Hebrews 4:14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
Having Jesus as our high priest makes all the difference in our struggle against sin and doubt. Jesus has faced our struggles but came out on the other side with even stronger faith in the Father. He serves as the perfect high priest. No one else is able to sympathize with our struggles and still remain pure. The function of the high priest is to mediate between the holy God and sinful humanity. The high priest makes atonement for sin. These themes will be developed later in this epistle. At this point, the author is making an important connection, though more by implication. The readers are facing a crisis of faith: will they accept God’s promises and move forward into God’s Sabbath rest from sin? Or, will they harden their hearts in their disbelief? The good news is that they do not have to make this journey by themselves. Jesus is available as our advocate, guide, and friend to help with this journey of faith. The author connects Jesus as the earthly priest with Jesus the exalted Son of God. Jesus knows our weaknesses but also has the power to help us on our journey.
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