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
I’m not certain who was first with this idea, but for me it was Burger King. Their commercials[1] and banners that said I could have a Whopper my way. This meant that I was more than just another customer that got exactly the same thing that everyone got. They thought I was special. They treated me like an individual. When they handed me my order, it was made just for me.
Now, I don’t think of myself as all that different than anyone else. We all want to be treated with respect. When ordering something, we expect it to be just what we ordered. Nothing more. Nothing less.
But when it comes to saving, it’s not up to us at all. If it was, we’d leave something out. We’d order the burger but forget the fries. We’d remember only so many sins and forget about the others. Any kind of saving that we’d come up with would come up short. It wouldn’t take care of everything that we’ve done. All that we are.
And it doesn’t stop there. If saving and forgiveness of sins depended on me doing enough good things to offset all the junk that I’ve done, I’d never, ever would be able to get even close. All my words, thoughts, actions, and attitudes would more than sink me. I’d stand condemned before a completely holy and good God.
This is why God has to do the saving. Not just some of the saving, but all the saving. He knows everything and can take care of all my everything’s. That’s why he had to personally get involved. But more than getting involved, he had to do it all. He’s the only one in the position to not only know all the junk in my trunk, but to also make the one sacrifice for it all.
Did you notice what I said? God had to make the one and only sacrifice. Not a never-ending string of sacrifices. One after another. After another. After another. No, when God sacrifices and saves, he does it all. Nothing’s left to chance. No sin isn’t paid for. Saving is done once and for all.
But it gets better. God not only saved us sometime in the past, but he’s also saving us right here and now. God is presently and actively saving. When Jesus died on the cross, God’s salvation covered all sin once and for all. That includes everything in the past that tries to haunt and shame me. His sacrifice also covers all the sins that I’m currently doing and trying to hide from God and people. And, God’s sacrifice also takes care of any and all sins that are in my future.
God’s kind of saving is complete. There’s nothing left to do. He saves our soul, body, and spirit once and for all time. Going all the way into eternity, God’s kind of saving it totally done and paid for. His saving never ends. It never wears out. It never runs out of gas.
Boy, when God saves, he really saves. He doesn’t hold anything back. He doesn’t save like how we build roads. We’ve all felt the frustration with how long construction takes. It takes years to plan and study. People come out and survey the area. They walk around putting spray paint and stakes in the ground. They put up those barriers to prevent erosion and runoff. They put up signs that warn everyone about the coming construction. They take all this time, and they haven’t moved one shovel of dirt yet.
Saving done by God is a living salvation. And what does this living salvation also include? God intercedes for us. He didn’t stand on the sidelines like some coach. No, he entered this world as someone just like you and me. Fully God and fully man. This is the only way that our sins could be fully paid for, once and for all.
When God interceded for us, he didn’t just send angels. He didn’t just send messengers and prophets. He didn’t just speak from the sky. He didn’t just make mountains roar. He didn’t just defeat great armies. He didn’t just perform great miracles. He didn’t just split seas and rivers. Yes, he did all this and more. But he did something oh so much more important and powerful.
God personally came and got his hands dirty. He personally experienced everything we do. He felt the pain of loneliness, being misunderstood, and mistreated. He was hungry and thirsty. He felt physical and emotional pain. He went through all this and more, and he never sinned[2]
So, how do we get this kind of saving from God? What’s the price of admission? How much does the ticket cost? How long is the waiting line? The writer tells the Hebrews the simple answer: it’s through him. They need to come to Jesus and let him save them. Let the sacrifice of Jesus take care of all their sins.
And what was true for the Hebrews is also true for you and me. There’s no joining. No classes with tests. No list of things to memorize. No hoops to jump through. We simple do what the writer said: we come to God through him. Just as we are. No trying to clean ourselves up. No trying to do some kind of good works. Without trying to hide anything, we let God do the saving his way. All we can do is receive. And that’s really good news.
Noodling Questions
How do we live like life’s a Burger King, where I get everything my way?
With God doing everything for salvation, how does that make you feel? Explain.
What hoops have you tried to jump through to get God’s attention? His love?
[2][2] 1 Peter 2:22
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