He is Able to Save
Hebrews 7:25 is a great consolation when you feel like you are unworthy and, therefore, unable to draw near to God.
"Consequently, 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" (Hebrews 7:25).
In the first place, we are unworthy to come before God. But the good news of God is that we can come before Him on the basis of Christ rather than ourselves. God loves, calls, welcomes, and saves unworthy sinners by saving them through the work of Jesus. This is the story of the Bible. This is the heart of Christianity.
This verse breaks down into three simple parts. The first part is about something Jesus is able to do. The second part is something we are called to do. The third part is about something Jesus is always doing.
He Saves to the Uttermost
First, it says, "Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost." In the context of Hebrews, "save" means to be forgiven and purified, to have your conscience cleansed before God so you can serve Him properly, and to be brought to heavenly glory by the grace of God. Praise God for these wonderful gifts, gifts of the gospel of our crucified and risen Savior. Jesus is able. He is able to save, not almost, but to the uttermost. Not slightly, not by a hair, not just barely scraping by, but utterly, completely, and without any doubt whatsoever.
What is in view here? Two things: (1.) The all-sufficient power and supreme authority of Jesus is in view, and (2.) The comprehensive, i.e., all-encompassing, salvation He accomplished. He saves us in every way we need to be saved from sin, death, and judgment; and He does not need help to do it. If Jesus purposes to save you by His grace and mercy, nothing can stop Him from saving you. This is why we rely on Him for salvation, is it not?
Draw Near to God through Him
Second, it says, "those who draw near to God through him." This is what we were called to when we were unbelievers alienated from God. We heard the gospel and the Holy Spirit called us to draw near to God through Jesus to be saved by faith and receive the gift of eternal life. What about now that we are believers, children of God who have been reconciled to God through faith in Jesus? We are saved. We possess eternal life. Do we still need to draw near to God through Him? Yes! Absolutely, we do. In fact, it is our heart's deepest desire, our soul's chief pursuit, and our life's top priority. Just as we needed saving grace through the risen Lord, so also we still need sanctifying, strengthening, and sustaining grace through the risen Lord.
Jesus alone is able to kill sin and cultivate holiness within us. Jesus alone is able to give us assurance and boldness before the throne of God. Jesus alone is able to help us overcome temptations, including the temptation to forfeit our profession of faith and fall away from Christian living. Christians have not "moved on from going to God through Jesus to be saved," but rather, we are those on earth whose whole lives are given over to going to God through Jesus to be saved.
That is what it means to walk by faith and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7). The Christian life is an extended project of learning to go to God through faith in Jesus to know God more closely, love God more deeply, and become like God in our hearts, minds, words, and actions by the power of the Holy Spirit. Only Jesus is able to accomplish these goals in our lives. And He is able to accomplish them to the uttermost because of (1.) His all-sufficient power and supreme authority, and (2.) His comprehensive work of salvation on behalf of weak sinners.
Then it says, "He always lives to make intercession for them." We'll discuss that next time.