Why It Matters That Jesus Is Eternal

"The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. 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." Hebrews 7:23-25 (ESV)

Have you ever thought about the ever-lasting nature of Jesus? Have you ever wondered if it matters that Jesus will live forever? Honestly, I hadn't thought too much about it. I mean, I knew that Jesus had to rise from the dead and defeat death, but I've never pondered whether or not it mattered that He will never die now that He has defeated death. I mean, couldn't God the Father live on and that be enough?

The short answer is no, that wouldn't be enough. Jesus is God. And God cannot be eternally destroyed.

Furthermore, according to Hebrews 7, Jesus' immortality is a huge factor in our salvation and in our ability to come to God with confidence. I'm sure if someone had asked me if it mattered that Jesus is eternal, I probably would have said "yes". But until Bible study this week, I wouldn't have been able to tell them why I thought that.

Thankfully though, this passage taught me the "why" I didn't know before, and hopefully it will encourage you too!

Jesus' Divinity Prevails

Jesus is both 100% human and 100% God. Since he was human, he went through the same tests, trials, and experiences that we go through today. But since He is also fully God (and is connected to God the Father in a way that is inseparable), He couldn't be obliterated. Yes, He certainly died on the cross, but after defeating death there by rising again, He will now never die again. He won. His divinity prevailed and always will prevail. After all, a god who is destructible isn't much of a god at all.

We Need a Constant Intercessor

If we get really honest with ourselves, we will find that we don't just sin occasionally- we sin constantly. Even the "best" Christians have daily struggles with something. Whether it be pride, selfishness, impure motives, jealously, or whatever else you can think of, every Christian struggles with one thing or another. We all suffer from the frailness of humanity.

But Jesus, the only human to never sin, came in and changed everything. And because He is our ever-lasting High Priest, He intercedes for us forever. Whereas in the Old Testament, the human high priests would eventually die of old age, and would have to be replaced by someone else, we never have to worry about who will help us next time, because we know it will always be Jesus.

We don't have to worry about whether or not the new priest is going to do a good job. We don't have to worry about how long the new priest might live. Our High Priest is the exalted Son of God, and He lives on forever.

His eternal nature (along with the promise that He made to us) ensures that He will be our constant intercessor, so that we can always approach God with confidence.

We Want Him "In Office"

In politics, it isn't always a good thing to have no term limits, because if someone gets into office who is terrible at their job, but they keep getting voted back in because of their connections, it can cause a lot of issues. Thankfully though, since Jesus is both God and eternal, we can rest assured that not only will Jesus be our intercessor forever, but that He will do the job perfectly.

Jesus being a priest was never something I really reflected on until starting this Bible study. Savior? Yes. Lord? Yes. Lion and Lamb? Yes. But I am discovering that His priesthood is actually incredibly important as well. Without it, there would be a component missing that was prophesied about long before Jesus came to earth. And without Jesus' eternal nature, His priesthood wouldn't last. But God had already thought that one through, and He made sure that we had exactly what we needed. He gave us an eternal intercessor who will never leave His office.

Question: Have you ever thought about the importance of Jesus' eternal nature? What does this change (if anything) about your view of Jesus? 

This post is part of the Blogging Through The Bible Linkup, hosted by Ally of The Speckled Goat. To read more posts in this link-up, or to learn how to join in yourself, visit The Speckled Goat.