22. Chapter Four
Chapter Four T he second topic: the immense assurance that the contemplation of Christ's intercession provides to our faith for our justification, demonstrated, 1. By way of evidence; through two aspects.Now I proceed (as I have done previously) to illustrate the robust grounds of assurance and victory that our faith can derive from this final act, specifically Christ's intercession for us in the matter of justification; "Who shall condemn? It is Christ who intercedes." This was the second general proposition and within it, I will also follow the method adopted in the previous discussion.1. What certainty, by way of evidence, does this provide to our faith of noncondemnation.
2. What potent efficacy and influence must this have, that Christ intercedes.
1. First, let's examine it by way of evidence. That Christ intercedes is a powerful evidence to our faith through two demonstrations.
(1.) From the very intention and aim of the work of intercession itself, and what it is ordained by God to accomplish.
(2.) From the purpose of Jesus Christ himself, who lives in heaven specifically to intercede for us. Our salvation is both the end of the work, and in some respect, the end of Christ himself, the Intercessor; and both these place the greatest obligation that can be on Christ, to achieve our salvation through his intercession.
(1.) Regarding the work itself. Intercession, as you have seen, is a part of the office of Christ's priesthood, as well as his dying and offering himself.
Now all the works of Christ are and must be perfect in their kind (just as God's are, of which Moses says in Deuteronomy 32:4, "His work is perfect"), for otherwise he would not be a perfect priest. Now the perfection of every work lies in its order to its end for which it is ordained; so that work is perfect that attains to such an end as it is ordained for, and that is imperfect which does not.
Now the immediate direct end of Christ's intercession is the actual salvation of believers elect, and persons for whom he died. The end of his death is to purchase a right to salvation; but of intercession, to procure the very saving of us actually, and putting us in possession of heaven. To this purpose, observe how the Scripture speaks concerning Christ's death in Hebrews 9:12, "He entered into heaven, having obtained redemption," or found redemption, that is, by way of right, by procuring full title to it. But of his intercession it says in Hebrews 7:25, that by it "Christ is able to save to the utmost them that come unto God by him." That is actually to save and put them in possession of happiness; that is made the end and aim of
intercession there and that phrase, to the utmost, denotes a saving indeed, a doing it not by halves, but wholly, and thoroughly, and completely; it is to save altogether, to give our salvation its last act and complement, that is the true force of the phrase, even to effect it to the last of it, all that is to be done about it. Thus also Romans 5:9-10, "We are justified by his death, but saved (namely, completely) by his life;" that is his living to intercede. So that the very salvation of believers is the work, the task of Christ's intercession.
Now what assurance does this provide? For to be saved is more than to be justified; for it is the actual possessing us of heaven. So then, if you accept that Christ's intercession is as perfect a work in its kind as Christ's death is in its kind, you must necessarily be saved. The perfection of Christ's death, and the work thereof, where did it lie (as on Christ's part to be performed) but in this, that he should lay down a ransom sufficient to purchase salvation for such and such persons as God would save? And so the perfection of it lies in the worth and sufficiency of it, to that end it was ordained for. It being a perfect sacrifice in itself, able to purchase eternal redemption for us, and to make us savable against all sins and the demerits of them, and to give us right to heaven; and had it lacked a grain of this, it would then have been imperfect.
Now then, correspondingly for intercession, the comfort of our souls is that the proper work that lies upon Christ therein is the complete saving of those very persons, and the possessing them of heaven. This is the task, the proper work thereof. To outdo the demerits of our sins was the perfection of his death, but to save our souls is the end and perfection of his intercession.
Our sins are the object of the one, and our souls of the other. To that end was intercession added to his death, that we might not have a right to
heaven in vain, of which we might be dispossessed. Now therefore, upon this ground, if Christ should fail of our souls' salvation, yes, but of any one degree of glory (purchased by his death to any soul) which that soul should lack, this work of his would then lack and fall short so much of its perfection. That place in Hebrews 7, says not only that Christ will do his utmost to save, but save to the utmost.
You may say, my unbelief and stubbornness may hinder it, though Christ does what in him lies.
Well, but intercession undertakes the work absolutely; for Christ prays not conditionally in heaven, "If men shall believe," as we do here on earth; not for propositions only, but for persons. And therefore he prays to cure that very unbelief. Now, as if a physician undertakes to cure a madman (if he knows what he does), he considers the madness of his patient and how he will tear off what is applied, and refuse all medicine. He therefore resolves to deal with him accordingly, and so to order him as he shall not hinder that help which he is about to afford him, and so upon those terms he undertakes the cure: even so does Christ, when by intercession he undertakes to save us sinners. He considers us what we are, and how it is with us, what unbelief is in us, yet undertakes the matter; and so to save us is the aim and end of this his work, which if he should not accomplish, he after all this should not be a perfect priest.
It was the fault that God found with the old priesthood, that it "made nothing perfect," Hebrews 7:19. And therefore in Hebrews 7:12, the "law was changed," and the "priesthood was changed" together with it, as there you have it.
Now similarly Christ's priesthood would be imperfect, if it made not the elect perfect, and then God must yet seek for another covenant, and a more
perfect priest; for this would be found faulty, as the other was. So then our comfort is, if Christ proves himself to be a perfect priest, we who come to God by him must be perfectly saved. It is in this office of his priesthood, and all the parts of it, as in his kingly office. The work of his kingly office is to subdue all enemies, to the last man, even fully to do the thing; and not only to have power, and to go about to do it, so as if there should be any one enemy left unsubdued, then Christ should not be a perfect king. The same holds in his priestly office also; he should not be a perfect priest, if but one soul of the elect, or those he intercedes for, were left unsaved. And this is indeed the top and highest consideration for our comfort in this argument, that intercession leaves us not until it has actually and completely saved us; and this is it that makes the apostle put a further thing upon intercession here in the text, than upon that other, his "sitting at God's right hand." So as we are in this respect as sure of attaining unto the utmost glory of our salvation, as Christ to have the full honor of his priesthood. A man saved is more than justified; and Christ cannot reckon his work, nor himself a perfect priest, until we are saved. "Who shall condemn? It is Christ that intercedes."
(2.) Besides the consideration of the nature and aim of this work itself, which Christ, upon his honor of proving himself as a perfect priest, has undertaken, there is in the second place a further consideration that argues him engaged by a stronger obligation, even the loss of his own honor, his office, and all, if he should not effect salvation for those that come to God by him; so much does it concern him to effect it. Of all the works that ever he did, he is most engaged in this. It will not only be the loss of a business which concerns him and of so much work, but himself must be lost in it too and the reason is that he intercedes as a Surety. He was not only a "surety
on earth" in dying and so was to look to do that work thoroughly, and to be sure to lay down a price sufficient, or else himself had gone for it. He pawned in that work, not only his honor, but even his life and soul to effect it, or lose himself in it; but he is a surety now also in heaven, by interceding. This you may find to be the aim of Hebrews, by observing the coherence