Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. (Hebrews 7:25, NIV)
You don’t drive up to the gate or walk into the pro shop at a private club where you are not a member and say, “I’m here for my tee time.” We’re all smart enough to avoid such presumption. Rather you begin by saying, “I’m a guest of ————.” The discussion may continue from there in several different ways, but it is the name of the member that opens the door.
A word often used for such a door-opening friend is advocate. This is one who goes before us, making a case for us that we cannot make for ourselves. In a court of law, this is often called an attorney, and it might make most sense to you if we are speaking of a defense attorney—one who defends you with expertise you don’t have.
Mercy will come only when you invoke the name of your advocate, and your advocate takes up your case. That advocate is Jesus.But what if there is no defense for what you have done? What if even your attorney says to you, “You don’t have a winnable case here, so I suggest you plead guilty”? What would you do then? You might find another lawyer, but this one too could lead you to the same conclusion. Somewhere along the line, you are going to have to come face-to-face with the guilt that is yours and throw yourself on the mercy of the court.
When we look at Scripture, we find that God’s court allows for his mercy. But not on the basis of your plea. It will come only when you invoke the name of your advocate, and your advocate takes up your case. That advocate is Jesus.
The excellence of Jesus’ advocacy (what the Scripture sometimes calls intercession) is that Jesus knows the way out of your guilt and the words to use to appeal to the judge. Greater still is that Jesus himself is that way out. He has bought your salvation at the price of his blood on the cross, and now he stands before the judge, presenting his case for mercy based on the justification he supplies.
You know that in a human court of law the best defenses are often paid for in big dollars. But even if we empty our bank account, we can’t pay a human lawyer enough money to buy our salvation. Christ alone did this. He paid in the currency of his sacrifice. If Christ’s work was to have any efficacy before God, he had to complete this plan and die for us. If we are to have any standing before God, it will not be on our own, but through Christ, who has done that work.
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Jeff Hopper
March 13, 2020
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