Hebrews 7:25
"Therefore, he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf."
I'm going to just come right out and say it; my priest is my "forever priest". Through Jesus Christ alone I approach the throne of Abba Father. He alone is my source of strength, inspiration, healing, joy, and courage. Were it not for his Holy Spirit advocating for me and guiding me, I could not survive this world.
Grace is a person.
Holy is a person.
The High priest is a person.
His name is Jesus.
Hebrews 7:19
"...for the law made nothing perfect; but on the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God."
And he's the only person I need. And the only thing he needs from us is that we depend on him.
John 14:6
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
And Jesus didn't do this because he fulfilled some church doctrine or practiced or even advocated for a certain catechism. It wasn't the church that convinced him of who he is. It wasn't a religious program that motivated him. He is Grace personified. Full of grace. And for that matter, the only one full of grace. He has Grace that is full and ready and it's available for us. Because he is the high priest. No others are needed.
Hebrews 9:24
"For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf."
There is nothing two-faced about him. He's not a false God. He's not an idol. He's not lacking in any way. He's not merely symbolic of some greater human nature that everyone can find in and of themselves. He's full of Grace, fully human, and fully capable of interceding on our behalf. No others are needed. No others are welcome. We are to love God alone with all our heart, mind, spirit and strength. We shouldn't have other masters who have access to our heart and our mind. We shouldn't have greed, avarice, lust, or any other idols that capture our love and adoration. It is Jesus alone who lowered himself to become like us, to die for the forgiveness of our sin, and who rose again into eternal life, and he alone sits upon His throne.
Romans 8:34
"Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us."
He is my source for all things, for everything I could ever want or need. In Him alone I trust. And what he has done for me and everyone else is more than enough. He doesn't need to repeat it over and over again.
I do not need Christ to be sacrificed anew every time the priests murder him again and again in error, sacrificing him at the altar week after week. His one-time sacrifice and his resurrection are more than enough for me. I am in absolute agreement with the once-for-all nature of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. I'm fine with Jesus coming down off that cross, I don't need to be reminded about his physical sacrifice. I clearly understand and appreciate his horrible execution. I don't need to replay that torturous butchering and feast upon the sacrifice like a pagan would. I have accepted his sacrifice and have received him into myself, mind, body and spirit.
Hebrews 10:10
"And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."
In terms of my standing before the Creator of all things, there is nothing else I must do to receive eternal life except trust in Him, in Christ Jesus. He alone is my source for Grace, and instructor in living out a life in grace. I trust him to help me grow in the degree to which I may please God as our Father. I couldn't accomplish anything were it not for him helping me to do these things, such as it is. Without the work of Jesus Christ, without his propitiation I can do nothing. His intercession is more than enough to accomplish the work that God the Father has purposed for me.
I don't need to kneel before men and make petitions before men in order to be heard by my High Priest. His favor is not contingent upon the favor of others. He "always lives to make intercession" for me. He's not waiting on the perceptions of others.
Under the old covenant, the priests offered sacrifices for the people, and the people relied upon them to interceded on their behalf before God. They burned prayers of incense. They offered the blood of animals as a propitiation. The priests ate the flesh of these animals. They were organized sin eaters. On the Day of Atonement, for example, the sacrifice included taking the blood into the Holy of Holies where the priest would then cast it upon the mercy seat, asking for God to pardon the Israelites. And they had to do this over and over again because it wasn't the fulfillment of the covenant. It was a shadow of the perfect covenant. The perfect sacrifice that was accomplished in Jesus Christ alone. This is why we don't murder animals as a propitiation anymore. Jesus accomplished that forever. No need to murder him again and again either.
And so, this is why he alone is my High Priest, no man sits on his throne or serves as his Vicor here on earth. Christ, as the fulfillment of the priesthood, assumed this work of intercession and he alone sits on his throne and sends The Holy Spirit to dwell within his people. This is Grace. There will never be a break in this intercessory work, He is never going to abandon his people to other resources. If people and seeking other sources they've either lost sight of the perfect source or never had sight of it to begin with. Unlike the old covenant in which there was a transfer from one high priest to another, no one else sits on Jesus' throne. He alone is our perfect intercession now and forever. No others need apply. Old covenant priests came and went, but Christ continues as our High Priest forever.
Among men we cannot find our High Priest because he is obligated to also offer sacrifice for his own sins. And for this same reason, none of the saints in Christ can offer intercession. They, like us, must also offer up their own sins to the High Priest. Others cannot offer propitiation (forgiveness) for sin.
Hebrews 5:4
"...no one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God"
And our Lord instructed us in how we should approach the throne of Grace.
Hebrews 5:7
"In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence."
He instructed us to offer up our prayers to ABBA Father in private. He didn't want us to act as the gentile's did, or like the hypocrites who performed elaborate rituals of asceticism and prayers before men in order to be seen, heard, and appreciated by people. He wanted the people to leave behind these elementary teachings that were born out of the old covenant. He wanted them to leave behind these dead works of faith. He wanted them to turn away from asceticism and fundamentalism and turn towards God in his Grace through faith in Jesus Christ. He wanted them to be imitators of Jesus alone through faith and patience, faith like all those whom God blessed throughout the ages.
1 Timothy 2:5
"For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus"
Acts 4:12
"And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
I can trust him because he fully understands our human experience and temptations. And I trust that human experience because he lived a holy life and then paid the price for sin through His death on the cross.
He was blameless before God...I'm not, it's that simple.
And so, with confidence I draw near to His throne of grace.
Jesus comes into our hearts and minds and tells us about his kingdom. He calls us to him. He calls us to come in faith and obedience to his word. Intercession is a two-way street. He draws and calls, we open the door and cry out, offering ourselves as a living sacrifice.
Romans 12:1
"I appeal to you therefore, brothers [and sisters], by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship."
For those of us who are in Christ by virtue of saving faith, the only acceptable worship is for us to offer ourselves completely to the Lord. He said we must love God with ALL our heart, mind, spirit, and strength. He said ALL four times. I think he wants us to obey that command.
I think he really meant it.
What does that look like?
We are a living sacrifice for God by not being conformed to this world. If you don't know or aren't sure what that means, look to scripture. But basically, it's not about temptations and desires, it's about being conformed to them. Loving them more than loving God.
Start here:
1 John 2:15-16
"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world — the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life — is not from the Father but is from the world."
Work on those desires. Work on those avenues for immortality. Search your heart. Find where you're a servant to other masters. Find where you've cultivated in unholy ground. You don't need to perform some public display of asceticism to express your wretchedness, we all already know you're not worthy of Jesus Christ. No one is.
Look for materialism, lust, pride, covetousness, and other appeals to your unholy appetites. Dig around in your garden of worldly loves and try to root out the weeds. Pray to heaven for assistance in this and be watchful for temptations.
If you examine yourself and are searching through the scriptures while you're doing it, the Holy Spirit will help you understand your true nature. He can't prevent you from falling prey to that nature, that's on you. In that moment of revelation and conviction you'll need to find the will to obey.
Get with others who are in Christ. Come together in community and pray for each other sharing your faith and stories about the struggles you face in your journey in Christ. Hold each other accountable and gently exhort one another when problems crop up.
Believe me...they will crop up.
Overcoming the flesh is no picnic.
If your source for Grace is founded in Jesus Christ, and you're walking in faith guided by The Holy Spirit, you will find yourself, your true self.
Test yourself and find out.
Romans 12:2
"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."
Seek Jesus in his word. Seek him there and you'll find him ready to teach you. He alone is The Word of God.
"To seek God apart from His own self-disclosure in the inspired Scriptures is not only futile but dangerous. There must be also a knowledge of and complete trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Redeemer. Christ is not one of many ways to approach God, nor is He the best of several ways; He is the only way."