In the Name of Jesus

Ellet J. Waggoner

The Present Truth : December 9, 1897

A few points in the fifth chapter of Hebrews, in addition to what we had last week, can still profitably claim our attention, but as we had the text before us then, with questions upon it, we will not repeat them. That which is of special interest is what is said of Christ in verse 7. This may well be taken in connection with Hebrews 4.16

We are exhorted to come boldly unto the throne of grace. But how shall we come? “What are our recommendations?” Can we come presenting what we have done as a recommendation to favor? No; for what we have done shows us deserving of death. The criminal dare not come boldly into court, claiming freedom on account of his crimes. We have nothing of our own with which to appear before the King.

Neither can we claim anything by virtue of what we promised to do. We have made promises too often, and broken them, to have any confidence placed in them. Our promises are worthless, because however good the intention may be to perform, we find in us no good thing with which to fulfill the promise. “Man at his best state is altogether vanity;” so that we have nothing in ourselves, whether past, present, or future, to give us boldness in coming to the King on His throne with our requests.

But we have better promises than our own, even the King’s own promises. And we have a warrant from the King’s own Son: “And whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall w ask anything in My name, I will do it.” John 14.13, 14. Now the only thing we need is deliverance from sin; when we have that, we have everything worth having, both in this world and in the world to come. We know that Jesus was delivered from sin, for “in the days of His flee he when He had offered up prayer and supplications with strong crying and tears unto Him that was able to save Him from death,” He “was heard.” Hebrews 5.7. Although in the flesh, “in the likeness of sinful flesh” (Romans 8.3), as weak as the weakest man that ever lived, for no man can be weaker than to be able to do nothing of himself (see John 5.30),—yet He was delivered from all the sins of the flesh.