This article originally appeared in the January 2020 edition of Theology for Life, a quarterly online magazine that exists to equip Christians on a variety of issues through a biblical-theological framework.. Read the entire article at this link or view the edition here.
Our Better Hope:
Eight Priestly Comforts for Times of Need
as featured at Theology for Life
It’s no secret that trials tempt us to question God’s character and promises. Sometimes we believe Jesus stands on the sidelines shouting directions at us without regard for the difficulty of the exercises. In our discouragement, we may reject the notion that God is walking with us and working all things into good through our tribulations. Yet, even when our hearts wrestle with doubts about God, Christ’s heart knows no buyer’s remorse. He is commissioned by God to be a mediator of pity, and deals gently with those who belong to His body.
The truth of Christ as our merciful high priest may, upon first glance, appear as an irrelevant consolation in times of need, but the book of Hebrews highlights the critical importance of Jesus’ role of the true and better priest of God’s people. Not only has the Son of Man entered into the Father’s presence as a forerunner on our behalf (Hebrews 6:20), but the book makes eight assurances of “better” which directly result from Jesus’s permanent high priestly duty.
The truth of Christ as our merciful high priest may, upon first glance, appear as an irrelevant consolation in times of need, but the book of Hebrews highlights the critical importance of Jesus’ role of the true and better priest of God’s people. Not only has the Son of Man entered into the Father’s presence as a forerunner on our behalf (Hebrews 6:20), but the book makes eight assurances of “better” which directly result from Jesus’s permanent high priestly duty.
Christ secured our eternal redemption by means of His own blood. Because His sacrifice was once and for all (Hebrews 7:27), we do not need to wonder if our tribulations stem from God’s wrath. We can know Christ’s better sacrifice secured peace with God, and therefore we can experience the peace of God in the midst of our trial.
Christine M. Chappell
Author/Writer/Speaker
Christine Chappell is the author of Clean Home, Messy Heart and Help! My Child is Depressed (forthcoming with Shepherd Press, Spring 2020). She hosts The Hope + Help Project podcast and has completed biblical counseling certificates with the Institute for Biblical Counseling & Discipleship. Christine's writing has been featured at Desiring God, The Gospel Coalition, Risen Motherhood, Servants of Grace, and Thrive Moms.
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