The Priestly Intercession of Our Ascended King

Believers in Jesus who follow the Reformed tradition of Christian theology often make reference to the “finished work of Christ.” This phrase recognizes a key biblical truth—namely, that our Lord’s offering of Himself as an atonement for sin happened once, completely satisfied the justice of God, and is unrepeatable. Thus, Hebrews 10:18 tells us that “there is no longer any offering for sin.” While we must stress the sufficiency of the atonement and insist that it cannot be repeated, we should take care to remember that not all of Christ’s work has been finished. His work as the King exercising His mediatorial reign over all things for the sake of the church continues until His return (Eph. 1:15–23). Moreover, as Christ continues His work as the reigning King, He is also continuing in one aspect of His priestly ministry: the work of intercession.

We see in texts such as Numbers 11:1–3 that prayer for the people of Israel was one of the duties of Moses, the priestly mediator of the old covenant. As Mediator of the new covenant, Jesus also engages in the work of intercession as part of the exercise of His priestly office. Today’s passage indicates that Jesus holds His priesthood forever because He continues forever and that “he always lives to make intercession for [His people]” (Heb. 7:23–25).

As we think about our perseverance in faith, we recognize that we have a role to play. We are to work out our salvation in fear and trembling as God works in us to will and to work for His good pleasure (Phil. 2:12–13). Believers must continue to repent of their sins and believe the gospel, but ultimately we do this because of God’s preserving power that keeps us safe from finally falling away through the intercession of the Lord Jesus Christ. Matthew Henry comments, “This is [believers’] safety and happiness, that this ever-living high priest is able to save to the utmost—in all times, in all cases, in every juncture—all who come to God by him.”

That Christ continues to intercede for us even after ascending and being seated at God’s right hand greatly comforts us. He knows each of us personally better than we know ourselves, so He can pray for what we really need. In His great love, He continues to pray for us. John Calvin writes: “What sort of pledge and how great is this of love towards us! Christ liveth for us, not for himself! That he was received into a blessed immortality to reign in heaven, this has taken place, as the Apostle declares, for our sake.”