Jesus Christ Is Able
George T. Eldridge
Heb. 7:25: "Wherefore he is DUNAMAI (able) also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them." What does Jesus have power (DUNAMAI) to do? Heb. 7:25 teaches two points! Jesus our Lord has power (1) to save and (2) to make intercession. Save is from the Greek word SOZO. SOZO'S definition is "to make one a partaker of the salvation by Christ," Thayer page 611. Our Lord saves those individuals who "come unto God by him." You cannot separate God and Jesus, who is the Father's only begotten Son, today in saving people. Any person that refuses to accept Jesus as the Saviour and promised Messiah does not have any hope nor promise of salvation. That truth is made abundantly clear in the other scriptures where SOZO is found: Mt. 1:21 (save), Acts 2:21 (saved), Acts 4:12 (saved), Rom. 9:27 (saved), I Tim. 2:4 (saved), and I Peter 3:21 (save).
Sozo (Save)
Mt. 1:21 and Rom. 9:27 deals with the fleshly Jews, fleshly descendants of Abraham. Jesus was born of a virgin to save the Jews, Mt. 1:21, yet only "a remnant shall be saved," Rom. 9:27. The refusal of the majority of the Jews to acknowledge and accept Jesus as their promised Messiah and Saviour is the reason they will not be "a partaker of the salvation." May God richly bless that "remnant" who received Jesus as the Jews' prophesied deliverer and Christ.
Acts 2:21, 4:12, and I Tim. 2:4 teaches that God our Saviour desires for "all men to be" partakers of salvation by calling on His Son's name, Jesus. The Jews in apostolic days would understand "all men" to mean himself and the Gentiles, whom he despised. We in our present time would understand the meaning of "all men" better by saying all races of men, all colors of men, all nationalities of men, or all economic classes of men. It should be an awakening and action-moving thought to know that countless souls of Jews will be eternally punished in the flames of Hell due to their refusal to accept Jesus as the Christ the Son of the living God. Those Jews will have company! The company will be the souls of responsible individuals who would not accept "baptism doth also now save us," I Peter 3:21, nor live faithfully after being immersed. Friend, brother, or sister: Let Jesus live in you. Accept Him today. Live the Holy teachings of Jesus all the days of your life because "neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved," Acts 4:12.
Them — Heb. 7:25
The pronoun "them" in the quote, "them . . . that come unto God by him (Jesus Christ, GTE)", are individuals that obey the teachings of the Son of God. No individual has remission of sins (Acts 2:38) before baptism. No individual is a Christian before baptism. No individual is saved before baptism, Mark 16:16. Those statements of truth are just as binding on man today as is the commandment to believe, repent, confess, or flee fornication, yet the majority of responsible people, whether they are religious or non-religious, will not obey those baptism commandments. The majority of people, therefore, have not "come unto God."
"Them . . . that come unto God" has more meaning than just to be baptized. This is a difficult lesson to burn into the hearts of those who have been baptized! The three Bible points that are most difficult in this generation to persuade baptized believers to surrender to are (1) attending services regularly and faithfully, (2) giving a Bible portion of their money into the treasury of the church, and (3) doing personal work. Personal work is going out and knocking on strange doors, if such be necessary to get contacts, with one's mate or another Christian at least one afternoon or evening per week. The purpose of this going, Matt. 28:19, is to teach people the Word of God by arranging a home Bible study. All types of and sorts of excuses are given for not obeying these three Bible points, but excuses they are and excuses they remain!
To The Uttermost — Heb. 7:25
"To the uttermost" is an adjective. It is from the Greek word PANTELES. PANTELES means "completely, perfectly, utterly," Thayer page 476. "To the uttermost" is describing those individuals that "come unto God." Jesus is able (DUNAMAI) to save them completely, perfectly. There is no imperfection nor incompleteness in Jesus having power (DUNAMAI) to save. Whether you classify yourself as a chief sinner, I Tim. 1:15, or be a brother who gets in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity as did Simon, Acts 8, Jesus has the power to clean you and make you whole! His salvation is complete and perfect. Sinners that obey the complete and perfect Jesus will have themselves presented to the Father in the last day, the Judgment Day, by Jesus as complete and perfect.
Why — Heb. 7:25
Why does Jesus have power (DUNAMAI) to save people today. The word "wherefore" provided the answer! Wherefore is from the Greek word HOTHEN. HOTHEN'S meaning is "for which reason, wherefore, on which account," Thayer page 439. For which reason or on which account is Christ Jesus able also to save? Verse 24 of Heb. 7 answers the question. Christ Jesus "abides forever, holds His priesthood permanently," Heb. 7:24. The priesthood of the Son of God is not the Levitical priesthood. The Levitical priesthood had "many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death," Heb. 7:23. That fact is not true concerning Jesus' priesthood; death did not end His priesthood. Jesus is High Priest, even though He has tasted death for every man by His shameful death of the cross between two malefactors and is now in Heaven "on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto Him," I Peter 3:22. Not being after the order of Melchisedec, the Levitical priesthood separated the offices of king and priest. Jesus' priesthood has reunited those offices because He is "a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec," Heb. 7:17. The Law of Moses with the Ten Commandments and the Levitical priesthood, therefore, is not binding nor does it have any force on man today due to the fact that Jesus Christ was made "the guarantee of a better covenant," Heb. 7:22, and "holds His priesthood permanently," Heb. 7:24.
Intercession — Heb. 7:25
After sinners have come to the Father and been made clean by the blood of Jesus, He has power (DUNAMAI) "to make intercession for them." Christians need intercession because "if we say that we have no sins, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us," I John 1:8. John is writing to saved individuals. This destroys the Baptist doctrine that once an individual is saved, he is always saved or that a saved person cannot so sin as to spend eternity in Hell. Jesus has power to make intercession because "He ever liveth." He always lives. "Seeing He ever liveth" means that Jesus' priesthood is unchangeable and that His priesthood will always exist in this period of time. This permits Him to do the work of a High Priest, which is to make intercession for people that come unto God by him.
Intercession is from the Greek word ENTUGCHANO. Its meaning is "to pray, entreat," Thayer page 219. Christ Jesus entreats the Father on our behalf. ENTUGCHANO is found in Rom. 8:34. Isn't it grand and marvelous? Jesus saves us. He then makes intercession for us!
Summary
Summarizing the truth gained from Mt. 9:28, Phil. 3:21, Heb. 2:18, and Heb. 7:25, we see that Christ Jesus is able (DUNAMAI — has power) to (1) grant us many things if we believe — ask in faith, (2) subdue all things unto Himself and as a blessing to us change our vile body like unto His glorious body, (3) answer our cry and bring us aid when we are tempted and tossed, (4) save people that come unto God through Him, and (5) pray, entreat the Father on behalf of those who are laboring to walk in His complete and perfect example.
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