The Power of Faith

As our High Priest, Christ is our Advocate, the mediator between us and God. He looks after our interests and intercedes for us with God. The Old Testament high priest entered the presence of God once a year to plead for the forgiveness of the nation's sins; whereas Christ makes perpetual intercession before God for us. Christ's continuous presence in Heaven with the Father assures us that our sins have been paid for and forgiven. This wonderful assurance frees us from guilt and fear.

God's promises are unchanging and completely trustworthy because God is unchanging and trustworthy. When promising Abraham a son, God took an oath in His own Name. The oath was as good as God's Name, and God's Name was as good as His divine nature.

Chapter 5 of Hebrews stresses both Christ's divine appointment and His humanity. The writer uses two Old Testament verses to show Christ's divine appointment. At the time this book was written, the Romans selected the high priest in Jerusalem. In the Old Testament, however, God chose Aaron, and only Aaron's descendants could be high priests. Christ, like Aaron, was chosen and called by God.