True or False

“(Jesus is) there from now to eternity to save everyone who comes to God through him, always on the job to speak up for them.” Hebrews 7:25

It astounds me how many words like “always” and “everyone” are used about God’s gift to us in Christ. When taking true or false tests, most of us have learned to mark “exclusive” statements with false most of the time. “It rains every day during fall in Washington,” might, at first seem to be true. The later in the fall that we wait for a patch of sun, the more convinced we are that the statement is definitely correct. Of course, if we looked at the weather charts, we would discover that it doesn’t rain “every” day; there are actually a few days without precipitation, despite the webbed feet we have sprouted.

So, when Scripture starts using exclusive language saying that Jesus is able to save “everyone” and that He is “always” on the job for us, we may not realize its full impact. We are so used to using exclusive language for things like, well, how often it rains in Southwest Washington.

We also use phrases like, “You ‘never’ take out the trash.” Or maybe, “Teenagers are ‘always’ lazy.” We mean, “You don’t take out the trash as often as I would like”, and “I sure know a lot of lazy teenagers.” We all understand that these are exaggerations and not meant to be taken literally.

But, the language of “everyone” and “always” is meant to be taken quite literally when it comes to what Jesus does on behalf of those who come to Him. He literally saves “everyone” who comes to God through Him! He has left us no doubt. When we lay our lives before God through Jesus, we have the most certain promise about anything we can ever do. We do not need to worry whether or not I’m one of the handful who are not included. God saves “everyone” who comes through Christ.

We could spend another post talking about what it means to come to God through Christ. For now, though, the power of this verse resides in the certainty of the promise, not the mechanics of saving faith. If I come to God with my heart trusting Jesus’ claim to be the only way to God, I need not doubt my status.

Some years ago several friends pooled their money and bought my wife, myself and our daughter round trip railroad tickets to the East Coast to see our oldest son and his wife. Included were two nights in a sleeper car. I didn’t fret over how much it cost, or whether the train would have seats for us. We got on board the train “through” our friends’ kind gift.

Jesus provided everything we need to actually make our way to God. Better yet, He is the way Himself. Though this walk of faith if a journey, we also reach the destination upon the first flush of belief. Trusting God through Christ, we are instantly “saved”; accepted and made right with God. We no longer strive for God’s acceptance because He provided it through Jesus. Our journey consists in getting to know our God better and learning to show our love for Him by obedience to His love.

That is where the second part of this verse comes in. Jesus is “always” on the job to speak up for us. No, God is not hard of hearing, neither is He so full of other requests that we have to find a way to cut ahead in the line. No, what it means is that, now that we are “in Christ”, when we come to God “in Christ” we are received just as Jesus is received.

We bring our need to God and it is just as if Jesus was bringing it Himself. In fact, He is! Even when I’m unable to spit out a meaningful word in prayer, Jesus is doing for me. It has nothing to do with God’s inability to hear, but my inability to pray well at all. Because Jesus lived “incarnate”, that is, in human flesh, He has experience your and my life and can take our most intimate needs to the Father.

Jesus “gets it”. That is one of the most beautiful aspects of the Incarnation. He can go to Father God and lay out our needs better than we can ourselves. We may be confused, not knowing how the recent whirlwind of events started. But knowing Jesus never fails to speak for us to God provides inner certainty that He knows our questions and anxieties.

So, when I am uncertain, not only do I have the promise that I am still “saved”, but I also know that Jesus feels it with me and is expressing it to Father God. My heart is at rest seeing Jesus before God’s throne for me. I am content because He truly knows me, truly cares without scolding my doubts, and is intervening right now on my behalf.

I am so glad my Savior understands me. We all look for that close friend or two that grasp our idiosyncrasies. We treasure the friend to whom we can unload our hearts, shed tears, pour out the fears that cause us to quake the most. But sometimes time or distance separates us from those intimates.

I am certain God does not want us walking solo through the maze of our faith. He does not intend for any of us to shut down our hearts fearing people just won’t understand. But, when, for whatever reason, we cannot find that confidant, we always have Christ.

He is the One who saves us, everyone one of us, who we come to God through Him. And He is always at the ready to bring our needs and desires to the very throne of God.