Chapter Sixteen

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Once for All Time

In this chapter, we look at Six Scriptures that employ two Greek words that mean “once for all.” These words are used in twelve different verses in Hebrews but we shall only discuss six of them. The six we discuss below all pertain to three things: the “once for all” aspect of Jesus’ offering and sacrifice; the “once for all” aspect of His blood; and the “once for all” aspect of His Great High Priesthood in heaven.

The first Greek word translated by “once for all” is hapax. (We looked at this word in a previous chapter.) Vine said this word can describe something that never has to be repeated. He also said that this word can describe something of perpetual, permanent, everlasting and eternal validity. Put differently, this word can describe something that is valid forever, something that will never have to be repeated.

The second Greek word translated by “once for all” is ephapax. Actually, this is the same word as above, but the Greek preposition epi is added to the beginning of it. This addition of epi simply strengthens and intensifies hapax, the original word,. Put differently, since hapax meant everlastingly, perpetually valid, ephapax means ultimately, intensively, mightily, everlastingly valid.

These two words, hapax and ephapax, are powerhouses when we see them used in our Six Scriptures concerning Jesus offering, sacrifice, blood and priesthood. 

All the following Versions of these Six Scriptures translate these two words by “once for all.” Here is a list of these Translations and their abbreviations. In the discussions that follow, we show you the abbreviations for these Versions that translated these two words by “once for all.” This is a real faith builder for you.

List of Versions and their Abbreviations that translated the two Greek words above by “once for all”

1.      ABUV      The New Testament of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, American Bible Union Version (John A Broadus et al)

2.      Ber       The Berkley Version of the New Testament (Gerrit Verkuyl)

3.      Con      The Epistles of Paul (W. J. Conybeare)

4.      Gspd      The New Testament: An American Translation (Edgar J. Goodspeed

5.      Mof      The New Testament: A New Translation (James Moffat)

6.      Mon      The Centenary Translation: The New Testament in Modern English (Helen Barrett Montgomery)

7.      Rhm      The Emphasized New Testament: A New Translation (J. B. Rotherham)

8.      TCNT      The Twentieth Century New Testament

9.      Wms      The New Testament: A Translation in the Language of the People (Charles B. Williams)

Prepare to get your faith built. These Six Scriptures will change the way many of you think about many things.  We discuss them in the order they occur in the Book of Hebrews.

Before we discuss the Six Scriptures, however, we must learn some things about Jesus’ Great High Priesthood that distinguish it from all other priesthoods that ever existed. In the Book of Hebrews, the Author demonstrates the superiority of Jesus’ Great High Priesthood over the earthly, Hebrew high priesthood. Two great, superior differences between them follows: (1) Jesus was made a high priest by an oath from God (2) God patterned Jesus’ Great High Priesthood after the order of Melchizedek. The earthly, Mosaic high priest had neither.

Ps 110:4

4                    The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. (KJV)

Our Author quotes or alludes to Ps. 110:4 in Heb. 5:5-6 and 10; Heb.  6:20; Heb.7:11-17 and 7: 20-22. Dear Reader, you must read these quotes and allusions.

In these quotes and referrals to Ps. 110:4 above, the Author emphasized two things: he emphasized that God’s oath is what authorized Jesus’ priesthood; he emphasized the “Melchizedek aspect” of Jesus’ priesthood.

This “Melchizedek aspect” is the basis of several of his statements about Jesus and His priesthood.  Since Melchizedek “abideth a priest continually” (Heb. 7:3) because he had no “end of life,” Jesus must have the same, since the oath made Him a priest after the order of Melchizedek. He, too, must have life that does not end so he can abide continually as the Great High Priest in heaven.

 Now we can clearly see the two sharp contrasts between the two priesthoods. Jesus’ priesthood was established and authorized by a separate oath of God. The earthly, Mosaic priesthood was not. Second, the Mosaic priests died and had to be replaced. Jesus did not! Since He will never die, he will never need to be replaced.

 They died. Jesus will not. They were changed because of death. Since Jesus will never die again, his Great High Priesthood will never be changed or taken from him. He has an unchangeable priesthood. Since he will live evermore, he continuously makes intercession for the Hebrew people. Consequently, He can “save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him” (Heb. 7:23-25).

“Uttermost” in Heb. 7: 25 translates panteles. This word means “complete,” “perfect,” “full-ended,” “entire” and “completion.” Hence, the translation “uttermost.”

Because of God’s oath and Jesus’ Melchizedek kind of endless life, those who come to God by Him encounter a powerful salvation that the Mosaic priests could never deliver; Jesus could save them “to completion.” He could save them “to perfection.” He could save them “full-ended.” He can save them “entirely.” He could save them “to the uttermost.” No Mosaic priest could do this!

In addition to having a priesthood that was superior to the Mosaic priests, Jesus had two other superior things: (1) He had a superior sacrifice (offering). His sacrifice (offering) was Himself; (2) He offered superior blood. Remember, the blood He offered was not just His own blood. The blood that flowed in His veins was the blood of God himself. No wonder the blood He offered was superior to anything available to the Mosaic priests. Jesus offered God’s blood. The Mosaic priests only offered the blood of bulls, goats, cows, and sheep.

All Six “Once for all” Scriptures we examine below pertain to the Great High Priesthood, the offering, the sacrifice, and the blood of Jesus. All Six Scriptures show the superiority of these things over the same things in the Mosaic system. 

“Once for all” Scripture #1

Heb 7:27  

27                Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once (for all), when he offered up himself. (KJV) (Parenthesis mine)

“Once” is the translation of ephapax. Rhm, Mof, Mon, Wms and Vine all translate ephapax by “once for all” in this verse.

The Mosaic priests had to sacrifice many, many times for the different sins of the people. The necessity for repeating the sacrifices was simple. Their sacrifices lacked staying power. The offering of bulls, goats, cows, and sheep would work for them on a temporary basis only. By their many sacrifices, the Hebrews could maintain what they had by birth. By sacrificing and sacrificing and sacrificing, they could keep what they were born with in Abraham’s covenant.

Now, God no longer accepts the blood of animals. He only accepts the blood of the Son of God. The beautiful thing about His new sacrificial offering is this; it does not have to be repeated. It packs such a wallop that it has perpetual validity. It only had to be done “once for all” since it handles all sins, past, present, and future. “Once for all!”

“Once for all” Scripture #2

Heb 9:12  

12                Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once (for all) into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. (KJV) (Parenthesis mine)

“Once“ translates ephapax, the stronger of the two words. Abuv, Con and Vine all translate this word as “once for all.”

In the Mosaic system, the earthly high priest must enter the Holy Place once a year, because the blood and sacrifices he offered lacked staying power. They had to be offered up again each year on the National Day of Atonement. This annual offering took care of the sins of the entire Hebrew nation for one year. The redemption it secured was annual, temporary.

Jesus’ blood, however, enabled Him to enter the Holy of Holies in heaven itself just once. That was all it took. He entered it “once for all” because the blood he sprinkled there was eternal blood. It will never lose its power. After all, it was and is the blood of God. Unlike the temporary, Old Testament redemption, it secured an eternal redemption. “Once for all!”

“Once for all” Scripture #3

Heb 9:26  

26                For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once (for all) in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. (KJV) (Parenthesis mine)

“Once” translates hapax in verse 26. Rhm, TCNT, Gspd and Vine all translate it “once for all.”

In the Old Testament, the high priest had to make many offerings. Jesus didn’t, because his sacrifice had staying power. It only had to be done once. If this were not the case, He would have to die over and over and over again each time a Hebrew sinned. He would have to die for each individual sin committed by each individual Hebrew!

Having to die for each individual sin would have forced Him to suffer since the foundation of the world. He would still be suffering even now because if His sacrifice was not “once for all time,” He would still have to die for each individual sin committed by each individual Christian, whether Jew or Gentile.

But this is not the case. Our Author is emphatic. He said that Jesus sacrifice was a “once for all” thing. It has perpetual validity. It never has to be repeated. His offering “put away sin” by the “once for all” sacrifice of himself! Praise God!

“Put away” translates atithemi that combines two Greek words: it combines the Greek negative, a, which means “no” or “not,” with tithemi, which means “to place, to put, to position.” The resultant meaning, then, is “to displace, to unplace, to set aside, to annul, to negate, negative setting, to unset, to deprive of position and to get rid of.”

Therefore, Jesus’ once for all sacrifice, displaced, unplaced, set aside, annulled, negated, unset, deprived sin of its place, and got rid of it! Prior to Jesus “once for all sacrifice,” sin reigned supreme. Not any more! It has been absolutely set aside by the “once for all” sacrifice of Jesus. His death does not have to be repeated every time an individual Christian commits an individual sin. His offering packs perpetual validity! “Once for all!”

“Once for all” Scripture #4

Heb 9:28  

28                So Christ was once (for all) offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. (KJV) (Parenthesis mine)

“Once” translates hapax in verse 28 above. Rhm, TCNT and Vine all translate it “once for all.” Again, Jesus was offered “once for all.”

Remember that the Old Testament high priests had to offer over and over and over again. Not Jesus! His offering of himself had staying power. It had eternal, perpetual validity. It will never have to be repeated. He was offered “once for all” to bear their sins. Now the Hebrews can maintain their healing, prosperity, family well being and salvation by accepting Jesus as God’s final sacrifice for their sins.

“Once for all” Scripture #5

Heb 10:2  

2                    For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once (for all) purged should have had no more conscience of sins. (KJV) (Parenthesis mine)

“Once” translates hapax in verse 2 above. Vine defines hapax here as “once for all.”

In this simple verse, we see another glaring difference between Jesus’ offering of Himself and the Old Testament priests’ offering of bulls, goats, cows, and sheep. Animal blood could not and did not thoroughly cleanse away sins and they knew it. If animal blood had cleansed their sins properly, then their conscience would have been clear. It was not. Their conscience still bothered them, because they knew animal blood could never completely do the job.

Jesus’ blood, however, purged their sins “once for all.” Since his offering was “once for all,” our consciences as Christians are clear. We have no more conscience of sin. More of us need to study this subject more thoroughly. Once we see the perpetual validity of Jesus sacrifice, we will have no more conscience of sin. Sure, both past and present sins will bother us from time to time, but we will know that we have a sacrifice that cleanses them “once for all.” Therefore, we can shove those past and present sins under the blood of the Son of God and forget them. “Once and for all!” Praise God!

“Once for all” Scripture #6

Heb 10:10  

10                By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (KJV)

 “Once” translates ephapax, the stronger of the two words.  The King James Version plus Rhm, Ber, RTCNT and Vine all translate it by “once for all.”

Again, Jesus body was offered once for all. His offering had staying power. It had perpetual validity. It will never need repeating.

Look what this “once for all” offering of Jesus’ body accomplished for these Hebrews. They were eternally “sanctified” because of it. “Sanctified” translates hagiadzo, the regular Greek word for “holy” and “sanctify.” Hagiadzo means “to set apart for God.” Furthermore, in this verse, hagiadzo is in the Greek perfect tense. The Greek perfect denotes not only an action that occurred in the past but also that the results of that past action are still standing.

In other words, in the past, Jesus sacrifice of himself “set the Hebrews apart for God.” The results of Jesus’ past action are still standing. The Hebrews are still set apart for God. They must, however, appropriate it by faith for it to be valid for them individually and personally.

In the next chapter, we print a list of every Scripture in every category that we have interpreted for you in this work. For your convenience, you will have a thumb nail view, by category, of this entire work. May God richly bless each of you. May you grow spiritually and may your faith soar because of this study.

 

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