrifice of Christ

Hebrews 9:23-28

Main Idea: Christ’s sacrificial death was sufficient to end the need to make continual offerings and to put away sin forever. Salvation in him will ultimately culminate in blessing when he returns.

1. The Superlative Sacrifice of Christ (9:23-26)
2. Judgment and the Second Coming (9:27-28)
   1. Man’s appointed death
   2. Christ’s imminent return

Hebrews 9 teaches that Christ is the great high priest who secures an eternal redemption for his people by shedding his own blood. As a result, Jesus is the mediator of a new and better covenant. As we saw in Hebrews 9:22, almost everything under the law is purified with blood; and without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins. This blood of ceremonial animals ultimately foreshadowed the blood Jesus shed on the cross when he was crucified. As we will see in the chapter’s final verses, Jesus’s blood also purified the heavenly places, put aside sin forever, and guarantees final salvation for those who endure in him.

The Superlative Sacrifice of Christ

Hebrews 9:23-26

The copies of the heavenly things in the earthly tent needed to be purified with blood. Such cleansing was necessary even though they merely represented the greater realities in heaven. Because there could be no forgiveness without the shedding of blood, it was vital to purify these copies with blood. But the heavenly realities, which the copies symbolized, needed greater sacrifices. They required better sacrifices because they represented greater realities.

This reference to purifying the heavenly things does not mean the heavenly places needed cleansing because they were somehow defiled by human sin. Rather, it speaks to the effectiveness and superiority of Christ’s sacrifice. The author’s use of heavenly language corresponds with his use of superlative language in relation to Christ. Jesus’s sacrifice is better because it is associated with heaven itself—the place of God’s very presence.

Verse 24 continues drawing out verse 23. Jesus did not enter an earthly tabernacle to offer himself; he went into the very presence of God. Again, we should not think in terms of location or spatiality. The language is symbolic and points to the superior nature of Christ’s sacrifice, just as it does in verse 23. We can endure in Christ because he appeared in the presence of God—in heaven itself—to make his sacrifice on our behalf. His sacrifice is a better sacrifice, indeed.

Christ’s death as a singular event is central to the Christian faith. This is the reality Hebrews 9:25-26 expounds. Christ does not need to be sacrificed daily, which is one of the reasons Christians stress his resurrection. Jesus appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. His offering is so superior it doesn’t need to be repeated year after year, and it renders all further offerings obsolete. This is yet another way Jesus supersedes the priests of old.

It’s important to fully understand what the author means by saying Christ appeared “one time.” This calls to mind the phrase “once for all time” that occurs three times in Hebrews (7:27; 9:12; 10:10; cf. Rom 6:10). Once again, the author is reinforcing the sufficiency, singularity, and effectiveness of Christ’s sacrifice. His supreme sacrifice does not need repeating. All previous sacrifices, earthly priests, and Days of Atonement were meant to make us anticipate and long for Christ. Now, once for all and at the end of the ages, the fulfillment of all these things has finally arrived to put away sin forever by the sacrifice of himself.

Christ’s incarnation is an unprecedented moment in time. He has appeared in history—“at the end of the ages” (cf. Heb 1:2)—once for all time to put away sin. Paul speaks with the same outlook on time in Galatians 4:4. “The removal of sin” means judging and condemning sin. The Son’s superior sacrifice dispenses sin, exiles it, places it under judgment, and ultimately defeats it. Though this phrase might be common in modern evangelical vernacular, the idea of the Messiah removing sin by sacrificing himself was truly revolutionary in the first century. Christ’s radical self-sacrifice is the means by which sin is finally overcome.

Judgment and the Second Coming

Hebrews 9:27-28

In the final two verses of this passage, the author brings new material into the conversation: man’s appointed judgment and Christ’s second coming. As the text makes clear, Christ comes a second time not for the sake of addressing sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.

Man’s Appointed Death

In verse 27 the author considers man’s looming death and judgment as they relate to the work of Jesus. The reason for our appointment with death and judgment takes us back to the garden of Eden. God told Adam and Eve they would die if they ate the forbidden tree’s fruit. He “appointed” their death in the event of their disobedience. And in their moment of rebellion, mortality entered the human experience. By virtue of our corporate union with Adam, our forefather’s sin, and his experience of death became part of our experience.

This emphasizes the finality in human existence. Life is lived one time, and then there is death and judgment—just as there was for Adam and Eve. Man will die and then God will judge him. This directly relates to the work of Christ. He too was appointed to die once. He died one time, and his death need never be repeated. And because he has died once, he will not come again to act as a sacrifice. Rather, he will come to bring final salvation for his people.

This focus on death and judgment refutes the notion that death is some kind of cosmic accident. Death is not just some natural process in the world. It is part of the divine judgment on sin. Death is a verdict. But this is not the end of the story. Because of the gospel, there is hope. It’s this hope to which the author turns in verse 28.

Christ’s Imminent Return

The message found in verse 28 is that life comes after death for those who trust in Jesus until the end. Christ was delivered up to be crucified in accordance with the definite plan of God (Acts 2:22-24). As is the case for all men, Jesus’s death was appointed. But unlike all other men, Jesus will return again. And as we consider the future with the knowledge that Christ is coming back, we must remember he’s not coming back to repeat his sacrifice. He’s not coming back to forgive sin; he’s coming back to save those who are eagerly expecting him. This is great news! Christ is returning to rescue those he’s saved and to claim his church solely for himself. For those who eagerly await Jesus, sweet salvation is coming.

The word waiting points to the fact that believers should be longing for Christ’s return. We who are alive should be consciously and readily anticipating his second coming. Those who are saved and share in the hope of Christ’s return are safe. Even though earthly struggles and toils still pervade our lives, Christians can and must hold to the hope that we are eternally secure in Christ right now. Again, this is part of the already/not yet tension the author has been highlighting throughout the letter. We are absolutely saved now, but Jesus is coming again to complete our salvation experience.

Our salvation is a past, present, and future salvation. It is past in the sense that what Christ accomplished by his blood happened long ago. It is present in the sense that we are saved and united with Christ right now. And it is future in the sense that we will be saved out of this broken world into eternal communion, peace, and freedom from sin when Christ returns. So, as we eagerly wait in the present, we rejoice in the past and anticipate the new heaven and a new, restored earth in the future. Every generation of Christians has been waiting for the coming kingdom. This is true of our generation as well. So as long as we are living, we are waiting. We must do so eagerly.

Reflect and Discuss

1. Why does the author use the language of the “heavens” to explain the sacrifice of Christ? What point is he trying to stress? How does it display the superlative nature of Christ’s sacrifice?
2. Why is Christ’s death as a singular event central to the Christian faith? How does his sacrifice differ from old covenant sacrifices? What makes it the superior sacrifice?
3. Why did God originally command repeated sacrifices in the old covenant? What did they anticipate? What does it mean for Jesus to be the last sacrifice “at the end of the ages”?
4. According to this passage, what was Jesus’s mission in his first coming? What does it mean for Jesus to remove sin? Summarize the key differences between his first and second coming.
5. Why does the author draw a comparison between man’s death and that of Christ? How is his death different from ours?
6. Consider your own death and judgment. How do they connect to the garden in Genesis? What does Adam’s experience tell you about your own? How does the looming prospect of your death and judgment before God motivate you to persevere in the faith?
7. How does Christ’s first coming help you endure in the faith? How does the promise of his second coming help you endure? In what ways do you see the already-not yet tension working in this passage?
8. Since Christians are promised hope for the future, how should the church prepare today for eternity? How can Christians prepare both corporately and individually?
9. What would you expect to see in the life of someone who is eagerly waiting for Christ’s return?
10. Explain, in your own words, how your salvation is a past, present, and future salvation.