Intercession is
the act of pleading or praying
on behalf of another.
In Scripture,
intercession is carried out
by the Holy Spirit,
by believers for one another,
and, most importantly,
by Jesus Christ as the eternal High Priest
who continually represents His people before the Father.
The most significant intercession in the Bible is the ongoing ministry of Jesus Christ:
“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 7:25)
“Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.” (Romans 8:34)
Christ’s intercession is part of His high priestly work. Having offered Himself once for all as the perfect sacrifice, He now appears in the presence of God on behalf of His people (Hebrews 9:24). His intercession is:
The Holy Spirit also intercedes for believers:
“The Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words… the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” (Romans 8:26-27)
When believers do not know how to pray as they ought, the Spirit helps them and prays in perfect harmony with the Father’s will.
God also calls His people to intercede for others:
Intercession is one of the most comforting doctrines in Scripture. Believers are never left to stand alone before God. Jesus Christ, their High Priest, continually intercedes for them on the basis of His finished work. The Holy Spirit also intercedes within them. Because of this double intercession, those who belong to Christ can have strong assurance that they will be saved to the uttermost and kept secure until the end.
Entry compiled for the JESUSaves.com Bible Glossary. Optimized for wiki.js Visual Editor.