The Sacrifice and Exaltation of Christ

"When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high" (Heb. 1:3).

Jesus Christ offered one sacrifice for all the sins of mankind, then sat down with the Father once He had accomplished it.

The Bible makes it perfectly clear that the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). Jesus Christ went to the cross, died the death we deserved, and consequently freed us from the penalty of sin by our faith in Him.

The writer of Hebrews goes on to say that Christ "does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins, and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself" (Heb. 7:27). In the Old Testament, the priests had to make continual sacrifices, but Jesus made only one. And not only was He the priest, but also the sacrifice! He made a tremendously potent sacrifice, for He forever purged our sins—something the Old Testament sacrifices could never do.

When His sacrifice was complete, "He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high" (Heb. 1:3, emphasis added). That is significant because the Old Testament priests never sat down—there were no seats in the sanctuary because they offered sacrifices day in and day out. But Jesus offered one sacrifice, finished it, and then went to the Father and sat down. What the Old Testament sacrifices couldn't accomplish Christ's did for all time.

As a result, God exalted Him to His right hand, the seat of honor and rule and rest. But perhaps most important, it is the place where Christ intercedes to the Father on our behalf (Rom 8:34).

Don't ever forget what Jesus accomplished for us—and what He still does for us: "If anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous" (1 John 2:1).

Suggestions for Prayer

Thank Jesus for His sacrifice on your behalf. Also thank Him for the salvation He has given you and the access you now have to God.

For Further Study

Read Hebrews 9:1—10:18 to gain a deeper understanding of Christ's ultimate fulfillment of the Old Testament priestly system. In what specific ways did He fulfill it?