Hebrews 9:26 Commentary and Bible Study

If Christ’s high priestly ministry was like that of the Levitical priests, who entered the holy of holies every year on the Day of Atonement, he would have had to suffer the agonies of Calvary many times, coming to the cross again and again, as if God required a continual level of suffering to redeem men and women. But the nature of Christ’s sacrifice was not like that. It was not something which only had effect for a year and then needed to be refreshed. It was not only removing our sins in part. What state would we be in with relation to God, if that was the case? Would we be justified or not? Would we have eternal life or not? Would we be adopted as God’s children or not? How can any possess eternal life – which is the inheritance of the new covenant – for only a year? Would our sins be forgiven or not? All the benefits of the new covenant purchased for us by Christ are forever; they are given to us by God irrevocably. These covenant blessings could not come to us in a piecemeal way. It is all or nothing. Christ has come just once and that is enough. Every blessing of the covenant comes to us through that one sacrifice. That word ‘appeared’ is an interesting word. The Greek word translated ‘appeared’ is related but different from the Greek word used in verse 24, where it says ‘but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us.’ Here in verse 26 it means manifested, revealed now once in the end of the world. In those words you can see that it is as though he is expected, and of course he is. It is as though he has been announced. It is as though this is a great historic event, which it is of course: it is a very dramatic set of words. He has appeared as the prophesied Messiah, the long-awaited Messiah, the Messiah whose work is prefigured in all the sacrifices and the worship of the Old Testament. ‘Now once in the end of the world’ – this is the last age of the world, the gospel age, the church age; the next great event is the return of Christ and the end of the present order. Now, once, in the end of the world has he been manifested. He came and he did his wonderful works, healing the sick, his many great miracles demonstrating he was the Son of God, demonstrating his kindness and his compassion, demonstrating the way he would save people spiritually. He has appeared and he has preached the kingdom of heaven, and all that he has done is perfect. ‘To put away sin by the sacrifice of himself’. Sin is fully put away, not just temporarily set aside. God says, ‘For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us (Psalm 103:11-12). It is vital to us that God is fully reconciled to us and harbours no feelings of judgment and wrath towards us, and therefore the sacrifice which secures our salvation must achieve everything once and for all.