Christ has been given to us in three ways: through His death, His resurrection, and His ongoing life. The book of Hebrews does not leave these as abstract doctrines or distant history—it reveals the active, personal ministry of Christ as our High Priest. He is not a passive figure, waiting for us to arrive in heaven. He is present, ministering to us intimately, constantly interceding, and taking full responsibility for every detail of the Christian life. This is not a mere comfort; it is the backbone of our salvation and inheritance.
The Sympathetic High Priest: God’s Self-Giving in Flesh
For Christ to be our High Priest, He had to become like us in every way. He did not merely appear human—He took on our nature, experiencing the full weight of suffering, temptation, and weakness, yet without sin. This was not for His benefit, but for ours: so that He could minister to us as one who truly understands, sympathizes, and can deal gently with our frailty. He softens our hearts, not with threats, but by speaking to us as sons and daughters. He does not reinforce the voice of the accuser; He announces sonship and victory. In this, He is not only the Captain of our salvation but the One who shares His very life with us, leading us into the glory and rest of the children of God.
“For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to succor them that are tempted.” (Hebrews 2:18)
The Destruction of Bondage and Fear
Through His death, Christ destroyed the one who held the power of death—the devil. This is not a metaphorical victory; it is the decisive act that breaks the chains of bondage and fear. The spirit of slavery, the dread of judgment, and the tyranny of religious performance are all shattered at the cross. Christ’s victory is not partial or theoretical—it is the foundation for our liberty as sons of God. Hebrews calls this “rest”: not inactivity, but the cessation of striving to earn what Christ has already accomplished. Our consciences are cleansed, not by our efforts, but by His finished work.
To accept any system that puts the burden back on your shoulders is to forfeit the liberty Christ secured. If you return to fear and bondage, you deny the very purpose of His priesthood and undermine the reality of your sonship and inheritance. This is not a secondary matter—it is salvific. What is lost is not merely comfort, but the very rest, liberty, and assurance that Christ died to give you.
- Christ destroys the devil’s power—releasing us from spiritual slavery.
- He removes the fear of death—so we live in freedom, not dread.
- He brings us into rest—where we cease from self-effort and enjoy the full rights of sons.
The Obedience of Faith: The Only Path to Inheritance
The Christian life is not sustained by our performance, but by the “obedience of faith.” Abraham was justified, not by works, but by believing God’s promise—even when all evidence was against him. In the same way, Christ, the Author and Finisher of faith, lived in perfect trust and obedience to the Father, even through suffering and the cross. Now, as our High Priest, He imparts that same faith to us, enabling us to walk as heirs, not orphans.
This is not a call to try harder, but to rest in the One who has taken full responsibility for your journey. To substitute law for faith, or to make your standing before God contingent on your performance, is to reject the very ministry of Christ as High Priest. It is to abandon the ground of justification, sonship, and inheritance.
“Seeing then that we have a great High Priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.” (Hebrews 4:14)
The Throne of Grace: Boldness, Not Hesitation
Because Christ intercedes for us continually, we are commanded—not invited, but commanded—to come boldly to the throne of grace. There, we receive mercy and find grace in every time of need. This is not presumption; it is the only response to the finished work of our High Priest. To hesitate, to draw back in fear, or to accept the accusations of the enemy is to insult the sufficiency of Christ’s self-giving.
What Is at Stake?
If you accept any teaching that diminishes the High Priesthood of Christ, that reintroduces fear, bondage, or self-effort, you lose everything that matters: rest, assurance, sonship, and the enjoyment of your inheritance. You are left with a gospel that cannot save, a conscience that cannot be cleansed, and a relationship with God that is always in doubt. This is not a theoretical danger—it is the collapse of justification itself.
The Only Foundation
Christ’s self-giving as our High Priest—through His death, resurrection, and ongoing life—secures for us an intimate, continuous ministry. He intercedes, He strengthens, He renews, and He brings us into the fullness of salvation. Through faith in Him, we enter into every blessing of the Christian life and enjoy our portion as sons and heirs. Anything less is not Christianity, but a return to bondage.
Let us therefore hold fast to the confession of our hope, resting in the finished work of our sympathetic, victorious, and ever-living High Priest.
