Christ Alone (Heb 7:25; LD 11)

Introduction

Wouldn't it be something if Christ kept an earthly office? It would be great if we could knock on the door, make an appointment, and bring him our questions face-to-face. We instinctively want something tangible. And yet the Christian faith calls us to do something that seems unwise: put all our eggs in one basket and trust in a savior that we cannot see. We are called to trust in Christ alone. No backup plan, no supplemental mediator, but only Christ. So how do we know that this basket is safe and wise?

Christ Has the Power to Save

His name tells us everything. He is called Jesus. His name literally means “Yahweh saves.” His name tells us that we need to be rescued, and that God himself provides it.

Hebrews 7 builds on this by contrasting Christ's priesthood with the old covenant priests. Those priests died. Their ministries expired. Their successors were not always faithful. Christ, however, holds his priesthood permanently. Christ is in the order of Melchizedek. He has no recorded beginning or end of days. We read about him once in Genesis. There is no genealogy to communicate his beginning. There is no record of his death. The implication is that he lives forever. Levi, in Abraham’s loins, paid the oath to Melchizedek when Abraham paid the tithe. This means Melchizedek is superior to the other priests in every way because the priests in Levi’s line honored the superior priest by paying the tithe on the spoils.

The point of this is that Christ's priestly ministry is in the line of Melchizedek. This means that Christ saves us because he lives up to his name, Yahweh Saves. He has the power to save because he is in a priestly line that has no beginning and no end. He is truly an eternal priest.

Christ Saves Us Completely

Hebrews uses the language of "To the uttermost." This means that nothing can hinder Christ from finishing what he has begun. Satan, who once stood before God to challenge Job, could not undo God's purposes then, and cannot undo Christ's saving work now.

We take comfort in that Christ represents us in the most holy place. He resides there by his own merits, he has offered himself without first cleansing himself, and he represents us in the most holy place. Christ is not fragile like the priests of old. We must remember that Christ is our perfect priest without any human frailty. Yes, he is God and man joined together in person. He took on the flesh to offer himself. He completed his work. The result is that Christ saves to the uttermost. His work never expires, and he never needs a successor. He alone is sufficient to represent us.

Christ Intercedes for Us Personally

Not only does Christ save completely, but he prays for us continuously. He does not simply give us a boost of grace and step back. He does not merely secure us and then retreat into heaven. But He lives to intercede for his people by name, in the Most Holy Place. Christ’s mission is to see to it personally that each one arrives at the fullness of glory.

Christ is the priest who cleanses. We do not get our lives together before we draw near to him. The invitation of Hebrews is to come as we are with our failures and imperfections. We lay our sins, burdens, and struggles before our priest. He has cleansed us and represents us in the most holy place. This is not a model, like the temple, but the full glory of heaven. As he reigns in glory, He continues to prod us and purify us, sanctifying us to be the people He desires. We know that He sympathizes with our weakness, intercedes on our behalf, and upholds us to the end.

Conclusion

Christ alone is not a gamble. He is the only basket that truly holds. He offered himself once, without needing a cleansing ritual or an animal substitute. He was raised, he ascended, and he now resides in the glory of heaven. He is not passive, not passively, but actively interceding, saving, and sustaining.

When we gather for worship, we are not merely going through a human routine. We are being called into the presence of the living God, joining with the heavenly assembly, drawing near to the priest who never quits and never fails. Rest in him. Bring him your burdens. He is able to save you. He saves you completely, personally, and to the uttermost.