²⁵ nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own. ²⁶ Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.

Once only, that’s the theme repeatedly displayed in the book of Hebrews. The Son, first introduced to us in Heb 1:2 where God, “… in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world,” and is identified as “the Apostle and High Priest of our confession” (Heb 3:1). He offered the final, all encompassing, sacrifice. He, the Priest, offered Himself, the sacrifice. Both priest and offering. Once.

Characteristic of the Levitical priesthood was the “often” sacrificing of animals. Those priests had to offer first for themselves (Heb 5:3). The blood they brought for the sacrifices was not their own, but that of animals, a substitute. But when Jesus’ sacrifice was of Himself, the blood was His own. Now it should be obvious that a person can only offer themselves as a sacrifice once. The next verse, “It is appointed for men to die once,” affirms this.

If Christ’s death were not a one-time event, then it would have required continual offering of Himself since the beginning of time. But that would make His death insufficient for dealing definitively with sin. That is why Hebrews 6:6 is so important, “… it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame” (Heb 6:6). Because it is impossible to crucify Christ again, it would be impossible for a fallen away Christian to be renewed to repentance! It follows that the whole scenario of Hebrews 6:1-6 is negated, as pointed out before in these notes. His once only death secures us eternally; sin has been completely put away in the life and eternity of the believer.

The phrase “consummation of the ages” refers to the coming of Christ to fulfill the Old Testament prophecies that point to Him. He is the “anti-type” of the pictures given to God’s people, namely the tabernacle and the sacrificial system. He is the Son who is better than the servant Moses. He is better than the angels. He is a better high priest, in a better priesthood after the order of Melchizedek. He is the better sacrifice. He is the consummation of all that God had planned for Israel. In Him is our “all and all.” Everything else is the working out of that fulfillment in all its glory.

Lord, You have brought the consummation of the ages to me. Having Christ, I need nothing else.