What does Hebrews 7:27 mean?

This verse, like all portions of Scripture, needs to be read in context to be understood correctly. No sentence in the Bible is meant to be interpreted like a fortune cookie: shallowly and alone. A key mistake here, where some readers stumble, is the phrase "his own sins." This verse is in reference to Jesus, as part of an explanation as to why His priesthood is superior to that of the Old Covenant. Various points have been made so far, such as the fact that Jesus has eternal life, while human priests are mortal (Hebrews 7:16, 23), and that Christ's priesthood is guaranteed with an oath (Hebrews 7:17, 21), while the Levitical priests inherited their titles (Hebrews 7:20).

Here, the point being made is a continuation of verse 26. There, the author of Hebrews points out that it makes sense for God to install a "holy, innocent, unstained" high priest. The point here, then is that Jesus does not need to do what human priests do: to offer sacrifice for their own sins, and then sacrifice for the sins of the people. Jesus does not offer sacrifices for His own sins because He has no sins of which to be absolved (2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15).

This verse also emphasizes the once-for-all, eternal, perfect nature of Jesus' sacrifice. This is another way in which He is the true fulfillment of God's plan of salvation. Where human efforts will fall short (Hebrews 7:18–19; Romans 3:20), and animal sacrifices will not be enough (Hebrews 9:11–14), Jesus' death on the cross "utterly" saves us from our sins (Hebrews 7:25).