Priesthood of Christ, Aaron & Melchisedec Comparison Series: 8

"But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people." Hebrews 9:6,7

---Here Paul divides the services of the Levitical priesthood into
two classes - one daily in the Holy, and the other yearly in the Holy of Holies. 

The daily service described was a sort of continual intercession; but the making of atonement was a special work for which special directions are given. Different words are used both in the Old Testament and New, to express the same idea as At-one-ment.
*Examples. - The italicized words are, in the text, synonymous
with atone or atonement. Exodus 29:36; "Thou shalt cleanse the altar when thou hast made an atonement for it." Leviticus 12:8;
"The priest shall make an atonement for her and she shall be
clean." Leviticus 14:2; "This shall be the law of the leper in the day of his cleansing." Verse 21; "The priest shall make an atonement for him and he shall be clean." 

The atonement could not be made for him till after he was healed of the leprosy, Leviticus 13:45,46.
Till he was healed, he had to dwell alone without the camp. Then Leviticus 14:3,4; "The priest shall go forth out of the camp; and the priest shall look, and behold if the plague of the leprosy be healed in the leper; then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two birds alive and clean," etc. 

The law was the same in cleansing a house from the leprosy. Verses 33-57. The stones affected with the plague were removed and the house "scraped within round about" and then repaired with new material.

--- "And he shall go out unto the altar that is before the Lord, and make an atonement for it." 

"And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel." Leviticus 8:15;
"And Moses took the blood, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about with his fingers and purified the altar, and poured the blood at the bottom of the altar, and sanctified it, to make reconciliation upon it," 2 Chronicles 29:29 see 2 Chronicles 29:24.
"And they made reconciliation with their blood upon the altar, to make an atonement for all Israel," Jeremiah 33:8; "I will cleanse them from all their iniquities," "and I will pardon all their iniquities." Romans 5:9-11; "Being now justified by His blood," "by whom we have now received the atonement," 2 Corinthians 5:17-19; "Who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ." Ephesians 2:16; "And that He might reconcile both unto God," Hebrews 9:13,14; "The blood of bulls sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh; but the blood of Christ shall purge our conscience from dead works." 

He is the Mediator for the "redemption of the transgressions," and to "perfect forever them that are sancrified," Hebrews 10:14; Ephesians 1:7; "In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our sins," Acts 3:19; "Be converted that your sins may be blotted out."

---From these texts we learn that the words atone, cleanse,
reconcile, purify, purge, pardon, sanctify, hallow, forgive, justify, redeem, blot out, and some others, are used to signify, the same work, viz., bringing into favor with God; and in all cases blood is the means, and sometimes blood and water. The atonement is the great idea of the Law, as well as the Gospel; and as the design of that of the Law was to teach us that of the Gospel, it is very important to be understood."

O.L. Crosier