Hebrews 7:26, commentary and pictures

Such a high priest as sinful humanity needed is Jesus Christ, holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners and exalted above the heavens. His priesthood belongs to Him alone and endures forever, unchangeable and consecrated forevermore. He was wholly without sin in thought, word, deed and character, yet in taking human nature forever He joined Himself to the fallen race and walked undefiled in the midst of sin. Unlike earthly priests who have infirmity and must offer daily for their own sins first, He needed no sacrifice for Himself but offered Himself once for all as both priest and victim to open the living way to God. Now made higher than the heavens in divine majesty and seated on the throne, He ever lives to plead His merits and is able to save to the uttermost all who come to God through Him, while His holy life stands as the pattern all must copy to gain eternal life.

Fitting High Priest Identified

For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens, names Christ as the High Priest suited and fitting for humanity in need. He is the kind of High Priest needed and given, holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. Unlike the earlier high priests who were only types, His priesthood is enduring and unchangeable.

His priestly office belongs to Him alone. He continues ever as head of an unchangeable priesthood and the only true High Priest over the house of God, consecrated forevermore as High Priest forever for the whole world. Having taken human flesh and humbled Himself to represent humanity, and having through suffering and death as sin-bearer opened a new and living way, He entered upon that priestly office forever.

Made higher than the heavens means He stands alone in divine majesty, grandeur and glory. Exalted above all powers and seated on God's throne, He as Son of man shares the throne of the universe. Even when brought as an infant of a few weeks to the temple, He was the Ancient of days whose goings forth have been from of old, even from everlasting.

Holy Separate Yet Near

Holy, harmless and undefiled means wholly sinless and pure, with no sin in life or nature, no guile or deceit in mouth and no crookedness of character. He did no sin and had no sin, and because He had no sin of His own He needed no atonement for Himself. By taking responsibility for the human race and bearing the sins of believers as their sin-offering and personal Saviour, He obeyed every detail of God's law and thereby condemned sin in human flesh. Those who trust in Him receive His imputed righteousness, which enables them to obey God's commandments and become partakers of the divine nature. Unlike weak, sinful men and unlike John, He was sinless with no deceit found in Him, and He patiently submitted to all that Satan and his angels devised to humiliate and torture Him, giving His life to save the world and dying that we might live.

Separate from sinners does not mean aloof, for in taking human nature He joined Himself to the fallen race by a tie never to be broken, retaining that nature forever and carrying it into the highest heaven. In Him divinity and humanity are united, high and holy yet pitying human weakness and stooping to succor the tempted. While walking in the midst of sin He remained holy, harmless and undefiled, and His perfect sinlessness stands joined to heavenly exaltation as brother and mediator who is not ashamed to own fallen people as brethren. When wrongfully accused He opened not His mouth to justify Himself, leaving the example that Christians when falsely accused should show forbearance and not lose temper.

His harmless, undefiled life was lived openly among people of every kind, and His purity did not keep Him apart from them. He walked among the thoughtless, rude, uncourteous, unjust, reckless, unjust publicans, unrighteous Samaritans, heathen soldiers, rough peasants, careless people and the mixed multitude, yet remained free from sin. His presence brought a purer atmosphere and purer influence into the home and worked as leaven in society, sacrificing Himself for others. He shared the burdens of the weary and heavy-laden, spoke words of sympathy and comfort to the needy and oppressed, taught them from nature about the love, kindness and goodness of God, and showed that every person has worth and every moment can be used for good. His blameless life showed His divine character and gave hope even to the roughest and most unpromising that they too might become blameless and harmless and manifest as children of God like Him in character.

Though assailed by Satan in every point He sinned not in thought, word or deed. Satan could find nothing in Him to accuse Him of, and Pilate declared that he found no fault in Him. Though wicked men condemned and crucified Him He was innocent of the sins for which He suffered, and though He bore the guilt of Caiaphas and of humanity He Himself remained sinless, pure, holy and undefiled. His purity set Him apart from a world that did not know Him, for He came to bring salvation yet was hated and rejected. His death as the sin-bearer opened the way to God.

Though entitled to the greatest honor and influence and seated on God's throne above all powers, He was meek and lowly. He obeyed all His Father's commandments and lived without defilement, pure, spotless and undefiled. Unlike others He never gave cause for unkind remarks. He gave His life to redeem people from Satan's power and to exalt the redeemed to His throne.

Superior to Earthly Priesthood

The law made men high priests who had infirmity, so they had to offer daily, first for their own sins and then for the people's, but Christ needed no daily sacrifice for Himself, for He is the Son consecrated forevermore who offered up Himself once. Unlike those earlier high priests who were only types, His priesthood is enduring and unchangeable, and He saves completely because He lives to intercede. By that one offering He wrought out a perfect character for us.

The symbolic Jewish priesthood and its service vanished when He appeared, for priests and sacrifices were only symbols pointing to Him and could not save anyone. In contrast to corrupt and unworthy earthly priests such as Caiaphas who judged Him, Christ remained sinless even while bearing Caiaphas's guilt and the sins of humanity. He is the true and perfect High Priest and Mediator suited to guilty humanity, and His mediatorial work surpasses the earthly priesthood in dignity, glory and importance.

His perfect, spotless offering alone meets the demand of the divine law and opens the way for guilty sinners to approach God. It is of infinite value and infinite sufficiency in bearing the sins of the whole world, and its terrible cost and the infinite cost of His sacrifice reveal the consequences of sin. Because He had no sin of His own He needed no atonement, but as the pure and holy Sin-bearer, holy and separate from sinners with nothing in Him that Satan can claim, a Lamb without blemish and without spot, He could make propitiation for the sins of the whole world and complete the atonement.

Sacrifice and Intercession Saving

Unlike earthly priests who had to offer daily, first for their own sins and then for the people's, He offered up Himself once for all and needed no sacrifice for Himself. In that single offering He wrought out a perfect character for us and made a perfect and complete atonement for sin. Because He is at once priest and intercessor and also the offering for sin, even one led into sin through the influence and company of others need not despair.

He occupies the double position of offerer and offering, of priest and victim. He is at once priest, intercessor and offering, and He serves as humanity's representative, advocate, surety and intercessor. His infinite sufficiency in bearing the sins of the whole world rests on His remaining holy and separate from sinners, a Lamb without blemish and without spot with nothing that Satan can claim.

As the ascended, glorified High Priest He ever lives to make intercession, pleading in heaven and presenting His own merits as victorious conqueror. He is the living Christ whose priesthood is enduring and unchangeable, and therefore He is able to save to the uttermost, completely and fully, all who come to God through Him. His perfection and enduring priesthood assure that heaven's resources have not failed and are not overdrawn.

He was tempted in all points as humans are and is touched with the feeling of human infirmities. By taking human nature and responsibility for the race, bearing believers' sins, obeying every detail of God's law as their sin-offering and personal Saviour, and condemning sin in the flesh though He did no sin and had no sin, He proved that humanity cooperating with divine power and sharing the divine nature can be pure and holy and meet the demands of the law. By His grace He keeps people from transgression, cleanses them from sin, imputes to those who trust Him His own righteousness enabling obedience, and makes them partakers of the divine nature like Him in purity and holiness.

Pattern for Holy Living

His holy, harmless, undefiled and separate character is the pattern every soul must follow to gain eternal life, for salvation is not being saved while continuing in sin and objectionable traits cannot be excused as weaknesses others must tolerate. Learning from Him and copying His life makes believers holy, harmless and undefiled, as the important truths of Scripture shape character and make people noble like Jesus. To be Christ-like in every sense is to keep humble and live holy, harmless and separate from sinners, craving the suffering, crucifying part of religion because purification and fitness for the kingdom come through suffering. Those who live thus will see the salvation of God.

Education is to train the young to follow His example and uphold the principles He maintained, preparing them for service with heavenly beings. His instruction must be studied and His teachings followed by ministers and physicians, for unless they follow Him they can never be a blessing to any church nor enter through the gates to the city of God. His life, pure and holy, undefiled and without rebuke in a sinful corrupt generation, is the model to be reflected in words, works, influence and inner character, so that others recognize they have been with Jesus and learned from Him. His life from the manger to Calvary is the pattern for conduct, maintaining the principles He upheld, by which He restores the moral image of God in humanity and gives fitness for service.

Following Him means firmness as a rock where truth and duty are concerned, joined with patience, gentleness and winsomeness of disposition, invariably kind and courteous, with a kind look and word of comfort for the needy and oppressed. His presence brought peace, so His followers soften and soothe their influence rather than stir up opposition while holding to truth, showing the fruits of truth in kind, courteous, peace-loving words and character. Envy, jealousy, criticism and other unholy passions are to be put away, that believers become peacemakers who restore rather than damage others. When wrongfully accused He opened not His mouth to justify Himself, leaving the example that Christians when falsely accused should show forbearance and not lose temper and grieve the Holy Spirit.

Walking in the midst of sin He remained holy, harmless and undefiled, assailed in every point yet sinning not in thought, word or deed. Harmless and undefiled, He walked among the thoughtless, rude, uncourteous, unjust publicans, unrighteous Samaritans, heathen soldiers, rough peasants and mixed multitude, bringing a purer atmosphere into the home and working as leaven amid society. He spoke sympathy to the weary and heavy-laden, shared their burdens, repeated lessons learned from nature of the love, kindness and goodness of God, and sought to inspire with hope the most rough and unpromising that they might become blameless and harmless as children of God.

Keeping separate from the world and refusing conformity to it is essential, for as soon as conformity begins God's Spirit departs. Life must preach by dress, conversation and actions that Christ is formed within as the hope of glory and that believers look for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of Jesus, showing to all that this world is not home and that they are pilgrims and strangers here. Because He is pure, those who belong to Him must correct all that is lax or careless in speech and habits, keep rooms clean and tidy and let no dirt or rubbish accumulate, and put away untidy, shiftless habits that grieve the heavenly angels, so they may be accepted as vessels unto honor fit for His use.

Through His humiliation in taking human nature, His suffering and sacrifice, His excellence and virtue raise fallen people toward purity and holiness, and through His merits their efforts to keep God's law are accepted by God. Through His death He redeems people, and He alone can cleanse them from sin, so that those who trust Him and receive His grace become partakers of the divine nature and are made like Him in purity and holiness. His character supplies the qualities that cleanse the soul and transform the heart. His purity and holiness set the elevated standard toward which Christians seek to grow.

Encouragement and Warning Applied

The High Priest suited to humanity is sinless, holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners and exalted above the heavens. One who has been led into sin through the influence and company of others need not despair, because Christ is both priest and intercessor for sinners and also the offering for sins, having offered Himself once for all. He is the living Christ who ever lives to make intercession and is able to save to the uttermost all who come to God through Him. His perfection and enduring priesthood assure full salvation to those who come, so heaven's resources have not failed and are not overdrawn, and discouraging appearances are no reason for faithlessness and worry. Unlike men made high priests by law who have infirmity and must offer daily first for their own sins and then for the people's, He needed no daily offering for Himself but as Son consecrated forevermore offered up Himself once.

Human beings subject to temptation, especially those bearing responsibility, must remember Him in the heavenly courts and depend wholly on Him and on His merits and grace, since apart from Him no good thing can be done. He stands alone in divine majesty, grandeur and glory, making a perfect and complete atonement for sin, while all other high priests were only types whose service vanished when He appeared. He continues with an unchangeable priesthood and ever lives to make intercession, needing no daily sacrifice for His own sins as earthly priests did, for He did this once when He offered up Himself and wrought out a perfect character for us. He is touched with the feeling of human infirmities because He was tempted in all points as humans are, and each person will still be dealt with according to works, standing at last either saved by the blood of the Lamb or condemned.

At deliverance God's faithful people who have held fast their faith and kept Christ's word of patience are themselves described as holy, harmless and undefiled. They are welcomed to walk among the angels. Looking up, they see the Son of man in divine glory, bearing the marks of His humiliation and seated on His throne. In contrast to weak, sinful men, He who had no sin and no guile or deceit in His mouth patiently submitted to all that Satan and his angels devised to humiliate and torture Him. He patiently endured humiliation and suffering and gave His life to save the world, dying that others might live, so to be permitted to suffer for His sake is an honor.