Christ’s Work of Intercession

How can we be confident that our faith will endure to the end? Today, R.C. Sproul teaches that our perseverance as Christians rests not in our own strength but in the ongoing intercession of Christ on our behalf.

Now, when Jesus prophesied that Peter would deny Him, Peter protested profusely, as so much to say in a presumptuous way, “No, never Lord. I will never, ever deny You.” Brings to mind Paul’s admonition, “Let him who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Cor. 10:12). Because Jesus then turned to Simon and said to him in loving terms, “Simon, Simon, Satan would have you and sift you like wheat” (Luke 22:31–32).

Now, think of that metaphor that Jesus uses. The farmer takes his grains of wheat and puts it in a sifter. And to sift wheat in a sifter is not a laborious task that only the strong can perform. It’s one of the easiest chores that the farmer can do. It may take time; it may be tedious; but it’s not labor-intensive. It’s not something accomplished with great difficulty. Jesus is saying to Simon, “Simon, you think you are impregnable. You think that Satan cannot overcome you because you’re so strong and you’re so secure, that your security in yourself, your confidence in your own strength, is exceedingly misguided and misdirected. Because not only is Satan stronger than you are, and not only can Satan incline and entice you to fall, but he can do it easily. He can sift you like wheat. You’re a piece of cake in his hand. Up against the wiles and craftiness and strength of Satan, Peter, you are duck soup.” That’s what Jesus is saying to Simon.

But what He does not say at the end of that prediction is. “What you have to do, go quickly” (John 13:27). But He says, “Simon, I have prayed for you so that when you turn, strengthen the brethren.” There wasn’t any doubt in Jesus’ mind about two things. The one thing that was certain to Christ was that Peter was going to fall, and his fall was going to be abysmal. The second thing He was certain of is that Peter would be restored. The testimony of history is that Peter, in spite of this radical and serious fall, nevertheless endured to the end. He recovered. He was restored. He repented. He was forgiven. And he then endured to the end.

Our greatest consolation regarding our eternal security or our perseverance, our greatest comfort, comes from the full assurance that the New Testament gives of the present work of Christ in our behalf. We know that when Jesus died on the cross, at the end of that experience, He cried out, “It is finished.” And so, we speak of the finished work of Christ, which phraseology is simply a form of shorthand to speak about the completion of Christ’s atonement, the finalization of His purchase of redemption for us. His taking upon Himself the curse of God.

But that work on the cross did not end Christ’s redemptive work. He had other work to perform after the cross. He was raised for our justification. And when we talk about the work of Christ, we talk not only about His death, but we also talk about His resurrection. And when we speak of the work of Christ, it doesn’t end with the resurrection. We talk about His ascension into heaven where He is seated at the right hand of God, and there He works as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. He works in terms of governing the universe and ruling over His church. But the image of His kingship and His royal labor is only part of the picture. In fact, one of the chief accents of the New Testament in terms of His present work for His people is His work of intercession.

Every day in the presence of the Father, Christ intercedes for His people. So wherein is our confidence in terms of our perseverance? I hope it isn’t a confidence that mirrors and reflects the arrogance of Peter—“Lord, never. Far be it for me”—but that our confidence rests in the promise of Jesus’ “I will pray for you.”