The Holiest of All By Andrew Murray

256 abe Iboliest of BU
Himself. We saw that the glory of Christ s priesthood, in
contrast with that of the many who had, by reason of death, to
succeed each other, was, that He alone is Priest, because He
abideth ever. Here we have the same truth from another side :
in contrast with the daily ever-repeated sacrifices, He accom
plished
all when He offered Himself once. That which has
to be repeated
is
imperfect ;
that which need be done only once
is perfect and lasts for ever. Farther on we shall find the word
once again, as having the same meaning with regard to His
sacrifice which for ever has with regard to His priesthood.
He offered up Himself. We have here the first mention of
the sacrifice of Christ. In chap.
ii. we had mention of His
death, here we see that it was death upon
both Priest and Victim. His divine priesthood,
exercised in heaven, is the application
the altar. He is
as it is
of the blood and the
virtue of that sacrifice which He brought upon earth. The
once for all of the sacrifice is the counterpart of the henceforth
for ever of the throne of the heavens.
For the law, this is the conclusion of the whole, appointeth
men high priests, having infirmity; but the word of the
oath, which was after the law, appointeth a Son, perfected
for evermore. The law was a preparation, to waken the need
and the hope, of that true, supernatural, heavenly communion
with God, which should be, not in words or wishes, but in the
power of the eternal What life. the law could not do, God
hath done, appointing as High Priest, the Son, perfected for
evermore.
In these last words we have the summing up of the whole
preceding teaching of the Epistle. In chap.
i. it had spoken of
the Son of God and His glory
: He came from God, He is God,
and has the life of God in Him He
;
is able to bring us near,