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Our apostle still proceeds upon his former argument, namely, to assign a farther difference between Christ and the Levitical priests.
1. The Levitical priesthood consisted of a plurality of persons; the priests were many; by reason of death they had many successors; but the evangelical priesthood consisted by of one single person, the Lord Jesus, called here, this man.
2. The Levitical priesthood consisted of a plurality of sacrifices; there were also many, many in number, and many in kind, bulls, lambs, goats, &c. but the sacrifice which Christ offered was but one, as to the kind namely, That body which was prepared, ver. .
3. The Levitical sacrifices were oft-times offered, ver. . But the sacrifice of Christ was but once offered.
4. The Levitical sacrifices could never take away sin; but Christ by the sacrifice of his death took away sin for ever, fully and everlastingly.
5. The Levitical priests stood and ministered, ver. . "Every priest standeth daily." This is the posture of servants; but Christ sits, which is the posture of a Lord; This man after he had offered, sat down.
6. They stood daily ministering and offering, because their sacrifices could not take away sin; but Christ did his work fully by one offering, and after that sits or rests forever in heaven.
Learn hence, 1. That Christ crucified is the only divine and proper sacrifice under the gospel.
Divine, because its institution and appointment was of God:
proper, because all the essential properties of an expiatory sacrifice were found in this.
It was a living creature offered by a priest; it was offered to God, and it was a sweet savour unto him; and it is the only proper sacrifice of the gospel: Doing good is called a sacrifice, Heb_13:16. Righteousness is called a sacrifice, Psa_4:5 but not properly, but allusively and metaphorically only.
Learn, 2. That the sacrifice of Christ is but of one kind, and was but once offered; yet it is of such unspeakable value, and everlasting efficacy, as to take away sin fully and finally, and to perfect all them that are or shall be sanctified to the end of the world. The virtue of this sacrifice reacheth backward as far as Adam, and reacheth forward to the last believer springing from Adam:
And as it reacheth backward and forward to all believers, in former, present, and future ages, so to all the sins of all believers, which are fully purged and expiated by it; the design and end of this oblation being to atone, pacify, and reconcile God, by giving a full and adequate compensation and satisfaction to the justice of God, for the wrong done to the holiness of his law. Thus our Jesus, by one offering, has perfected forever them that are sanctified.