A Merciful and Faithful High Priest

“Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.” (Hebrews 2:17-18 NASB1995)

This is speaking of Jesus Christ. He is God, the second person of our triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He always existed with God the Father, and he is our creator God. But even though he was and is God, he willingly left his throne in heaven, came to earth, and was born as a baby to a virgin woman, conceived of the Holy Spirit. And while he lived on the earth he was fully human and fully God (God incarnate). And he suffered in the same ways as we do, and he was tempted in like manner as we are also tempted. But he was not born with a sin nature as we are, and he never once sinned.

[John 1:1-36; John 8:24,58; John 10:30-33; John 20:28-29; Romans 9:5; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 2:9; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 1:1-12; 1 Peter 1:20-21; 2 Peter 1:1]

Because Jesus Christ was human, and he lived in a flesh body, as we do, and so he suffered like we suffer, and he was tempted in like manner as we are also tempted, he is able to sympathize with us in our weaknesses, and he is able to come to the aid of those who are being tempted. But sympathizing is not being tolerant of sin, and it is not pacifying sin, and it does not make excuses for deliberate and habitual sin against God. Yes, he can feel what we feel, but he did not sin. Yet in his death he took upon himself the sins of the world so that in his death he might put our sins to death with him.

And he put our sins to death with him on that cross so that, by faith in him, which is gifted to us by God, we might die to sin and now live for God and for his righteousness in walks of obedience to his commands, in the power of God. And because he was tempted in like manner as we are tempted, yet without sin, he is able to help us who are tempted to not sin but to obey God and his commands. We just have to be willing to accept his help and to follow his lead and to not make excuses for habitual and deliberate sin. We have to want to be free from sin’s control, and he will set us free.

Some of us who were abused as children, by one parent or the other, adopted a wrong concept about God, about Jesus Christ, because of the distorted view of Christianity we had fed to us. I know that I had this concept of God as my sympathizer, and as my comforter, but as someone who could not rescue me. I even said to him one time, “But God, you don’t understand!” And it was because he had not rescued me from the abuse of those who mistreated me, who did me wrong. So I ended up believing that man had control over me that God could do nothing about. I was wrong!

What I did not grasp was the sovereignty of God over my life, and that God allows us to suffer, to be mistreated, and to go through trials and tribulations to test our faith, to make us strong, to mature us in our walks of faith in obedience to him, and to make us into the people of God he wants us to be. He never promised us an easy life. He never said we would not have to suffer. He said we would be hated and mistreated for the sake of our faith and for the sake of the gospel, but that he would be our support, and he would be our strength, and he would help us to conquer Satan’s attacks.

[Matthew 5:10-12; Matthew 10:16-25,34-39; Matthew 24:9-14; Luke 6:22-23; Luke 12:49-53; Luke 21:12-17; John 15:18-21; John 16:33; Acts 14:22; Romans 5:3-5; Ephesians 6:10-20; Philippians 3:7-11; 1 Peter 1:6-7; 1 Peter 4:12-17; 1 Thessalonians 3:1-5; James 1:2-4; 2 Corinthians 1:3-11; Hebrews 12:3-12; Revelation 6:9-11; Revelation 7:9-17; Revelation 11:1-3; Revelation 12:17; Revelation 13:1-18; Revelation 14:1-13]

Why So Downcast? 

 

Based off Psalm 42

An Original Work / December 21, 2012  

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Why so downcast, O my soul,

And why so disturbed now within me?

Put your hope in Jesus Christ,

For I will praise His name.

He’s my Savior and my God,

So therefore I’ll remember Him through

Storms and tempests sweeping o’er me.

Still I’ll praise His name. 

Put your hope in God.

By day the Lord sends forth His love.

In the night His song is with me.

I pray to the God of my life.

I will praise His name. I say to God my Rock,

“Why must I be called to suffer this way?”

Foes attack me; Satan sneering.

Still I’ll praise my God.

Put your hope in Him.

As a deer pants for the waters,

So my soul pants for You, O God.

My soul thirsts for God who’s living.

When can I meet Him?

My tears have been my food at night,

When men say, “So, where is your God?”

I pour out my soul to my God.

I’ll still praise His name.

Shout with joy to Him.

https://vimeo.com/117318376

A Merciful and Faithful High Priest

An Original Work / April 9, 2026

Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love