“Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these” (Hebrews 9:23).

In the previous post we considered Christ’s prophetic office; how Christ reveals salvation to us. Here we consider Christ’s priestly office; how Christ procures salvation for us. In the preceding passage we learn a marvelous mystery. In it we discover that Israel’s temple, with all of the systems pertaining to its sacrificial system, was a type that points us upwards to a deeper and fuller heavenly reality. As there was a Mercy Seat in Israel that had to be consecrated by the blood of a sacrifice, so there is a Mercy Seat in Heaven that can only be consecrated by the blood of a sacrifice. But while these two Mercy Seats are related categorically, they are distinct from each other in degree. Israel’s temple was just an earthly shadow of the awesome reality of the Heavenly reality. Therefore, while the blood of an animal might satisfy Israel’s Mercy Seat, it was only the eternal blood of the Son of God that could satisfy the heavenly reality.

In order to really understand the nature of Christ’s priesthood, we must consider the implications of such a reality. For our purposes here I will highlight two. First, this implies the overwhelming horrid nature of our sin. If it was necessary for the blood of the Son of God to cleanse us from our sin, then the sin itself must be of such a kind to merit such a consequence. How small is our understanding of sin? How often do we minimize sin in our hearts, and consider some sins of such small insignificance that they are not worthy of our efforts in sanctification. The truth is that were our only sin to be one first motion of a thought out of order from God’s good design, that heavenly Mercy Seat would still require the blood of the Son of God. Let us never forget that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:13). May we never underestimate the abysmal depths of our depravity. “Enter not into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you” (Psalm 143:2). Sin is an infinite evil, because it is executed against an infinite God. Therefore, the propitiation must be of an infinite value. Only the infinite blood of the infinite Son of God will do.

Secondly, the heavenly Mercy Seat implies God’s clear and unswerving plan to rescue sinners from their hellish plight. Our study of Cain and Abel has revealed that there is good textual evidence to believe that even before Israel’s Mercy Seat was established in the temple, God established a Mercy Seat on the east side of Eden that was guarded by two Cherubim. Immediately after humanity’s expulsion from Eden, a Mercy Seat was established where sacrificial blood (Abel’s approved sacrifice) would flow. This means that from the very start, the earthly shadows were guaranteeing their future fulfillment in Christ. From the outset of sin’s existence, the Son of God was already planning his death as a sacrifice for sin.

We must now consider two aspects of Christ’s priesthood, his offering (often referred to as his oblation) and intercession.

The Offering

Any offering in the Old Testament had at least five aspects to it: a priest, a sacrifice, a person before whom the sacrifice is brought, persons of whom the sacrifice is made, the purpose for which the sacrifice is made.

The Priest: Christ is referred to throughout the New Testament as our High Priest. While this language is lost on many modern Christians, it was not lost on scripture’s early readers. We read in Hebrews 5:

“For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness. Because of this he is obligated to offer sacrifice for his own sins just as he does for those of the people” (Hebrews 5:1-3).

Before Christ there were many men who were selected to serve in the role of High Priest, yet all of them were sinful in their own nature. They were men, and had to make sacrifices for themselves before they could make sacrifices for another. But not Christ! Christ is a High Priest of another kind entirely. Christ had no sin, to blemish on his record. He needed no personal sacrifice to stand in this role. Further, every earthly priest served for a season, being removed for any number of reasons. But not Christ. “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek” (Psalm 110:4).

The Offering:  Christ’s offering was his own eternal blood. In the past, the blood of bulls and sheep was offered. But these could never truly atone for sin, they could only point forward towards a greater offering yet to come. Christ’s offering of his own blood however is of such precious value that it cannot be measured. It is invaluably precious. It is of such weight and value that it covers the sins of every saint before, during, and after his life. This is why his sacrifice is considered in scripture “a fragrant offering” (Ephesians 5:2), because of its perfection.

The Person: The sacrifice is made to none other than God. Hebrews 9:14 states that Christ “through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God.” It was God who was wronged through our sin. Though we may sin against another man, every sin is first and foremost against our creator who endowed us with design and purpose as image bearers. Therefore the sacrifice to cover our sin must not be given towards any other man, but to God alone.

For Whom it Was Made: Fourthly, we consider for whom the sacrifice was made. There is some theological debate on this point, but we stand in strong doctrinal position in taking our position among the Reformed. Christ’s blood was sufficient for each and every human being that ever lived, but it was effective only for the elect. In this way, Christ can truly be said to be the “savior of the world” (John 4:42), for his blood is able to save each and every person. And yet, his blood is only applied to the elect (John 10:26, John 17:2, 9, 1 Tim 4:10).

The Purpose: Lastly, the purpose of the sacrifice was to atone for sin. In Christ “God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them” (2 Cor 5:19). The Bible refers to Christ’s sacrifice as a propitiation, an offering which appeases the wrath of God. The purpose of the sacrifice is to cancel the record of debt that stands between us and God. It is to establish sinners like us, as forgiven sons and daughters of the King. Its purpose therefore can be rightly summarized as love.

The Intercession

Previously we have considered Christ’s priestly work in the offering that was made. But now we consider his priestly work of intercession which continues to this day.

“Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25)

John Flavel states the matter like this, “Christ’s offering himself on earth, answered to the killing of the sacrifice without; and his entering into heaven, there to intercede, was that which answered to the priest’s going with blood, and his hands full of incense, within the vail. So that this is a part, yea, a special part of Christ’s priesthood; and so necessary to it, that if he had not done this, all his work on earth had signified nothing; nor had he been a priest, i.e. a complete and perfect priest, if he had remained on earth, Heb. 8:4. because the very design and end of shedding his blood on earth had been frustrated, which was to carry it before the Lord into heaven.”

Many have a sense of what it means to be an intercessor. An intercessor goes between two parties and pleads for reconciliation. Christ holds an office as an intercessor, not simply between two friends in an argument, but between a just God and sinful man. Satan is our great accuser (1 Peter 5:8) in that courtroom, but Christ is our attorney, our helper, whose legal argument for our justification continually points back to the blood of the lamb that was slain. It is for this very reason that a Christian saint may dare to enter the throne room of God, because Christ himself stands pleading the blood of the lamb as the satisfaction of sin’s fury before the throne of God Almighty.

Consider him who stands and pleads your case. It is none other than Christ! What security this gives the weary soul who is prone to forget the certainty of their salvation and status with God. Though we waiver, Christ the Son stands pleading our case before God the Father. Though we grow weak, Christ the immortal Son, in his divine strength stands pleading our case ever and always. Our consciences may leak with doubt and unrest, but Christ’s blood secures our case before God, for the one who argues it is in covenant bond with God the Father.

Concluding Thought

Much more can be said of the priesthood of Christ. But what comfort it is to know that one stands between us and God. Christ as our High Priest, has offered himself fully and finally. And in his intercession, that final sacrifice continues to beat the eternal anthem: Forgiven!

*Much of the flow of this thought is modeled after John Flavel’s masterful work in the Fountain of Life Opened Up