THE EXPRESS IMAGE
Hebrews 10: 1-18
The sacrifice under the old covenant on the Day of Atonement was a type. A type means it was “as if” the sins of the people were put on the goat. A shadow means God treated the goat “as if” he were sin. A picture means God regarded the sacrifice “as if” sin had been put away. But because it all was only “as if”, the entire picture had to be played out again next year because it was impossible for the picture to actually do what it pictured (Hebrews 10: 1-18.)
The book of Hebrews is the declaration that Christ is the express image of that typified in the shadow (Heb 1: 3; 10: 1.) Animals were not in man’s nature but Christ was made the express nature of the children of Abraham when he was made of a woman (Heb 2: 16; Gal 4: 4). Bulls and goats in shadow and type came under the law but Christ was expressly made under the law. (Gal 4: 4). Bulls and goats had sin laid on them metaphorically, but the LORD himself hath expressly laid on Christ in his own body the iniquity of all his elect people. (Heb 10: 4-10; 1 Pet 2: 24; Is 53: 6, 11-12; 2 Cor 5: 21.) The blood of goats made atonement in a ceremonial way, but Christ blood has expressly made eternal satisfaction (Heb 7: 19; 9: 26; 10: 12-14). The blood of bulls and goats purified the flesh in a shadowy ceremonial way, but Christ’s blood expressly purges the conscious from dead works to serve the true and living God so that there is expressly no more conscious of sins in the believer (Heb 9: 13-14; 10: 1-4.) “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation” (Heb 9:28.)
After that we have heard the truth, let us not traduce this amazing “mystery” to be nothing more than the “as if” of the shadow lest we “tread underfoot the Son of God and count the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing, and hath done despite the Spirit of grace.” (Hebrews 10: 29.)