May 14, 2006
SAVED TO THE UTTERMOST
Hebrews 7:25

   "But this man, because He continues ever, has an unchangeable priest-hood. Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever lives to make intercession for them" (Heb. 7:24-25). It is obvious that "this man" is Christ, and it is also obvious that His role here is that of High Priest. Yet many fail to realize that His priestly work is done on behalf of the saved whereby they are invited to "come to God," into His very presence, with boldness!
   The sinner is invited to trust in the work of a Savior who died in his place, Who paid his debt of sin whereby he may receive "redemption, even the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace." Here we have a Priest and the salvation dispensed is based on His intercession.
   This verse has so often been used to invite the homeless and those in the gutter to come to Christ, because "He is able to save...from the gutter-most to the uttermost," so they say. But such good intentions do not help us understand and apply Hebrews 7. For here the words "to the uttermost" should better be translated, "unto all perfection." According to Hebrews 6:1, the Hebrew believer was admonished to "go on to perfection, not laying again the first principles of the teaching of Messiah." They were to go on, far beyond those beginning principles, even "on to perfection."
   So far we have learned that the Captain of our salvation was made perfect through suffering (2:10). The Hebrew believer, who was of "full age" (perfect), was now ready to appreciate this priestly ministry of Christ.  By "so much," that is by God's oath, [Christ] was made High Priest, and "a surety of a better covenant" (7:22). This surety means the "bail," or "bail-bond" for this new and better covenant.
   This New Covenant was unlike the Old Covenant, which was being done away, and the fault was that it depended on the obedience of Israel. That covenant they "broke"! But this new and better covenant does not depend on someone showing up to face charges. Christ is the surety, the bail, the one Who makes good all the covenant provisions! Thus this Priest secures for them this "so great salvation...[even] unto the uttermost (unto all perfection)." Everything depends on Him, and Him alone. The believer has the assurance that He will avail and prevail. "The word of the oath...  made the Son...consecrated (perfected) for evermore" (7:28).

Ivan L. Burgener