In His Name #4
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Jesus the Great High Priest
Jesus the Great High Priest
Dictionary of Bible Themes 7376 high priest
high priest
One of the most important people in Israel, responsible for the spiritual welfare of the nation and, in particular, for making atonement for the sins of the people. The NT recognises Jesus Christ as bringing this role to fulfilment, making the perfect sacrifice for the sins of his people, as both high priest and the sacrificial victim.
Romans 8:34 - 34Who is there to condemn us? For Christ Jesus, who died, and more than that was raised to life, is at the right hand of God— and He is interceding for us.
1 Timothy 2:1 1 - First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be offered for everyone
Hebrews 7:25 25Therefore He is able to save completely those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede for them.
In our day, we often hear of mediators, or intermediaries, working to establish peace in the Middle East or in a terrorist crisis. These intermediaries engage in the work of intercession—that is, they represent one person trying to establish peace with another party. The New Testament concept of “intercession” is not far from this concept.
The New Testament writers borrowed the Greek term enteuxis to describe Christ’s heavenly ministry of “intercession.” After Christ offered Himself on the cross as the sacrifice for sins, He ascended to the Father and entered the heavenly sanctuary where He now represents His people
25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.
The letter to the Hebrews depicts Christ as a Priest engaged in His continuing ministry of intercession. Christ’s heavenly intercession is a sequel to His earthly sacrifice accomplished once for all
10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
11 Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
12 But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,
13 and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool.
14 For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.
15 The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says:
16 “This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.”
17 Then he adds: “Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more.”
18 And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.
Jesus said, “Everyone therefore who shall confess Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven” (
32 “Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven.
His continuing intercession is recognized in such New Testament phrases as “through Jesus Christ”
8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world.
27 to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.
5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
and “through Him”
17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.
The doctrine of Christ’s heavenly “intercession” is explicitly affirmed in four New Testament texts.
The apostle Paul spoke of Christ, “at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us” (Rom. 8:34, NASB).
The writer of Hebrews affirmed that Christ “is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Heb. 7:25, NASB).
Further, Christ has entered “into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us” (Heb. 9:24, NASB).
The apostle John also described that ministry: “If anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1, NASB).
The Greek word for “advocate” meant a legal counselor who appeared before a magistrate to plead a client’s cause. John thus pictured the ascended Lord as appearing before God on behalf of His people.
The noun form of the Greek word for “intercede” is translated in the New Testament both as “intercession”
1 I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—
) and as “prayer” (
5 because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.
). Paul exhorts believers to intercede on behalf of all people, so that all might come to know Jesus Christ as their Savior (
4 since he wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
We should pray—and pray often about all things for God is the source of our effectiveness in this life.