The weakness of the law-sacrifices. The sacrifice of Christ's body once offered, for ever hath taken away sins. An exhortation to hold fast the faith, with patience and thanksgiving.
Anno Domini 63.
IN the preceding chapter, the apostle, for displaying Christ's dignity as an High-priest, having illustrated his affirmation, chap. Hebrews 8:7. That the Levitical priests worshipped God in the tabernacle, with the representations of the services to be performed by Christ in heaven: also, having contracted the ineffectual services performed by these priests in the tabernacle on earth, with the effectual services performed by Christ in heaven, and the covenant of which they were the ministers, with the covenant of which Christ is the Mediator; and the blessings procured by the services of the Levitical priests in the earthly tabernacles, with the blessings procured by the services performed by Christ in heaven; he in the beginning of this tenth chapter, as the necessary consequence of these things, infers, That, since the law contains nothing but a shadow, or emblematical representation of the blessings to come through the services of the greater and more perfect heavenly tabernacle, and not these blessings themselves, it never can, with the same emblematical sacrifices which were offered annually by the high-priest on the day of atonement, make those who came to these sacrifices perfect, Hebrews 10:1—This important conclusion the apostle established still more strongly by observing, that if these sacrifices had made the worshippers perfect, they would have ceased to be offered; because the worshippers being once cleansed, would no longer, as such worshippers, have been distressed with the consciousness of their sins, and with the fear of punishment, Hebrews 10:2.—But in these sacrifices there is of course, as it were, a yearly commemoration of sins, by a yearly presentation of the atoning blood of new sacrifices in the most holy place, which shews that their efficacy is so far from extending, as that of the true expiation does, to all nations, times, and places, that it only looks back upon the year completed, and has no influence, even with regard to those persons who are actually present in the temple, on any thing future, Hebrews 10:3.—Moreover, in farther proof of his conclusion, the apostle affirmed it to be impossible in the nature of things, that the shedding of the blood of bulls and of goats should, as substitutions, take away the sins of moral agents, Hebrews 10:4.—Wherefore, after the Israelites believed that the sacrifices of beasts were real atonements, God the Father, to shew them the folly of that notion, inspired the writer of Psalms 40 to foretel what his Son was to say to him, when coming into the world to make a real atonement for the sins of men; namely this, the sacrifices of bulls and of goats and the offerings of the fruits of the earth, though of thine own appointment, thou dost not command any longer, on account of their inefficacy. But thou hast prepared me a body, that I may die a real sacrifice for sin, Hebrews 10:5.—Whole burnt-offerings and sin-offerings thou hast no pleasure in now, Hebrews 10:6.—Wherefore, I said, Behold, I come into the world, to do, O God, thy will in bruising the head of the serpent, which is written concerning me in the beginning of the book of the law, Hebrews 10:7.—On these words of Messiah, the apostle remarks, That having first said to God the Father, Sacrifice and offering, and whole burnt-offerings, which are offered according to thelaw, thou dost not command, neither art thou pleased with them, Hebrews 10:8.—And, next, seeing he has said, Behold, I come to do, O God, thy will, by dying as a sin-offering, it is evident that God has taken away his first command appointing the sacrifices ofthe law, and has abolished these sacrifices, that he might establish his second command, appointing his Son to die in the human nature as a sin-offering to atone for sin, and to render the malicious purpose of the devil abortive in respect to all his faithful people, Hebrews 10:9.—By which second command, therefore, we are sanctified through the offering of the bodyof Jesus Christ once, Hebrews 10:10.—From this memorable passage of the xlth psalm, we learn that the only real expiation for sin which God the Father ever appointed, is the sacrifice of his only-begotten Son in the human nature; that all the sacrifices which he appointed to the Israelites were nothing but emblems of the sacrifice of Christ; and that the sacrifice of Christ being offered, the emblems of it are now fitly laid aside, that under the gospel-dispensation there might remain in the view of mankind, no sacrifice having any pretension to take away sin, but the sacrifice of Christ expressly established by God the Father himself, as the meritorious cause of our pardon.
In what follows, the apostle applied to the sacrifices offered by the ordinary priests dailyin the outward tabernacle, the argument by which he had proved the inefficacy of the sacrifices offered annually by the high-priest in the most holy place; namely, that the repetition of them shewed their inefficacy, Hebrews 10:11.—Whereas Christ through the whole of his life having offered but one sacrifice for sin, sat down at the right hand of God, as having completely finished the expiation, and as taking possession of the government of the universe, Hebrews 10:12-13.—Wherefore, by the one sacrifice of himself, Christ has perfected for ever the sanctified; that is, has obtained an eternal pardon, together with admission into heaven, for all his faithful saints, Hebrews 10:14.—This the Holy Ghost testifies, in the before-mentioned account of the covenant of which Christ is the Mediator, Hebrews 10:15.—where, among other things, God promises, that the sins and the iniquities of his faithful people he will remember no more, Hebrews 10:17.—But, where there is such an entire remission of sins as the faithful shall enjoy, and as this great amnesty implies, there is no more room for any sacrifice for sin which implies that they remain to be expiated.
Here the apostle concludes his admirable reasonings concerning the priesthood and sacrifice of Christ. But, before we dismiss the subject, it may be proper to remark, that although the apostle's arguments are formed principally to shew the inefficacy of the sacrifices of Judaism, yet being equally applicable to the sacrifices of Heathenism, they must have been of great use for convincing the Gentiles, that those atonements on which they had hitherto relied, were utterly ineffectual for procuring the favour of God.—Moreover, the apostle having proved that the Levitical sacrifices and services were instituted to be representations of the sacrifice which Christ was to offer, and of the services which he was to perform in heaven, we may infer, that the sacrifices of beasts were instituted by God at the beginning of the world, immediately after the fall, for the same purpose. See Hebrews 11:4. And therefore, although these sacrifices could not take away sin, the appointment of them at the beginning, and the regulation of them afterwards in the Levitical ritual, were matters not unworthy of God, being shadows of the priesthood, sacrifice, and intercession of Christ. Besides, when Christ, the High-priest appointed by the oath of God, actually came, a great lustre of evidence was thrown on his character and ministrations, by their having been prefigured in the Levitical institutions.—In short, though the apostle has denied that the sacrifices of the law were real atonements, yet by shewing the Jewish institutions in their true light, he has preserved to them their whole importance; and by comparing them with the infinitely better institution of the gospel, he has made us sensible, how preferable the substance is to the shadow, which therefore was with propriety done away under the gospel.
The apostle, having finished the doctrinal part of his letter, proceeds, in the remainingpart, to shew what influence the belief of Christ's infinite dignity and power as the Son of God, and of the efficacy of his mediation as the apostle and high-priest of our profession, ought to have on our temper and conduct. Having, by the sacrifice of himself, not only made a sufficient atonement for our sins, but procured for us the new covenant, we have, through the blood of Jesus, boldness or liberty to enter here below by faith into the holiest,—into close union and communion with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ, and, if faithful, shall have liberty at death to enter into the holy places where God dwells, into heaven itself, to be ever with the Lord, Hebrews 10:19. This entrance Jesus hath made for us, even a way new and living into the holy place, the habitation of God, through the vail of his flesh: so that death, instead of leading us away for ever from the presence of God, as would otherwise have been the case, carries the faithful into his presence to live with him eternally in unspeakable happiness. Wherefore, being a new and living way into the presence of God, death is stript of all its terrors; and believers neednot be afraid to die, Hebrews 10:20.—Also having now a great Priest always residing in heaven, the true house or temple of God, to present the prayers and other acts of worship which we offer on earth, Hebrews 10:21.—we ought to approach God with a truly devout heart, in the full assurance of being accepted through the mediation of Christ, so as our hearts are cleansed, or that we most sincerely and earnestly desire to have them cleansed, by his Blood, from an evil conscience. Only let us take care that this approach be made in a proper manner, as ever we desire to meet with the divine favour and acceptance; particularly, as the water of purification was to be sprinkled on the Israelites, to cleanse them from any pollutions which they might have contracted, so let us see to it, that we come free from all allowed guilt and indulged sin. And this is indeed our case, if we are true Christians: our hearts are thus sprinkled by the purifying and cleansing blood of Jesus, as well as our bodies washed in the laver of regeneration typified here by the washings under the Mosaic dispensation, Hebrews 10:22.—Besides, we must hold fast the confession of our hope through Christ, without regarding the evils which such a confession may bring upon us, Hebrews 10:23.—and when in danger of being drawn away from the profession of the gospel by the false reasonings and corrupt examples of unbelievers, we should consider attentively the behaviour of our brethren who have suffered for their faith, and for their love to Christ and to his people, that we may excite one another to love and good works, Hebrews 10:24.—and should not, through the fear of our persecutors, leave off the assembling of ourselves together for the worship of God, as the custom of some is; but rather exhort one another to persevere in the profession of the gospel: the rather, because we see the day of our deliverance from our persecutors and all evil approaching, Hebrews 10:25.—The apostle was the more earnest in this exhortation, because if one wilfully renounces the profession of the gospel, after having received the knowledge of the truth with such incontestable evidence and power, there remaineth no sacrifice by which that sin can be pardoned, (see the Notes and Reflections,) Hebrews 10:26.—To such apostates there remaineth nothing but a dreadful expectation of the judgment and fiery indignation of God, whichwill devour them as his adversaries, Hebrews 10:27.—For if the despisers of Moses's law were put to death without mercy, although it was only a political law, Hebrews 10:28.—of how much sorer punishment, think ye, shall he be counted worthy, who, by openly renouncing the gospel, tramples under foot the Son of God? &c. Hebrews 10:29.—The punishment of such an apostate will be heavy and inevitable: for we know the irresistible power of him who hath said, The punishment of the wicked belongeth to me; I will repay them according to their deeds. Moreover, God having promised to avenge his people of theiroppressors, he will certainly punish severely those who have insulted his Son and Spirit, Hebrews 10:30.—And it is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God as an indignant enemy, Hebrews 10:31.
This exhortation to beware of renouncing the gospel, the apostle with great propriety pressed on the Hebrews in this part of his epistle, notwithstanding in the preceding sixth chapter he had displayed the heinous nature and dangerous consequences of apostacy. For, after that display, having at great length described the efficacy of Christ's death as a propitiation in procuring the pardon of sin, and explained the gracious nature of the new covenant procured by Christ's death, he naturally supposed that the Hebrews were sensible of the guilt which they would contract, if they renounced the gospel in which these great blessings were made known and offered to mankind. Withal, having described the terrible punishment which awaits apostates, he could not doubt of their being sensible of their danger. Wherefore, to strengthen the good impressions which he charitably supposed his discourse had through grace made on them, he desired them to call to mind the joy which they felt when they first believed the gospel; the courage and constancy with which they then suffered for their faith; the kindness which they shewed to their persecuted brethren; their sympathizing with him in his bonds; and the heavenly temper with which they took the spoiling of their goods, Hebrews 10:32-34.—and exhorted them, after having suffered so much for their faith, not to cast away their courage, which through the unmerited grace of God would secure to them a great reward in heaven, Hebrews 10:35.—provided they continued to suffer patiently, while they were so doing the will of God by maintaining their Christian profession, Hebrews 10:36.—Besides, their troubles would not be of long continuance. For Christ, according to his promise, would in a little time come and destroy the Jewish state, whereby the power of their persecutors would be broken; and in a little time would bring them, if faithful, to heaven, Hebrews 10:37.—And, to give his exhortation the greater weight, he put them in mind of what God had said by Habakkuk, namely, The just by faith, shall live: but if he draw back, my soul will have no pleasure in him, Hebrews 10:38.—Lest however the Hebrews might have inferred from the earnestness of his exhortation, that he suspected they were about to apostatize, he expressed his hope that they would not be of the number of those who draw back to their eternal perdition, but of the number of those who would continue to believe, to the saving of their soul, ve