“Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” (Hebrews 7:25, NKJV)
I recently completed Tyler Staton’s book, Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools. His first
appendix is a short chapter about the intercession of Christ, riffing on this
verse in Hebrews. First, if you haven’t read the book, I encourage you to do
so. It is a great book on prayer. Second, the real reason I’m here is to riff
on this some more. I hope it helps you as much as it has helped me.
The author of Hebrews is making an argument for the
supremacy of Christ’s status as the true and better high priest that the office
of high priest described in the Torah pointed to. What struck me was this word
“uttermost”. Frankly, I haven’t given it much thought or study until reading
Staton’s book. Now, I can’t seem to get it out of my heart.
I’m most familiar with the term in describing geography –
the uttermost parts of the earth. The very ends of the earth, if there is such
a thing on a globe. We could go round and round on the topic, but I don’t want
to spin up that discussion unnecessarily. But when thinking about the term
theologically, the term operates simultaneously in a number of dimensions.
First with regards to time. I have thought that when Christ
atoned for my sins it was for all my sins up to the point in time when I
surrendered to him. After that it was
like playing catchup. Every time I knowingly sinned, I would have to renew that
atonement by confessing my sins again and asking him to forgive me, constantly
playing catch up and looking over my shoulder. When we consider the complete sufficiency
of his atonement, however, it has to account for the totality of my life. From
the moment my mother gave birth to me to the moment I die; he has atoned for
all my sin.
Secondly, with regards to depth. By this I mean the depth of
our sin and the depth of our need for atonement. There isn’t anything that I
have done, from what we might see as the most inconsequential sin to the most
horrific act of sin and unrighteousness we can think of – and we have several
examples of that just in the 20th century alone – his atonement
covers all of that. Unfortunately, I don’t have to look beyond my own life for
any examples.
Third, with regards to breadth. When I think of the number
of people with whom I have shared family or work or church or life, I can
always pick out someone at some time against whom I have sinned. And it all
leads back to sinning against God as I have sinned against someone created in
his image. And he doesn’t like that. But again, he is faithful and just. We are
not and when we have been wronged it is far too easy for us to continue to hold
a grudge against that person or institution who has burned us unrighteously.
I’m going to stop here as I have a hard time thinking about
much beyond our usual four dimensions in space-time. I’m sure, however, that
you can think of other dimensions in our lives in which this holds true.
But that should not constrain our thoughts on the matter.
Regardless of the number of dimensions we might envision, his atonement and our
redemption is to the uttermost. I can’t even imagine where that
might exist; I don’t think we’re supposed to. The Psalmist asks where can I
hide from your presence, where can I escape you, O LORD?[1]
I think this is what Paul had in mind when he wrote this to
the church in Ephesus.
“For this reason, I fall on my knees before the Father,
from whom every family in heaven and on earth receives its character. I pray
that from the treasures of his glory he will empower you with inner strength by
his Spirit, so that the Messiah may live in your hearts through your trusting.
Also I pray that you will be rooted and founded in love, so that you, with
all God’s people, will be given strength to grasp the breadth, length, height
and depth of the Messiah’s love, yes, to know it, even though it is beyond all
knowing, so that you will be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to
him who by his power working in us is able to do far beyond anything we can ask
or imagine, to him be glory in the Messianic Community and in the Messiah
Yeshua from generation to generation forever. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:14–21,
CJB)
Can we really grasp the breadth and length and height and
depth of the Messiah’s love? That is what Paul is praying for; that is what the
author of Hebrews is reminding them of. That is a prayer that God wants to
answer; that we need answered. It is what God wants each of us to grasp, to
hold onto, and to explore as we ask the Holy Spirit to reveal it to us in
greater depth.
Now, you may be thinking “Ooh! Ooh! I have carte blanche to
go do whatever I want and God will still forgive me!” This is exactly what Paul
was accused of[2].
Not so fast! John points out that we were not the first to love – God was. And
our response to his love is to love him in return and to abide in him. When we
do that, when we live in trusting obedience to the Father, we know the full
extent of what we are capable of but we also know the full extent of his
compassion and grace and mercy and steadfast love and justice. As John reminds
us, when we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us.[3] He
is, after all, the kapparah for our sins (vs 2).
One more item to consider. You might ask “What exactly is
Jesus doing now? Chilling with the angels? Waiting in the wings until he returns?”
Fair questions. But the answer is right here. “He always lives to make
intercession for the saints.” That’s his job now; it is how he makes a living –
by bringing us to life and life to us. His job is to bring us before the Father
of Lights in the midst of our joys and troubles, our trials and testing, our
victories and setbacks. It doesn’t matter what we’re experiencing, he is
praying for each of us and for his church, his bride in all aspects of our lives.
He is committed to our growth, our maturity, our success (as he defines it, not
as we do). He and the Father have sent the Holy Spirit to comfort and confront,
guide, encourage, to convict us of sin, righteousness, and judgment[4],
and to groan on our behalf. They are committed to our participation in their
eternal dance.
“But He, because He continues forever, has an
unchangeable priesthood.” (Hebrews 7:24, NKJV)
All of this because he continues forever and his priesthood
is forever. Because his priesthood is forever and continuous across time and
place, his offering and atonement are perfect; they never need to be renewed.
Because his atonement is perfect and constant, our salvation is forever and
perfect. This is precisely what God, the Father, was after. He didn’t want
something that needed to be renewed every year at Yom Kippur[5]. His
goal is to create new hearts, soft hearts, hearts from which the fat of our
desires has been removed and which constantly turn towards him.
There is comfort for us in the knowledge of the totality of
God’s love, Christ’s atonement, and the Holy Spirit’s empowerment.
May the LORD be with you.
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