Chapter 4: On the particular role of the Son in the work of redemption
These requests are all directly grounded in the covenant promises made by the Father to the Son. And notably, not a single word is spoken about all humanity in general. In fact, quite the opposite is stated in verse 9:
"I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those You have given Me."
Summary of the First Great Act: The Sending of the Son This completes the first major act in the Father's work of redemption: the sending of His Son, which includes:
1. His authoritative appointment to the office of Mediator, 2. His full equipping and anointing with every grace,
3. The covenant between Father and Son— promising help and protection, and guaranteeing a successful outcome: the salvation of His people.
This great compact is the foundation of the entire redemptive work.
It frames everything that follows.
Book I, Chapter 4
The Role of the Son in the Work of Redemption The Son's Voluntary Undertaking Secondly, the Son was an active and willing agent in the work of redemption. He voluntarily undertook the office laid upon Him. When God rejected the old sacrifices and offerings as insufficient, Christ responded:
"Here I am… I have come to do Your will, O God" (Heb. 10:6– 7).
No other way could accomplish the work—so Christ stepped forward, the one in whom the Father was well pleased (Matt. 3:17). He repeatedly affirmed that He came not to do His own will, but the will of the Father who sent Him (John 6:38). Fulfilling the Father's will was His sustenance and purpose (John 4:34).
Even from childhood, His focus was fixed:
"Did you not know that I must be about my Father's business?"
(Luke 2:49).
And near the end of His earthly ministry, He declared:
"I have glorified You on earth. I have finished the work You gave Me to do" (John 17:4).
All of this was done in accordance with the commission previously described. This willing participation of the Son can be summarised in
three key actions, the first of which also serves as the foundation of the others.
1. His Incarnation The first and foundational act was His incarnation—His taking on human flesh and dwelling among us (John 1:14). This is referred to in Galatians 4:4 as being "born of a woman," and is the great mystery of godliness:
"God was manifested in the flesh" (1 Tim. 3:16).
In doing so, He did not assume a particular individual, but the entire human nature, joining it personally to Himself. As Hebrews 2:14 says:
"Since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise partook of the same, so that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death—that is, the devil."
Christ took on human nature not because all humanity was in that condition, but because His children—those given to Him by the Father—were. For their sakes He sanctified Himself (John 17:19).
This humbling of Himself, this "emptying" of the divine appearance, was an act proper to the Son alone. The Father and Spirit did not assume flesh but approved and ordained this through eternal counsel.
2. His Oblation (Self-Offering) The second act was His oblation, or offering of Himself:
"He offered Himself without blemish to God to cleanse our consciences from dead works" (Heb. 9:14).
"He loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood"
(Rev. 1:5).
"Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her" (Eph. 5:25).
He took the cup of wrath from His Father—wrath that was due to us—and drank it fully. As Daniel 9:26 says, He was "cut off, but not for Himself."
This offering of Christ is what the entire system of Old Testament sacrifices and ordinances anticipated. When they came to their end, Christ declared:
"Here I am… I have come to do Your will, O God" (Heb. 10:9).
While Scripture tends to highlight Christ's sufferings in this work, the emphasis here is His voluntary willingness. Without it, His sacrifice would have had no value. The will of Christ was essential to the effectiveness of His atonement.
"He was led like a lamb to the slaughter… yet He opened not His mouth" (Isa. 53:7).
"I lay down My life… No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord" (John 10:17–18).
"He loved me and gave Himself for me" (Gal. 2:20).
A true gift must come from a free and willing heart—and Christ's sacrifice was exactly that:
"Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as an offering and a sacrifice to God—a fragrant aroma" (Eph. 5:2).
His resolve was cheerful and unwavering:
"Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God" (Heb. 10:9).
Thus He:
"bore our sins in His body on the tree" (1 Pet. 2:24).
This oblation or offering of Christ should not be limited to a single action or moment. Rather, it encompasses:
His entire earthly ministry, Every act and suffering in the days of His flesh, His prayers, tears, and cries (Heb. 5:7),
His obedience unto death, His final offering on the cross, and His entrance into the heavenly sanctuary, where He appears before God on our behalf (Heb. 9:24).
It includes all He accomplished until He gave His life as a ransom for many (Matt. 26:28), and "by Himself purged our sins" before sitting down "at the right hand of the Majesty on high" (Heb.
1:3), waiting for His enemies to be made His footstool (Heb. 10:13).
As for His present intercession, or His appearing before the Father sprinkled with His own blood, some have considered this as a continuation of His oblation, which we shall address in due time.
3. Christ's Intercession for Those He Died For
The third aspect of Christ's work is His intercession for all those for whom He offered Himself as a sacrifice. He did not suffer for them and then withhold His prayers. He did not perform the greater work of dying and neglect the lesser work of pleading. The price of redemption is too precious to be left without effect or care for its outcome.
This too was part of the task given to Christ—accompanied by a promise. As the Father said:
"Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations as Your inheritance, the ends of the earth as Your possession" (Ps. 2:8).
Accordingly, Jesus assured His disciples that His work on their behalf would continue in heaven:
"I go to prepare a place for you… I will come again and take you to Myself" (John 14:2–3).
This parallels the Old Testament high priest who entered the Holy of Holies "not without blood" to make atonement for the people (Heb.
9:7). Christ, our great High Priest, "by His own blood entered once for all into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us" (Heb. 9:11–12).
Christ Appears in Heaven for Us What is this holy place? Not an earthly temple—but "heaven itself, where He now appears in the presence of God for us" (Heb. 9:24).
And why does He appear there?
To act as our advocate, applying the benefits of His sacrifice to those for whom He died. As John writes:
"If anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ the Righteous" (1 John 2:1).
And why is He our advocate? Because:
"He is the propitiation for our sins" (v. 2).
His intercession is grounded in His atonement. These two aspects—sacrifice and intercession—are directed toward the same people. Christ does not intercede for those He did not redeem.
Christ Does Not Intercede for the World Jesus Himself draws this line in His high priestly prayer:
"I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those You have given Me" (John 17:9).
Why not pray for the world? Because He did not die for them. His intercession flows from His death—it is not independent of it.
We also know that the Father always hears the Son (John 11:42).
Therefore, if Christ interceded for all people, all would be saved. But Scripture says:
"He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them" (Heb. 7:25).
The Intercession of Christ: Powerful and Particular
This is why Paul can say with confidence:
"Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died— more than that, was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us" (Rom. 8:33–34).
From this, it is clear that those for whom Christ died are the very ones He intercedes for, and none of them will be condemned. This destroys the notion of a general ransom, for under that view, Christ supposedly died for many who:
Have no part in His intercession, Have their sins still laid to their charge, And perish eternally.
The Nature of Christ's Intercession We must also understand that Christ's intercession is not a lowly, pleading request, as if He were begging. That would not suit His exalted position at the Father's right hand.
Rather, His intercession is an authoritative presentation of Himself, now glorified, before the throne—sprinkled with His own blood—to secure for His people all the blessings His sacrifice obtained.
As He prays:
"Father, I desire that those whom You have given Me may be with Me where I am, to see My glory" (John 17:24).