Hebrews 10:12Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

See Heb 10:11. Therefore God remitted sins when He gave the New Covenant, and He gave this covenant on account of the sacrifice of Christ. But if He remitted sins on account of this one sacrifice, there is no further need for another.

“But He, having offered one sacrifice for sins forever.” Christ Himself, he says, offered one sacrifice, His own body, for our sins, sufficient for us forever, so that there would be no need for a second. “He sat down at the right hand of God, from then on waiting until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet” (Ps 109:1). Therefore Christ is not only High Priest, but also God. After completing the work for which, according to the divine economy, He also received the name High Priest, He at last sat down as God, waiting until His enemies are made a footstool for His feet.

Therefore this true Mediator, Who took the form of a servant and became the Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, receives sacrifice together with the Father in the form of God, with Whom He is one God. Yet in the form of a servant He preferred to be the Sacrifice Himself rather than receive it, lest anyone suppose that sacrifice is fitting for any creature.

Thus He is both the Priest who offers sacrifice and at the same time the Sacrifice offered. He willed that the daily mystery of this should be the sacrifice of the Church. Since the Church is the body of this Head, she understands that through Him she offers herself.

On the contrary, the Son, having once offered Himself in sacrifice for our sins, sat down forever at the right hand of God...

There there are both many priests and many sacrifices, yet no benefit at all. Here one and the same Person, both Priest and Sacrifice, accomplished the release from sins. He has no need of another ministry, but is present with the Father Who begot Him, awaiting the end of the present life.

For then all His enemies will worship Him as God and Master. His enemies are first the devil and the host of demons. Then come those among Jews and Gentiles who did not receive the ray of faith. After them is the assembly of heretics, which dared to utter blasphemies against Him.

“Forever He sits.” This sitting at the right hand has already been discussed in detail above, in the place where the words “Sit at My right hand” were explained (Heb 1:13).

What precise circumstance does the Apostle here set forth as testimony to the exaltation of Christ’s high priesthood above that of the Old Covenant? It is that the priests of the Old Covenant continue to perform services standing on their feet, while Christ sat down at the right hand of His Father. This means that they continue to remain in a ministerial position, while Christ has begun to reign in heaven (compare Heb 1:3 above), having offered once for all one all-powerful sacrifice for human sins.

Thus the sacrifice of Christ destroyed the necessity of offering any legal sacrifices. In the same way, the lofty and fully effective ministry of Christ removes and makes unnecessary the ministry of the Jewish priests.

The latter perform their service day after day, offering the same sacrifices while standing, without the right to sit down (Deut 10:8; 18:7). Christ, however, offered only one sacrifice, and then sat down and remains at the right hand of God Himself. He does not interrupt this blessed rest by descending again for service.

Consequently, He has fully accomplished the sanctification of mankind and has made the further activity of the Old Testament priests entirely unnecessary.