Prior Book | Prior Chapter | Prior Verse | Next Verse | Next Chapter | Next Book | Viewing NASB and Amplified 2015 | |
NASB | Hebrews 7:25 Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Hebrews 7:25 Therefore He is able also to save forever (completely, perfectly, for eternity) those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede and intervene on their behalf [with God]. |
Bible Question:
Aixen7z4, Thank you, I have gone over the scriptures you sent, and have prayed for the Holy Spirit to illuminate each one for me for understanding, please dont't get discouraged with me because I need to understand something you said that seems to be my main struggle in my "mind" (my heart wants everyone saved and can't bear the thought they won't have the opportunity)You said " I hope that this is not a comfort to anyanoe who refuses to go with the gospel, to consider it that Jesus Himself goes, and that even if He has to do it Himself.. If He will do it himself why should we? Please Don't take this as disrespectful on my part I just don't understand Gina Marie |
Bible Answer: I would like to offer you a view from Jesus’ standpoint. He has had to do a lot of the work alone. In the words of Isaiah 63, “I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me… I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation”. This is taken out of context, to simply isolate the sense of aloneness. It is one instance where he works alone, not because he wants to work alone, but because there is none to help. As he faced the cross, he was in agony, alone. He asked them, “Could you not watch with me?” And then the soldiers came, and they all forsook him and fled. Peter stood around and denied that he even knew him. He went through his trial with none to testify on his behalf. He bore the cross to Calvary, and suffered and died, alone. Truly, he had to do that work alone, as no one else was qualified. And yet, in all of this, he was procuring salvation for all of us. Now he wants to get the news to the world, that he is ready to forgive them. Must he also be the newsboy? Must he spread the Good News of the Gospel all alone? He has asked us to help with this. Shall we not do that small part? Now I will speak in human terms to try to get the point across. Imagine you are a little girl. Your parents have worked for the money. They have bought the food. They have cooked the food. You have eaten your fill of the food. Now your mother asks you to help with the dishes. The two of you will do that task together? Will you not do it? “But she is doing the dishes”, you say. “Why do I have to do it?” Do you see a parallel there? Imagine you were the companion of a very brave man. He is on a mission to save people from disaster. He asks you to come along, to simply speak a message while he works. Would you go with him? But I will make an excuse for you. Perhaps you do not feel led, or you are scared, to give out the Gospel. More than that, you do not feel competent. You think that Jesus can do a much better job by himself, and you would only get in the way. In other words, you do not have the gift or the calling of an evangelist. I think of Moses and Jeremiah and Jonah, who were all gifted and called and who had to be urged to do the task. But each of us must decide whether we have been called by God to a task, and whether he is the one encouraging and urging us. You would like to see everyone saved. You know they need to hear the Gospel. You know that some people are preaching the Gospel, and I know that you are glad for that. You worry about the ones that humans cannot reach. You can't bear the thought they won't have the opportunity. And I assure you, with the Scriptures I have quoted before, (John 1:9; John 12:32; etc.), that everyone will have an opportunity. He lightens every man. He draws all men. Every one will see the truth and have an opportunity to accept it. Read the passages again and rest in the fact that the Judge of all the earth will do right. He will not condemn a man to Hell, who has never heard the Gospel. He will wink at the times of ignorance and hold men responsible only after he has shown them the truth. He says if he had not come and spoken to them they would have (been as though they) had no sin. He comes to them, with or without our assistance, and commands all men everywhere to repent. But now you say, since he is doing it we should not have to do it. It may be that you are correct that, with Jesus doing it, we don’t really have to. But I will offer you some reasons why we should. 1. We love him and we want to make him happy (1 John 4:9, etc.). 2. We know he wants people to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4, etc.). 3. We think it is not good to withhold good news (2 Kings 7:9, etc.). 4. We have the gift of evangelism and want to use it (1 Corinthians 9:16, etc.). 5. We want to follow his example (Mark 1:14, etc.). 6. Again I say, a person needs to think and judge whether he or she is gifted or called in the area of evangelism. Every believer is a witness, and every believer is called to be ready to give an answer to those who might ask them why they believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. But I do not think, as some claim, that every believer is called to be an active proactive witness. But we are called to do that task together, and together with God, as his coworkers. Let us bear the yoke together. Let us be as a bride, a help, to our bridegroom, our Lord Jesus Christ. If he is about the business of enlightening men with the message of the Gospel, then so should we, as a church, in cooperation with him. With all these words, and examples, and scripture references, I have tried to answer your question. I trust you will see that it is our responsibility, and our privilege to do this work along with our Lord Jesus Christ. |