S. Michael Houdmann Supporter Got Questions Ministries

Speaking of Jesus, the writer to the Hebrews says, "Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them" (Hebrews 7...

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July 01 2013 • 1 response • Vote Up • Share • Report

Jeremiah Kaaya Pastor at Springs of Power Church, Teacher by professional

Romans 8:34 spells that Jesus is seated on the right hand of God the Father interceding for us. The question is; what is the purpose of this intercession? Let us first understand the background of why it is and it has to be Jesus to intercede for us before the Father, and why He is doing so.

First and foremost, we have to clearly understand that Jesus only paved way for sin to be forgiven. It was not to guarantee it, or to encourage it, it was to provide us hope and courage to overcome it, most especially if we consider the fact of the sacrifice’s immense magnitude, in all aspects. Sin is still in existence, but Jesus provided a way how sin can be repented of and completely and forever forgotten. Meaning, whoever is yet to accept Jesus is still mired in sin. In the Old Testament, sin was only covered upon, with the blood of animals. In the New Testament, sin is totally cleansed away for all who come to Jesus and follow in His footsteps.

Jesus died for all; those who believe Him, and those who are yet to accept Him. But even for the ones who believe Him, there is a reality that they need a process of healing and a period of transformation from their former self.

God is in three persons; God the Father (YAHWEH), God the Son (Jesus), God the Holy Spirit. God the Father is the source of all life. He is a God who hates sin and that will never change. In the Old Testament, He would directly and immediately punish the sinner, sometimes even resulting into death. God is all Holy and all Righteous. On the other hand though, man is a sinner. The two therefore are incompatible. In Exodus 19, when God asked the children of Israel to cleanse up themselves and wait on the visitation of the LORD God, they did, but when He finally showed up, they ran away in fear. The sinful man was never compatible with the all Holy and all Righteous God.

When Jesus came, He provided a way how men despite being sinners, can have access to God the Father with no threat of death. In 1 Timothy 2:5-6 the Bible calls Jesus the Mediator between us and God the Father. Now many people ask; why if Jesus died for our sins, shouldn’t we carry on with our sin? It is already paid for…. I believe this is a matter of perception. But it is also one of the deceptive ways of the devil to keep people mired in their sin.

Let me demonstrate this to you. I have been fired from a job two times. The first time I was fired, I pleaded with the boss so much so that there was no more left in me. He refused, I had to accept and I left the company. There was no way I could be forgiven, and there was none provided. But Jesus provides a way for our sins to be forgiven, and we are pretty sure that when we genuinely repent of them, through His unrelenting all powerful sacrifice, our sins are surely forgiven and equally forgotten. 

The coming of Jesus therefore doesn’t take away God the Father’s detestation of sin. In fact, had it not been for CHRIST and His acceptable sacrifice by the Father, this world would have already faced God’s wrath in many, many ways. The coming of Jesus provided a way for us to be reconciled back to God the Father. His interceding mediation helps to absorb God’s relentless anger against sin, and gives us time, courage, and power to get away from it. God wants us free of sin. According to Romans 6:23, this sinful world deserves death, but through the interceding power of Jesus, it is still here. God’s judgment still stands, only those who accept and allow Jesus in their lives can survive it. His only mission is to give us time to realize our faults and thereby rectify them by allowing Him into our lives. This is the purpose of Jesus’ interceding mediation.

Jesus welcomes whoever (Mathew 11:28-30), rich or poor, gay, thief, murderer, witch, etc, in Jesus, there is a way to be forgiven and accepted of God. His transforming power can never fail in any way. Jesus is giving us an opportunity to be children of God, once more.

June 27 2014 • 3 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

David Huffman

Jesus as our intercessor and mediator is fulfilling the capacity of the Old Testament priesthood.

The High Priest, under God's prescription would generally speaking, make intercessory prayer on behalf of the Hebrew/Jewish people. He would also do the work of making animal blood sacrifice for the sins of the people. 
They also performed other rituals as a manner of giving thanks to God.

Jesus gave His life as a propitiation for sin fulfilling any law requirement for sin sacrifice for mankind. The forgiveness of sins through Jesus became an act or element of faith in Him, not the works of the High priest. 

As believers we are able to go directly to the throne of grace via Jesus Christ with our prayers and petitions. No earthly priest can do this for us in the way Jesus does. And the need for the earthly priest no longer exists.

There is a hierarchy for the Christian church found in the New Testament. There are pastors, elders, deacons, to care for the needs of believers but there primary call is the spread of the gospel, maintaining sound doctrine, and the building or edification of the saints. And they are to first be qualified for this designation. See 1 Tim. 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9, 1 Peter 5:1-4.

Everything in the OT sacrificial mandate points to Jesus Christ's atoning work. The work of the priesthood points to the then future work of Christ as intercessor and mediator. As a result we are no longer under any compulsion to hold on to those offices and rites practices. We have a NEW Covenant from God.

February 25 2018 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Robert Broyles

Let's go directly to the Bible:

"Col 1:21...And you (the believer), who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him (God), 23 if indeed you continue in the faith...."

Eph 2:5 "....when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,"

Christ, our High Priest, is presenting us before the Father "holy and blameless" in HImself. "In Him" we are complete (Col 2:10) and in Him we have "a new creation" (2 Cor 5:17). We receive what is true of us "in Christ" at the 2nd coming.

This is all contingent up on us maintaining our faith in Christ Jesus.

April 13 2018 • 1 response • Vote Up • Share • Report