The Cross and the Cost of Forgiveness
Read Hebrews 9:22–28. What does this passage say about the work of
Christ in the heavenly sanctuary?
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The idea that the heavenly sanctuary needs cleansing makes sense in
the context of the Old Testament sanctuary. The sanctuary is a symbol of
God’s government (1 Sam. 4:4, 2 Sam. 6:2), and the way God deals with
the sin of His people affects the public perception of the righteousness
of His government (Ps. 97:2). As ruler, God is the Judge of His people,
and He is expected to be fair, vindicating the innocent and condemn-
ing the guilty. Thus, when God forgives the sinner, He carries judicial
responsibility. The sanctuary, which represents God’s character and
administration, is contaminated. This explains why God bears our sins
when He forgives (Exod. 34:7, Num. 14:17–19, the original Hebrew for
“forgiving” [nōśēʾ] in these verses means “carrying, bearing”).
The system of sacrifices in the Israelite sanctuary illustrated this
point. When a person sought forgiveness, he brought an animal as a
sacrifice in his behalf, confessed his sins over it, and slaughtered it. The
blood of the animal was daubed upon the horns of the altar or sprinkled
before the veil in the temple in the first apartment. Thus, the sin was
symbolically transferred into the sanctuary. God took the sins of the
people and bore them Himself.
In the Israelite system, cleansing from, or atonement for, sins occurred
in two phases. During the year, repentant sinners brought sacrifices to the
sanctuary, which cleansed them from their sin but transferred the sin to the
sanctuary, to God Himself. At the end of the year, on the Day of Atonement,
which was the day of judgment, God would cleanse the sanctuary, clearing
His judicial responsibility by transferring the sins from the sanctuary to the
scapegoat, Azazel, who represented Satan (Lev. 16:15–22).
This two-phase system, represented by the two apartments in the
earthly sanctuary, which were a pattern of the heavenly sanctuary
(Exod. 25:9, Heb. 8:5), permitted God to show mercy and justice at
the same time. Those who confessed their sins during the year showed
loyalty to God by observing a solemn rest and afflicting themselves on
the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16:29–31). Those who did not show loyalty
would be “cut off ” (Lev. 23:27–32).
Think of what you would face if you had to face the just punish­
ment for your sins. How should that truth help you understand
what Christ has done for you?