JC Blog

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin” ( Hebrews 4:15 )

One of the things that helps us relate to Jesus as a personal savior is that He has been there and can relate to us on the basis of humanity. Philippians tells us that he emptied himself of everything and entered into mankind in human form ( Philippians 1:6-7 ). He stripped himself of all divine privileges and dignity and assumed the guise of a slave born under the dominion of Satan’s kingdom. He did this so He could rescue us.

Jesus started with nothing. He was born in the most humble of circumstances. Born to teenage parents in a lowly manger, reserved for animals. Not exactly the place for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And yet Luke’s gospel tells us that Jesus grew in wisdom, and the grace of God was on Him ( Luke 2:40 ). Even from an early age, Jesus pursued and prepared for His role as the Savior of the World.

During His time on earth Jesus underwent temptation and trials so He would be fully equipped to serve as our High Priest. He deal with difficult people and faced situations that are common in humanity and yet the Bible says that He was without sin. This is incredibly important because to defeat death we needed a perfect sin substitute. By conquering the grasp sin had on mankind He was able to free us from what held us captive. Since He emptied himself of all divine privileges and experienced the fullness of humanity He is able to understand and empathize with us in our weaknesses. There is no one better equipped to serve before God as our High Priest than Jesus.

The previous verse in Hebrews says, “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess” ( Hebrews 4:14 ). Since this is a past event and Jesus has ascended to the right hand of the Father, we can cling to this confession of faith in Jesus when trials and temptations seem to close in around us. He is there to provide help exactly when we need it. All we have to do is ask and believe that He will deliver us. Paul told us, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” ( I Corinthians 10:13 ). He is able to do this because He has been there and understands the common temptations that mankind faces.

What a marvelous truth knowing that Jesus was chosen as our High Priest. One who has been tempted and tried in every way imaginable and yet remained sinless throughout His course in life. He is able to run to our side and assist us in every circumstance because He has been there. And now He is in heaven in a position to help us in every way because He humbled himself, becoming obedient to death to rescue us from the dominion of darkness. Because of this we can have boldness and confidence to enter into the throne room of God to find grace and mercy when we need it.

Tomorrow we will look at Hebrews 4:16; Approaching the Throne of Grace with Confidence. 

Did you know that Christ has set you free! This is a hard concept for humans to understand. We look at everything around us and determine our world view based on what we see. Then we read something as wonderful as this passage and can't understand it, because we are so used to thinking with our brain instead of understanding these truths with our spirit. Jesus said, "The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life" ( John 6:63 ). He had just offended his followers by saying something they could not understand in the physical realm and instead of apologizing to them, he said, 'The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life' The Bible is full of spiritual words, so to understand them we must discern them by the Holy Spirit.

The amazing thing about today's verse is that it explains yesterday's scripture as well. So looking at both passages will help bring understanding to both verses. "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death" ( Romans 8:1-2 ). One of the first things Jesus did when he redeemed you was set you free from everything that held you captive. Sin, shame, guilt, rules, regulations, fear, doubt, worthlessness... the list goes on and on. He loved you so much, that he choose to be a sin offering, the very thing he hated and despised, in order to redeem you from the curse of the law. The Law says you will never be good enough. The law says you are unworthy. The law shows you how sinful you are. The law condemns you to death. And the Law could never make you right with God. So, Christ did what the law could not do.

The law prescribed both blessings and curses. Blessings for those who lived by the law and curses for those who disobeyed it ( Deuteronomy 28 ). Through Jesus we have all of the benefits and blessings of fulfilling the Old Testament Law. We were completely powerless to do it on our own so we remained under it's curse. But what could not be done by human effort was done by Jesus. Because of this, when we are born again He gave us a new nature. He also gave us the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us in everything. The law brought condemnation, the law brought a curse. But now we have been freed from this curse in order to live in a new way, by the Holy Spirit.

There is a difference between living according to the Spirit and living under the law subjected to our flesh. Because we live by the Spirit and because we are free from sin and death, there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus. ( Romans 8:1 ) If we choose to live by our new nature then we will experience this freedom from the old nature in our physical world. The bible teaches that we are free. The Bible teaches that we are forgiven. The Bible teaches that there is no condemnation towards us by God. But if we look at the world around us to understand this, then we will fail. Because these words are Spiritual words. We have to live according to our new nature, by the Spirit otherwise we are subjecting ourselves back under the law which we've been freed from. The trick in life is not to live governed by the law which brings condemnation, but to live by the Spirit which brings life!

Today, I am so blessed to be able to write and explain such wonderful truths. I rejoice is seeing people free. May God bless you abundantly according to his riches and impart understanding to you so that you will see this freedom in everything you are. Amen!