These are my notes for a lesson on Romans 8:33-34 that I taught at a nursing home in Raleigh, NC, in December 2017.
Romans 8:33-34
Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.
Why did Christ come to earth as a man?
We celebrate Christ as the God who became man to give his life as a ransom for many:
So in What Child is This we sing*:*
Good Christians, fear, for sinners here
The silent Word is pleading.
Nails, spear shall pierce Him through,
The cross be borne for me, for you.
Hail, hail the Word made flesh,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.
Christ’s life on this earth—his death and resurrection—his ascension into heaven—were not the end of his ministry.
Scripture tells us that Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father reigning over creation.
We learn about the scope of Christ’s present work throughout Scripture.
Present ministry of Christ?
• Christ dwells in us. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. Galatians 2
• Christ rules sovereignly over all things. [God] put all things under his feet. Ephesians 1
• Christ reigns over his church [God] gave him as head over all things to the church. Ephesians 1.
• He reveals to the church by His Word and Spirit the will of God.
• He calls the elect to himself and gives them forgiveness of sins. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. Acts 5
• He disciplines his children in love. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Revelation 3
Missing from this list is a work of Christ that I fear that Christians forget far too quickly. Christ intercedes for us!
Romans 8: Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.
The intercession of Christ should provide comfort to us each and every day.
Romans 8 teaches that we can persevere through all trials and tribulations, for if God is for us, none can be against us. God the Father manifests this love by giving his Son for us, raising Him for our justification, and seating Jesus at his right hand to intercede on our behalf.
Thus “neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
John teaches us that Christ’s intercession offers us great comfort when we sin, reassuring us that His death on the cross paid the penalty for our sins and gives us a clean conscience: “But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.”
Hebrews tells us that though this life seems long and trying, though our indwelling sin wears us down, though our churches face difficulties, though our bodies fail us “[Christ] is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”
Intersession of Christ
Christ maketh intercession,
by his appearing in our nature continually before the Father in heaven,
in the merit of his obedience and sacrifice on earth,
declaring his will to have it applied to all believers;
answering all accusations against them, and
procuring for them
quiet of conscience, notwithstanding daily failings,
access with boldness to the throne of grace, and
acceptance of their persons and services.
(Westminster Larger Catechism answer 55)
Authoritative and acceptable.
⁃ Not a re-sacrifice of himself.
⁃ Hebrews 9: Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
⁃ Intercession does not finish the work Christ started on the cross.
⁃ Christ’s work on the cross was a once and for all sacrifice for our sins that perfectly accomplished its goal.
⁃ Yet, Christ our great high priest now declares to the Father and to us that this work is complete, and that it is His will for it to be applied to us.
⁃ He declares that God accepts his people and their services not for any merit in us but by His own merit.
⁃ He declares that we have boldness and access with confidence through his Mediation on our behalf.
⁃ The intercession of Christ is not an intercession to a reluctant Father, but it is divinity ordained because of the Father’s great love for us.
⁃ John Murray: “The heavenly intercession is a messianic function just as truly as was his propitiatory offering. It is therefore conducted in pursuance of the economy of salvation. … Just as the propitiation is the provision of the Father’s love, so must we say that the intercession is also.”
⁃ Jesus is God! Our intercession is offered by God himself.
⁃ God uses the intercession of Christ to, in a very real sense, save us.
⁃ Hebrews 7: Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
⁃ Romans 5: We are saved by his life.
⁃ We need no other mediator.
⁃ Brings us full assurance and access to the thrown of grace:
⁃ Hebrews 10: “Having, therefore, brethren boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus… and having a high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith”
⁃ Christian, do you make full use of this access?
⁃ Do you pray with boldness and confidence and faith?
Faithful, earnest, and ready.
⁃ Christ is faithful and ever ready to intercede for his children.
⁃ My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. - 1 John 2:1-2
⁃ For those in Christ, each and every sin is covered by his blood.
⁃ Note Christ’s intercession is not merely general, but specific for our sins.
⁃ Christ’s intercession is not contrary to the will of the Father, but is the will of the father.
⁃ None can condemn.
⁃ Satan accuses us and says we are unworthy of God’s blessings and favor.
⁃ Christ is ever ready to intercede for us.
⁃ We accuse ourselves when we see our daily failings and sins.
⁃ Christ is ever ready to intercede for us.
⁃ Romans 5: “Where sin abounded, grade did more about”
⁃ Requires no sacrifice on our part. Christ’s intercession is not contingent on us.
⁃ Those he calls, he justifies. Those he justifies, he will intercede for.
Compassionate and Joyful.
⁃ Intercession is not begrudging but joyful.
⁃ The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. (Zeph 3)
⁃ God the Father gave his son as a sacrifice for our sins because he first loved us. Christ joyfully laid down his life for us.
⁃ Christ joyfully applies to us the benefits of redemption.
⁃ If you are a christian, God rejoices of you!
⁃ For God so loved he world that he gave his only son.
⁃ God raised Christ for our justification.
⁃ Christ is full of compassion because He was and is man:
⁃ Hebrews 2: Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. ** **For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
⁃ Christ intercedes for us as one who knows what is to be tempted.
⁃ Stephen Charnock: “it is the top of our comfort that he is in heaven a pleader, as it was the foundation of our comfort that he was once on earth a sufferer”
Application
If you are a Christian:
• Because Jesus died and intercedes for you you have a clear conscience.
• Who can condemn! It is Jesus who defends you!
• Because Jesus intercedes for you, you can come to God in prayer with boldness!
• Because Jesus intercedes for you, your name is secure in heaven. You are saved and will be saved through his intercession.
• Because Christ our great high priest is interceding for us, we can have confidence that his sacrifice was once and for all.
John Murray: But the fact that from the seat of exalted and undimmed glory and in the exercise of high priestly prerogative he interposes petition to the Father on behalf of every one of his own, to the end that they also may be glorified with him, should cause us to be filled with holy and adoring amazement at the condescensions of trinitarian love and grace. And the effect will then be that we shall be humbled to the point of being speechless, in a true sense exasperated, at the thought of the intercession which is interjected to save us from the doom which our continuing sinfulness and unfaithfulness deserve and saved to a glory which consists in glorification with Christ.