Hebrews 7:25 (NKJV)
25 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.
Jesus has the ability to save to the uttermost. The word “uttermost” as used here is the Greek word “pantelés” which means “completely, forever, entirely, perfectly, through all time” His ability is such that He CANNOT save temporarily. Once He saves you, you are saved FOREVER!
Notice the writer of Hebrews goes on to say that Jesus “lives forever to make intercession for us” That is the present day ministry of Christ at the Father’s Right Hand, He makes intercession for us.
What does He intercede for? The succedent text lets us know:
Hebrews 7:26-27 (NKJV)
26 For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, SEPARATE FROM SINNERS, and has become higher than the heavens; 27 who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first FOR HIS OWN SINS and then FOR THE PEOPLE’S, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.
Jesus intercession is for OUR sins. He lives forever to intercede for our sins before the Father. Now, HOW does He intercede or better still, WHAT is His intercession?
In the past, we’ve been told that Jesus shows the scars on His hands to the Father in order to “appease” Him whenever we sin; a pleading session breaks out in Heaven when we sin and Jesus tries to pacify God and win our case. Nothing could be farther from the Truth! What He did, He did ONCE FOR ALL! Never to be repeated. ALL the wrath of God against sin at the Cross was exhausted. Jesus does not try to “pacify” God again.
So, what exactly did the writer mean?
25 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.
We must understand that the finished work of Christ BEGAN at the Cross and ENDED at the Throne when Jesus offered His blood, that is, His Spirit as an offering for our sins.
Hebrews 9:11-14 (NKJV)
11 But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. 12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but WITH HIS OWN BLOOD He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having OBTAINED ETERNAL REDEMPTION. 13 For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, 14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through THE ETERNAL SPIRIT OFFERED HIMSELF without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
After the death of Jesus, He descended to hell carrying our sins. On the third day, He resurrected WITHOUT THEM and appeared before the Father to offer for our sins. His offering for sins couldn’t have been at the Cross as He was made sin (spiritually dead) there and a spiritually dead man CANNOT offer for spiritually dead men. His offering would be at His Resurrection. Having offered His Eternal Spirit, He sat at right hand of God! His seating means the work is FINISHED!
Hebrews 10:12 (NKJV)
12 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God.
So then, His intercession is His life! What Moses offered as death, Christ offered as life! Our sacrifice is alive FOREVER! His living is our intercession before the Father. HELPS Word-studies describes the word “intercession” as used in Hebrews 7:25 as “to obtain by hitting the mark” The fact that Jesus is forever alive today is hitting the mark CONTINUOUSLY for us before the Father. We might not be perfect in our conduct but Jesus is hitting the mark for us before God. God doesn’t look at YOU to judge YOU, He looks at Christ your Advocate before Him. As He is, so are you in this world! His finished work from the Cross to the Throne is our advocacy before the Father today!
1 John 2:1-2 (NKJV)
1 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.
Glory to God! We have an Advocate before the Father who is CONSTANTLY hitting the mark for us! His life guarantees our eternal security! As long as He is alive, so long are we saved. Let this reality dawn strongly on your heart. You are as saved as Christ is alive!
© Josh Banks Ministries. 2016.
