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It is clear that the author is a Calvinist/Reformist, because although he provides some good, biblical information, it is infected with the traditional understandings that derive from this doctrinal stream.
We have discussed these misleading, and sometimes false doctrines many times in our blog.
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“Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.” (Rom. 8:34)
Christ, Our Intercessor
Intercession simply means praying on behalf of another person, standing in for them, mediating for them. (Intercession does not automatically mean prayer. That certainly is the conventional meaning in our western church culture, but we need to be careful to not impose our traditions on Paul's words.
What Christ’s Intercession Means for Us
1. We Have an Advocate
Life in a fallen world means we feel accused, ashamed, and condemned.
It’s why Romans 8:34 asks, “Who is to condemn?” The reality is, we do experience condemnation—whether from:
But here’s the good news: “If anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous.” (1 John 2:1) (Notice this verse says, "if anyone does sin," not "if anyone gets accused by Satan.")
An advocate (paraklétos, helper, comforter, advocate.)
And our Advocate isn’t distant. He’s not working remotely from some heavenly retirement home. He’s seated next to the Father, pleading our case, defending us against every accusation, and interceding for us day and night.
Think of it this way: If you were on trial for your life, who would you want defending you? Someone who’s indifferent? Or someone who would fight for you with everything they have?
Jesus—our Advocate—gave His life for us and now spends every moment in heaven interceding for us. Every time Satan accuses, every time we stumble, every time we feel unworthy, Jesus is praying us back to our feet. (We think this is a faulty way of viewing Jesus' ministry in heaven. First, because there is no legal court in heaven. When kings hold court there is no jury, no presumption of innocence, and no prosecutor. The king makes decisions according to his sovereign power, not according to the vote of a jury.
Christ praying for us is proof that God’s plan of reconciliation has worked. In Gethsemane, Jesus received the silence we deserved as he prayed for the cup to pass. (This is horribly false.
Now, because of our Advocate, we receive what Christ deserved: a full hearing before our loving Father. We are not beggars hoping heaven might notice us. We are beloved children invited to make our requests known to God (Phil. 4:6). Christ was forsaken so we could be heard. His advocacy means our prayers reach the throne.
So pray with confidence. Bring your needs honestly. Ask boldly, not because your words are impressive, but because your Advocate is already welcome in heaven.
(...)
“Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.” (Rom. 8:34)
Christ, Our Intercessor
Intercession simply means praying on behalf of another person, standing in for them, mediating for them. (Intercession does not automatically mean prayer. That certainly is the conventional meaning in our western church culture, but we need to be careful to not impose our traditions on Paul's words.
The Greek word for "intercede" is entugchanó, and it's a word that just doesn't lend itself to easy English interpretation:
To understand this, we need to look back at the Old Testament temple.
The high priest would enter the Holy of Holies, carrying the names of God’s people on his shoulders (Exodus 28:12). He would intercede for them, offering sacrifices so their prayers could be accepted by God.
Likewise, Christ—our Great High Priest—has entered heaven on our behalf:
"light upon (meet with), obtain" (LS); "to go and meet a person to converse, consult," i.e. to intervene ("intersect with")... "to strike, hit the bulls-eye" ("spot on"). Accordingly, it is used in classical Greek as the antonym of harmartia ("to miss the mark, sin")
It's this "intersection" that needs consideration. We think that interceding is speaking or praying, but interceding can be an action. Jesus' death as the sacrificial lamb of God "hit the mark" in a way the OT sacrifices could not: The washing away of sin and the lifting of condemnation.
His work is described in the Bible as the propitiation for our sin:
"Propitiation" is the Greek word hilaskomai, which means appeasement/satisfaction of divine wrath on sin") – properly, to extend propitiation, showing mercy by satisfying (literally, propitiating) the wrath of God on sin; "to conciliate, appease, propitiate... The Father's wrath was interrupted by Jesus in the middle of an act.
Hebrews 2:17 Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
"Propitiation" is the Greek word hilaskomai, which means appeasement/satisfaction of divine wrath on sin") – properly, to extend propitiation, showing mercy by satisfying (literally, propitiating) the wrath of God on sin; "to conciliate, appease, propitiate... The Father's wrath was interrupted by Jesus in the middle of an act.
We think Jesus' intercession is an action, i.e., His offering as the perfect sacrifice. Our contention is that Jesus' intercession is the propitiation, which caused the action of the Father to be forever stopped.)
To understand this, we need to look back at the Old Testament temple.
The high priest would enter the Holy of Holies, carrying the names of God’s people on his shoulders (Exodus 28:12). He would intercede for them, offering sacrifices so their prayers could be accepted by God.
Likewise, Christ—our Great High Priest—has entered heaven on our behalf:
• He carries our names into God’s presence.
• He intercedes for us daily.
• He ensures our prayers are acceptable to the Father. (Three assertions, undocumented.)
What Christ’s Intercession Means for Us
1. We Have an Advocate
Life in a fallen world means we feel accused, ashamed, and condemned.
It’s why Romans 8:34 asks, “Who is to condemn?” The reality is, we do experience condemnation—whether from:
• Our own hearts (“I’ll never measure up…”)
• Other people (“You’ll never change…”)
• Satan himself (Revelation 12 calls him ‘the accuser of the brethren’). (Waaait. Let's quote the verse:
For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.
Satan is not accusing us before God anymore, he's been hurled down.)
We all know the weight of these accusations. (The author is using the wrong understanding of condemnation. Romans 8 is not about the way we feel about ourselves, it's about the guilt that comes from the Law:
Ro. 8:2-4 ...through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, 4 in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us...
The author is totally confused here.)
But here’s the good news: “If anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous.” (1 John 2:1) (Notice this verse says, "if anyone does sin," not "if anyone gets accused by Satan.")
An advocate (paraklétos, helper, comforter, advocate.)
is someone who:
• Defends us when we are accused.
• Represents us before the Judge.
• Speaks on our behalf when we have no words.
And our Advocate isn’t distant. He’s not working remotely from some heavenly retirement home. He’s seated next to the Father, pleading our case, defending us against every accusation, and interceding for us day and night.
Think of it this way: If you were on trial for your life, who would you want defending you? Someone who’s indifferent? Or someone who would fight for you with everything they have?
Jesus—our Advocate—gave His life for us and now spends every moment in heaven interceding for us. Every time Satan accuses, every time we stumble, every time we feel unworthy, Jesus is praying us back to our feet. (We think this is a faulty way of viewing Jesus' ministry in heaven. First, because there is no legal court in heaven. When kings hold court there is no jury, no presumption of innocence, and no prosecutor. The king makes decisions according to his sovereign power, not according to the vote of a jury.
Second, because Jesus is not our defense attorney:
He. 12:24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
His spilled blood mediates the new covenant, and we are presented before the father as righteous, deemed justified by faith:
1Co. 6:11 ...But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
The Greek word for "justified" is dikaiousthai, to judge, declare, pronounce, righteous and therefore acceptable... The Father used Jesus' sacrificial death as the means to lift our condemnation, to give us new life, and to pronounce us righteous. Thus we have no need of a "defense attorney."
Third, once again we assert that the intercession is related to the lifting of the condemnation that comes from the Law. The enemy does not accuse us, it's the Law:
Rom. 2:15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them...)
And guess what? The Father always listens to the Son.
2. We Have an Invitation to Be Heard
“And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us” (1 John 5:14–15). Because of Christ’s death, resurrection, ascension, and present intercession, we have an open invitation to be heard in heaven. We can “ask anything according to his will” because Christ has opened the way for our prayers to reach the Father. (This is muddled thinking. There is nothing in the Bible that suggests that God hearing our prayers is conditional on Jesus' intercession. Indeed, why would the prayers of Christians be blocked? What is this mechanism, and where do we find it in the Bible?
2. We Have an Invitation to Be Heard
“And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us” (1 John 5:14–15). Because of Christ’s death, resurrection, ascension, and present intercession, we have an open invitation to be heard in heaven. We can “ask anything according to his will” because Christ has opened the way for our prayers to reach the Father. (This is muddled thinking. There is nothing in the Bible that suggests that God hearing our prayers is conditional on Jesus' intercession. Indeed, why would the prayers of Christians be blocked? What is this mechanism, and where do we find it in the Bible?
Again, we think Jesus' intercession is His blood, and this clears the way for us:
He. 10:19-20 ...we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body...)
Christ praying for us is proof that God’s plan of reconciliation has worked. In Gethsemane, Jesus received the silence we deserved as he prayed for the cup to pass. (This is horribly false.
First, there is no evidence at all that the Father was silent. The Bible doesn't tell us, so we cannot infer from what is not written. We only know that Jesus prayed the same prayer three times:
Mt. 26:39, 44 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will...” 44 So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.
Second, the author is hinting at his Calvinist/Reformed doctrine which teaches a false idea known as Penal Substitionary Atonement, the idea that the Father punished Jesus in our place. We discuss this false doctrine here.
Third, the cup was not the Father's silence. Nor was it His wrath. The cup was the pain and trouble Jesus was about to face. It could not be the Father's silence [or wrath] because we read elsewhere:
Mt. 20:22-23 “You don’t know what you are asking,” Jesus said to them. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” “We can,” they answered. 23 Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup...
Obviously the disciples did not drink from the cup of the Father's silence or His wrath. The cup is not this. Rather, like Jesus they were going to be partakers of the pain, trouble, and difficulty.
We discuss this here.)
Then, on the cross, he entered the forsakenness our sins had earned. He was shut out so the door could be opened to us. (This is also false. Jesus was neither forsaken nor shut out. We discuss this here.
Suffice to say, when Jesus cried out about being forsaken when He hung on the cross, He was quoting Psalm 22:1. This was not to describe His condition, it was to point to this heavily messianic Psalm.
That very Psalm directly contradicts the author:
Ps. 22:24 For he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help.Jesus was not forsaken or punished by the Father.)
Now, because of our Advocate, we receive what Christ deserved: a full hearing before our loving Father. We are not beggars hoping heaven might notice us. We are beloved children invited to make our requests known to God (Phil. 4:6). Christ was forsaken so we could be heard. His advocacy means our prayers reach the throne.
So pray with confidence. Bring your needs honestly. Ask boldly, not because your words are impressive, but because your Advocate is already welcome in heaven.
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