The Better Sacrifice
The better covenant, ratified by the work of the better High Priest, required a better sacrifice to put away sin (Heb 9:26). The writer of Hebrews argued for his audience of Jewish believers and unbelievers to consider Jesus’ blood of the new covenant brought to the mercy seat of the true tabernacle, following the offering of the better sacrifice…of Himself (Heb 9:26).
Just as the blood of the old covenant was sprinkled on the book, the people, and the tabernacle with its furniture, so the blood of the new covenant has cleansed heaven itself, and all who enter its precincts (Heb 9:19, 21). The true Israel, Christ’s church is the holy nation of royal priests, chosen by God to be made holy as God is holy (1 Pet 1:15–16; 2:9).
Christ presented Himself and the better blood of His better sacrifice following His work of atonement at the cross (brazen altar) and before He emerged from the tomb on resurrection Sunday. Between Friday and Sunday of the passion week, He appeared in the presence of God the Father at the mercy seat of the heavenly tabernacle (Heb 9:12). His precious blood was applied to the propitiatory seat of the true (real) tabernacle (Lev 16:14–15; 1 Pet 1:19). Like the high priests of the old covenant, who emerged from the holiest of holies on Yom Kippur, our great High Priest emerged from the tomb, having presented the atonement blood in the place of meeting, the place of God’s presence.
The continual blood offerings and presentations in the earthly sanctuary were a reminder to the conscience of the Jewish people that the imperfect sacrifices could not permanently put away sin. The need for yet another sacrifice was proof that a permanent solution had not yet appeared. For this reason, there was no furniture in the earthly tabernacle where the priests could sit down and rest from their labors.
The better High Priest, upon giving proof of God’s acceptance of His one-time better sacrifice to bear the sins of many (Heb 9:28), ascended into heaven and sat down (Heb 1:3; 8:1; 9:24; 10:12; 12:2). The time of reformation had come (Heb 9:10), and now Christ, having made eternal redemption, the redemption of the transgressions (Heb 9:15), took His seat on the throne of Majesty at the right hand of God the Father.
Now, in the presence of God, in the better tabernacle (Heb 9:11, 24), as our sympathetic and faithful High Priest, our Lord ever lives to make intercession for us (Heb 7:25), His redeemed people from every nation, tribe, and tongue (Rev 5:9; 7:9). This is the reason Christians have no fear in death. The One who has defeated death at the cross by the sacrifice of Himself, has inaugurated the New Testament, that upon the death of the Testator (Jesus), the bestowment of blessings has begun (Heb 9:16–17).
The promises of God, the terms of the covenant, are now executed under the new and everlasting agreement ratified by the blood of Jesus (Lk 22:20; 1 Cor 11:25; Heb 12:24). In Him, we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Col 1:14). In Him, the promise of life — new, abundant, indestructible, and eternal are all “yes” and “amen” (2 Cor 1:20). Because He lives as our Surety and Forerunner, we live here and now with a seat reserved for us in heaven (Heb 6:20; 7:22; 1 Pet 1:4).
Therefore, the Christian’s appointment with death is understood in light of his or her appointment to life (Acts 13:48). The sting of death is sin (1 Cor 15:55–56), because the wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23); and it is appointed for men to die once and then comes the judgment (Heb 9:27). The man, Christ Jesus, did not die many deaths from the foundation of the world. Nor does He have to die any more.
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In offering Himself one time, once for all time, and once for all His people, given to Him by God the Father before all time (Jn 17:2, 6, 24; 18:9), Jesus put away sin (Heb 9:26). Sin no longer has dominion over the child of God (Rom 5:21; 6:12). Grace reigns. The shame and guilty conscience produced by sin’s enslavement is washed by the blood and the water, so that by faith we live victoriously in the position of imputed righteousness (2 Cor 5:21; 1 Jn 5:4).
Christ died for sins (1 Cor 15:3; 1 Pet 3:18), the better substitutionary sacrifice of Himself, so that we may be freed to serve the living God with hearts of gratitude (1 Thess 1:9; Heb 9:14). There are no more sacrifices, no more blood, no more death needed, and no other works to reconcile God’s elect to Himself. We who believe have peace with God because our sin problem has been resolved by the death of Jesus Christ (Rom 5:1; Col 1:20), who is Himself our peace (Eph 2:14).
With the cross behind us, Christians await one singular event in the future. We eagerly wait for the glorious appearing of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ at His second advent (Heb 9:28). Because there is therefore now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus (Rom 8:1), we pray in the Spirit, “Come Lord Jesus!” (Rev 22:17).
At His coming, when the full number of saints has been gathered to Him by the Holy Spirit (Rom 11:25), He will appear with no reference to sin (Heb 9:28). Judgment will be for those outside the eternal covenant, who have no part in the eternal inheritance reserved in heaven for the many sons brought to glory (Heb 2:10). He will come as the warrior King who judges the living and the dead (2 Cor 5:10; Rev 19:11–21), the goats who do not belong to Him (Jn 10:26), those vessels of wrath prepared for destruction (Rom 9:22).
In this same event, salvation comes to the redeemed of the Lord, who will be resurrected to life (Jn 5:29), transformed into the glorified state in a twinkling of an eye (1 Cor 15:52; 2 Cor 3:18; Phil 3:21), as the entire company of saints is caught up together in the air to be with the Lord at His coming (1 Thess 4:17). The glorified people of God, body and soul, will see Him who was pierced for our transgressions; and we shall be like Him (Is 53:5; Zech 12:10; 1 Jn 3:2).
We shall be with our Lord, forever in the presence of God. As He presents His bride, His church to the Father — holy and blameless — we will need our tears wiped away (Eph 1:4; 5:27). This is how our God has loved us before the foundation of the world, at the consummation of the ages, in the Spirit, today, and forever in heaven which is why it is called the everlasting love made a reality for us by His better sacrifice.
David Norczyk
Spokane Valley, Washington
July 15, 2025
Hebrews 9:23–28
