Some Quotes on the Intercession of Christ
Thomas Watson (1620–1686):
We have a friend at court that speaks a good word for us, and is following our cause in heaven; let this animate and encourage us in prayer. Do we think it too much boldness for such sinners as we to come for pardon, and that we shall be denied? Surely this is a sinful modesty. Did we indeed come in our own name in prayer it were presumption, but Christ intercedes for us in the force of his blood. To be afraid to come to God in prayer is a dishonor to Christ’s intercession.
Christ is at work for you in heaven; he makes intercession for you.
Oh! But I am afraid Christ does not intercede for me. I am a sinner; and for whom does Christ intercede?
“He made intercession for the transgressors” Isa. 53:12. Did Christ open his sides for thee, and will he not open his mouth to plead for thee?
But I have offended my High Priest, by distrusting his blood, abusing his love, grieving his Spirit; and will he ever pray for me?
Which of us may not say so? But, Christian, dost thou mourn for unbelief? Be not discouraged, thou mayest have a part in Christ’s prayer. “The congregation murmured against Aaron.” But though they had sinned against their high priest, Aaron ran in with his censer, and “stood between the dead and the living.” Num. 16:41,48. If so much bowels in Aaron, who was but a type of Christ, how much more bowels are in Christ, who will pray for them who have sinned against their High Priest! Did he not pray for them that crucified him, “Father, forgive them”?
But I am unworthy; what am I, that Christ should intercede for me?
The work of Christ’s intercession is a work of free grace. Christ’s praying for us is from his pitying us. He looks not at our worthiness, but our wants.
But I am followed with sad temptations.
But though Satan tempts, Christ prays, and Satan shall be vanquished. Thou mayest lose a single battle, but not the victory. Christ prays that thy faith fail not; therefore, Christian, say, “Why art thou cast down, O my soul?” Christ intercedes. It is man that sins, it is God that prays. The Greek word for advocate signifies comforter. It is a sovereign comfort that Christ makes intercession.
- A Body of Divinity, pages 182, 186.
William Symington (1795-1862)
Intercession is the correlate of atonement. It is not, therefore, to be wondered at, that those who deny the doctrine of Christ's atonement, should have maintained the position that his intercession is only figurative. This is the view taken of the subject by Socinians, who resolve the intercession of Christ into his kingly office, understanding by it nothing more than the exercise of his regal power in communicating to men the blessings of his mediation. That the Saviour possesses and exerts such a power, is not by any means denied, but that it is the same thing as his intercession, and is all that is meant by this part of his work, may fairly be disputed on the most satisfactory grounds.
The relation which intercession bears to atonement has just been remarked. They are correlate ideas. They stand to each other in much the same character as do the ideas of creation and providence. The providence of God consists in upholding all things, or maintaining in being the creatures he has made; it is best conceived of as a continued putting forth of the creative energy. So the intercession of Christ is the continued efficacy of his expiatory merit; on which account it has been spoken of by some of the ancient writers as a perpetual oblation. If the providence of God were suspended all created being must be annihilated; and if Jesus were not to make intercession, the merit of his atonement would prove utterly unavailing. The arguments by which the reality of atonement has been established, thus support the reality of intercession. Admit the necessity and truth of Christ's atoning sacrifice, and the certainty and prevalence of his intercession within the vail naturally and irrefragably follow.
Christ's intercession is, indeed, essential to the fulfillment of the covenant of grace. As "mediator of the covenant" everything which he performs as a priest has a relation to this divine economy. The sacerdotal functions of oblation and intercession have regard respectively to the condition and the administration of the covenant. The stipulated condition of the covenant is, that satisfaction shall be made to the law and justice of God for the sins of those who are redeemed; and this is done by the sacrifice of Christ. The administration of the covenant comprehends whatever is concerned with putting and maintaining the covenant children in possession of the blessings of redemption: and this takes its rise directly and immediately from the intercession of Christ. True it is, the agency of the Spirit and the instrumentality of means are concerned in this object; but, in the economy of man's salvation, the intercession of the Mediator is necessary alike to the operation of the one, and to the efficacy of the other. It is so arranged by infinite wisdom that all the good done to the souls of men, in connection with the covenant of grace, shall be begun, carried forward, completed, and maintained through eternity, in relation to Christ's intercession.
- The Atonement & Intercession of Jesus Christ, pages 256-257.
Herman Bavinck (1854-1921)
To be able to fulfill this high-priestly office, he had to be the Son, who, as “the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being,” creates, upholds, and inherits all things (Heb. 1:1–3; 4:14; 5:5; 9:14). In his human nature, moreover, he needed through suffering and trials to learn obedience and so be “perfected,” be fully prepared, for his high-priestly ministry in heaven (2:10f.; 4:15; 5:7–10; 7:28). After thus bringing his one, perfect sacrifice and so effecting purification for our sins (1:3; 7:27; 9:12; etc.), he as high priest entered the heavenly sanctuary foreshadowed in the holy of holies of the Old Testament tabernacle (6:20; 9:12, 24)—not with the blood of goats and calves but by the power of his own blood (9:12–14), through the tent of his body (9:11), the curtain of his flesh (10:20), in order to appear there on our behalf in the presence of God and to pray for those who through him draw near to God (7:25; 9:24).
- Reformed Dogmatics: Sin and Salvation in Christ, vol. 3, page 476.
Christ was high priest already on earth (7:27; 9:11, 14, 25, 28; 10:10; 13:12), but he was that not in the way of Aaron’s high priesthood, but according to the order of Melchizedek, eternal and unchanging. It is for this reason, however, that the Letter to the Hebrews so strongly stresses Christ’s entry into the true sanctuary. He entered it by the power of his own blood, not to sacrifice himself again in a different manner, for he did that once for all, and by that sacrifice acquired all the benefits of the covenant of grace (9:26–28; 10:12, 14; etc.). He entered it now to be, in the full and true sense, the high priest of the good things to come (9:11), a high priest seated at the right hand of the throne of majesty on high (1:3; 3:1; 4:14; 6:20; 8:1). We have a perfect high priest, one who learned obedience, who perfected himself, who became like us, who can have compassion with us, who once for all offered himself through the eternal Spirit, but who in that way also secured the right to sit at the right hand of God. He is a high priest who, like Melchizedek, is at the same time king, king of righteousness and king of peace, an eternal, spiritual, and heavenly king; a high priest who acquired, possesses, and distributes the heavenly goods to come, who can appear in heaven before the face of God for our benefit, pray for us, and save us completely (7:25; 9:24). And this describes the priestly activity that Christ still performs even now. He no longer sacrifices himself there, for he did that once for all and completely on the cross. In heaven there is no repetition, no renewal, no reproduction of the sacrifice of the cross. For in the innermost and true sanctuary, there is no room for an altar.
- Reformed Dogmatics: Sin and Salvation in Christ, vol. 3, page 478.
John Bunyan (1628-1688)
Are those that are already justified by the blood of Christ, yet such as have need of being saved by his intercession? Then hence I infer, that Christ is not only the beginner, but the completer of our salvation.
He is, as the Holy Ghost calls him, the author and finisher of our faith; or, as he calls him again, the author of our eternal salvation; of salvation throughout, from the beginning to the end, from first to last. His hands have laid the foundation of it, in his own blood; and his hands shall finish it, by his intercession. As he has laid the beginning fastly, so he shall bring forth the head stone with shoutings; and we shall cry, Grace, grace! At the last; salvation belongs only to the Lord!
Many there be that begin with grace, and end with works, and think that this is the only way. Indeed works will save from temporal punishments, when their imperfections are purged from them by the intercession of Christ; but to 17 ' be saved and brought to glory, to be carried through this dangerous world, from my first moving after Christ, until I set my foot within the gates of paradise, this is the work of my mediator, of my high priest and intercessor. It is he that fetches us again when we are run away; it is he that lifts us up when the devil and sin have thrown us down; it is he that quickens us when we grow cold; it is he that comforts us when we despair; it is he that obtains fresh pardon when we have contracted sin; and he that purges our consciences when they are loaded with guilt.
I know also that rewards do wait for them in heaven that do believe in Christ and shall do well on earth; but this is not a reward of merit, but of grace. We are saved by Christ; brought to glory by Christ; and all our works are no otherways made acceptable to God, but by the person and personal excellences and works of Christ. Therefore, whatever the jewels are, and the bracelets, and the pearls, that you shall be adorned with as a reward of services done for God in the world, for them you must thank Christ, and before all, confess that he was the meritorious cause thereof.
He saves us and saves our services too. They would be all cast back as dung in our faces were they not rinsed and washed in the blood, were they not sweetened and perfumed in the
incense, and conveyed to God himself through the white hand of Jesus Christ: for that is his golden censer; from thence alone ascends the smoke that is in the nostrils of God
of such a sweet savour.
- Christ, A Complete Savior, pages 52-54
John Owen (1616-1683)
The perpetuity of the priesthood of Christ, as unchangeably exercised in his own person, is a principal part of the glory of that office.—His discharge of this office for the church in his own person, throughout all generations, is the glory of it. 1. Hereon depends the church’s preservation and stability. There is neither a ceasing nor any the least intermission of that care and providence, of that interposition with God on its behalf, which are required thereunto. Our high priest in continually ready to appear and put in for us on all occasions. And his abiding for ever manifests the continuance of the same care and love for us that he ever had. The same love wherewith, as our high priest, he laid down his life for us, doth still continue in him. And every one may with the same confidence go unto him with all their concerns, as poor, diseased, and distempered persons went unto him when he was upon earth; when he never showed greater displeasure than unto those who forbade any to come unto him, whatever their pretences were. 2. Hereon depend the union and communion of the church with itself in all successive generations. For whereas he is their head and high priest, in whom they all centre as unto their union and communion, and hath all their graces and duties in his hand, to present them unto God, they have a relation unto each other, and a concernment in one another. We that are alive in this generation have communion with all those that died in the faith before us; as shall be declared, if God will, on chap. 12:22–24. And they were concerned in us, as we are also in the generations that are to come. For all the prayers of the church from first to last are lodged in the hand of the same high priest, who abides for ever; and he returns the prayers of one generation unto another. We enjoy the fruits of the prayers, obedience, and blood of those that went before us; and if we are faithful in our generation, serving the will of God, those shall enjoy the fruits of ours who shall come after us. Our joint interest in this our abiding priest gives a line of communication unto all believers, in all generations. And, 3. The consolation of the church also depends hereon. Do we meet with troubles, trials, difficulties, temptations, and distresses? hath not the church done so in former ages? What do we think of those days wherein prisons, tortures, swords, and flames, were the portion of the church all the world over? But did any of them miscarry? was any one true believer lost for ever? and did not the whole church prove victorious in the end? Did not Satan rage and the world gnash their teeth to see themselves conquered and their power broken, by the faith, patience, and suffering, of them whom they hated and despised? And was it by their own wisdom and courage that they were so preserved? did they overcome merely by their own blood? or were they delivered by their own power? No; but all their preservation and success, their deliverance and eternal salvation, depended merely on the care and power of their merciful high priest. It was through his blood, “the blood of the Lamb,” or the efficacy of his sacrifice, that they “overcame” their adversaries, Rev. 12:11. By the same blood were “their robes washed, and made white,” chap. 7:14. From thence had they their righteousness in all their sufferings. And by him had the church its triumphant issue out of all its trials. Now, is he not the same that he ever was, vested with the same office? and hath he not the same qualifications of love, compassion, care, and power, for the discharge of it, as he always had? Whence, then, can any just cause of despondence in any trials or temptations arise? We have the same high priest to take care of us, to assist and help us, as they had, who were all of them finally victorious. 4. This gives perpetual efficacy unto his sacrifice, etc.
- An Exposition of the Epistle to the Hebrews, pages 520-521
Tim Keller (1950-2023)
According to the Bible, according to the book of Hebrews, Jesus Christ is the ultimate Advocate. He stands as your representative before the ultimate throne, the ultimate bench in the ultimate trial before the court, which is the only one that counts. Jesus is your Advocate. How does this work?
When I first became a Christian, when I was a new Christian, a young Christian, I heard of this idea that Jesus Christ intercedes for us before the Father, and it was of no comfort to me at all. One of the reasons was it sounded bizarre. It was also of no comfort to me partly because I think of some of the ways in which some high-profile lawyers actually operate in court. Because of what I saw in some of those high-profile trials, I really misunderstood what this was all about. Here’s what I thought was really happening, and here’s why it wasn’t any comfort to me.
I figured every day Jesus came before the Father with a kind of caseload. He’d pull out a folder: “Keller.” He looks up and he says, “Ah, yes, Father. All these promises he has made to change, and he’s doing it again anyway. Please give him a break, for my sake. Give him one more chance. I know he means well. This one more time could be it, and you owe me. I went to earth and all those things. Pretty please, I ask for mercy for my client. I throw myself on the mercy of the court.”
I expected, I guess, the Father would say, “Well, all right.” Here’s the reason why that was of no comfort to me. Because I understood what Jesus was doing, if that’s the intercessory work of Jesus Christ, spinning to get mercy out of the Father, I thought to myself, “How long can he keep that up?” There’s no particular reason why the Father one day couldn’t just say, “Look, he’s a minister now. It’s too late. I’ve had it. He can’t keep doing things like this.”
That’s not at all the kind of advocate Jesus is. An effective attorney doesn’t just wheedle and cajole and emotionally manipulate the jury and the judge. Sometimes that might work, but frankly, that’s right. How long can you keep that up? An effective attorney has a case, and according to this passage Jesus Christ is not up there asking for mercy. When you ask for mercy, that means you’ve lost the case.
Do you know what he’s up there doing? Look at [Hebrews 7:27 and 28.] “Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.” This is what Jesus is saying, as it were. It’s metaphorical, but I’ll get to that in a second.
He’s saying, “Father, you demand justice. You are a just God, and my friends here, the people on whose behalf I’m speaking, are guilty. I have made payment. There is my blood, and it would be unjust to get two payments for the same debt. Therefore, because I’ve made payments for this debt, I am not here asking for mercy for my brothers and sisters. I am not here asking for mercy. I demand justice. Your very justice, your very righteousness, demands your complete embrace and acceptance of them throughout all eternity.”
That’s an infallible case. The book of Isaiah says the divine justice and righteousness of God is as inexorable so the mountains are like dust in the scales by comparison. How dare you think you can every day when you sense …? Whether you’re a believer or not, whether you believe in God or not, as Arthur Miller pointed out, every day you’re trying to prove yourself.
Every day you’re making arguments. Every day you’re saying, “Well, I do this, and I’m okay like this.” You’re dealing with yourself to try to bolster your self-image, to try to deal with your conscience every day. What are you pointing to? “I’m a good mother. I’m a good father. I love my parents. I try my best. I work harder than most of the other people in my department.” What’s that compared to this?
What this is saying is … In 1 John 1:9, do you notice that little place where John says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins …”? It doesn’t say he’s faithful and merciful. Do you know what that’s saying? The intercessory work of Jesus Christ, the high priesthood of Jesus Christ, the substitution of Jesus Christ, who lived the life you should’ve lived and died the death you should’ve died in your place, has changed things forever so now the very law and justice and righteousness of God demands your acceptance.
To be in him is to have that kind of confidence. Do you know there’s that place where God comes to Cain after he has killed Abel? He says to Cain, “The blood of your brother Abel cries out to me from the ground for vengeance,” but there’s a better Abel, Jesus Christ, whose blood cries out from the ground for grace. It’s an infallible case. Jesus Christ is the ultimate Advocate. He’s the ultimate Attorney. If it’s the ultimate case, then to be in him is to have that kind of confidence.
- “The Advocate.” The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive.
Joel Beeke (1952 - )
The intercession of Christ is a holy intercession. It's a perpetual intercession. It's an authoritative intercession. It's a loyal intercession. It's a legal intercession. It's a personal intercession. It's a particular intercession. It's a complete intercession. It's a compassionate intercession. It's all of that perfectly. I think the biggest misconception is not to grasp the fulsomeness of it all. As complete as we see Jesus's justification through his death and being, and as complete as we see his resurrection guaranteeing our blessed resurrection, so complete we ought to see his intercession—that he will keep us and bring us into the Father's presence, and will not rest until he can say, Here am I, Father, and all those whom Thou hast given me. There won't be one empty chair in heaven, as one of the Puritans put it. His work will be complete. His intercession will be totally victorious. So praise God for the intercession of Jesus!
- https://www.crossway.org/articles/podcast-do-you-know-that-jesus-is-praying-for-you-joel-beeke
