Attention to the context, as all confess, is necessary in order to determine the exact force and significance of many scriptures. This is especially the case with the one before us; and we cannot but think, in view of recent discussions, that had this been remembered much confusion and error of statement would have been avoided. In many quarters, in former as well as in later controversies, it has been assumed that this scripture states that Christ “entered” by His own blood into the heavenly sanctuary; and thereon the question has been raised, Did He make propitiation in heaven? or did He present His blood there before God? It is needful therefore to ascertain whether this assumption is correct. Let the reader carefully note the language employed: “But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood, He entered in once into the holy place,” &c. The point is whether the words. “by His own blood” are connected with “being come” in verse 11, or with “entered,” in verse 12. A careful examination shows, in our judgment, that “being come,” and not “entered,” governs the words “by His own blood.” Another, referring to the phrase, says, cita (that is, “by”) here is, I doubt not at all, characteristic of His coming. He came in that way, His coming being in the power of and characterized by these things; not the place through or the means by which, that is, the greater and more perfect tabernacle is not the place through which, nor His blood the means by which, He came, but His coining, according to the quotation made, was characterized by these things. This interpretation is entirely supported by another scripture: “This is He that came by water and blood.” (1 John 5:66This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. (1 John 5:6)) And the addition the apostle makes goes far to explain it; for he proceeds, “Not by water only, but by water and blood” —the “by” in this case being another preposition signifying oftentimes “in the power of.” The truth then is, and this is the important point, that Christ came as having to do with the heavenly sanctuary and with His own blood; and keeping this in mind, it will be at once perceived that the passage cannot be used in any way to support the theory of propitiation after death.
On the other hand, the teaching of the whole epistle is entirely opposed to any such thought. Again, and again everything is made to depend upon the offering up of Himself (7:27), the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once (10:10), one offering (10:14), &c., expressions which relate, and are confined to, what was done on the cross, and which teach unmistakably that it was there the work of atonement was forever completed. In every age Satan has assailed the cross of Christ, not only by open antagonism, but also by the subtle pretext of, explaining more fully the work of Christ. It behooves us therefore to be watchful, and to maintain the simple teaching of the word of God, that it was on the cross alone the work of atonement was wrought out; for it was there that God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, and it was there that Christ suffered for sin, the Just for the unjust, to bring us to God, as well as there that His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree. It is only a consequence of these remarks to add, that the translation, “He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption,” must be insisted upon and maintained.