to the uttermost

"...He [Jesus] is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them" (Hebrews 7:25).

Think about it. Jesus is able to save to the uttermost. Some translations render this word "completely". Jesus is able to save completely those who draw near to God through him (by faith - which is quite explicit throughout Hebrews). Jesus is able. He is capable. He is willing to save us completely by faith. No dark recess of our hearts will be left unexposed to the grace of God. All spiritual melanoma will be cut out by the scalpel of God's Word and Spirit by His grace.

What did you think when you woke up and looked in the mirror this morning? Did you see a wretch or a man doing his best to bring something to the table in your hopes for salvtion? Did you stare down a Pharisee? Did you wink at a legalist? Did you brush the hair of one who is pretentious enough to treat the grace of God as a license to sin?

Jesus died to save that wretch and Pharisee. He canceled the written code by which we often live by as legalists. He came to set straight that pretentious rebel. Jesus will save us to the uttermost when we draw near to God.

But he won't stop there. The means of setting us free, completely free from our cycles of sin: our tongues of wrath; our wandering, lustful eyes; our sharp, angry words; our yearning hearts of envy and jealousy for the success of the wicked in this world; our covetous desires; the means of grace is the intercession, the prayers of the Son of God who always lives to intercede for us. He is always before the Father, pleading our case on the merits of His work.

He's there, in the presence of the Father, praying that we won't fall away in persecution (as was the case for some in Hebrews). He's praying that we might find our satisfaction and delight in God who is far above the pleasures of sex and food and futbol and mind-numbing television and beautiful women and money and our feeble reputations. He is praying for His children in temptation, praying that we would not turn a blind eye to the Helper given to us in Christ.

He is able. He will save completely. He is intereding. Always.