Christ’s primacy in God’s plan of salvation is not just a thread but the fabric of Christian theology, woven with Jesus’s unique and exclusive role.
This truth is encapsulated powerfully in Hebrews 7:24–26, which declares Christ as the eternal High Priest, uniquely equipped to save humanity “to the utmost”—ultimately, perfectly, and eternally.
This passage underscores the sufficiency and exclusivity of Christ’s redemptive work, distinguishing Him as the only legitimate path to God.
While exploring this profound truth, we must acknowledge the unfortunate reality of various religious groups, including The Unification Church, Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Seventh-day Adventists, and others, who have strayed from this core belief, potentially leading their followers astray from the faithful Savior.
The Eternal Priesthood of Jesus Christ
Hebrews 7:24 declares Jesus Christ as the eternal High Priest: “But because Jesus lives forever, He has a permanent priesthood.” This role of Christ’s priesthood starkly contrasts the priests of the Old Testament, whose mortality limited service, highlighting the superiority of Christ’s priesthood.
They served in their roles only for a time, needing successors to continue their work due to the inevitability of death. In stark contrast, Jesus, having conquered death through His resurrection, remains the Mediator between God and humanity forever.
This eternal priesthood is not just a theological concept; it has profound implications for believers. Jesus is always alive, present, and interceding for those who come to God through Him.
His priesthood is unchangeable and unfailing, ensuring that His intercessory work continues uninterrupted.
Christ’s role as High Priest provides a foundation of confidence for believers, knowing that their salvation depends not on human intermediaries who may fail but on the eternal and perfect High Priest, Jesus Christ, who lives forever.
The Exclusive Role of Jesus in Salvation
Hebrews 7:25 presents a comforting and exclusive truth: “Therefore he can save completely those who come to God through him because He always lives to intercede for them.”
This verse highlights Jesus’ unmatched and singular role in saving humanity. The phrase “save completely” (or “save to the utmost”) is rich with meaning.
It indicates that Christ’s saving power is not partial or temporary but absolute and comprehensive, providing believers with a profound sense of reassurance and security.
No other religious figure or system can offer this completeness of salvation. Across the world, numerous religions and belief systems propose various paths to enlightenment, peace, or union with God.
However, they can only falsely claim the power to save their followers partially and not eternally. As articulated in Hebrews 7:25, the Christian message is clear: 25 . Therefore, He can also save the uttermost those who come to God through Him since He always lives to make intercession for them.
Acts 4:12 states: Nor is there salvation in any other; for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
The Danger of Misplaced Allegiance
Despite Scripture’s clarity concerning the exclusive and complete salvation available through Jesus Christ, there is a pervasive tendency within various religions and even within certain Christian denominations to direct their followers’ allegiance to other figures or deities.
The false religious narrative has been present throughout history and is not a new phenomenon.
Despite Muhammad’s status as the last prophet, Islam acknowledges Jesus as a prophet.
In this belief system, followers do not recognize Jesus as the Savior and instead seek salvation through their efforts, rituals, and adherence to Islamic teachings rather than relying on the redemptive work of Christ.
Similarly, Buddhism, with its emphasis on the teachings and enlightenment of the Buddha, directs adherents to seek salvation or liberation through self-effort and meditation rather than through any savior.
Hinduism, with its myriad of gods and goddesses, offers various paths to salvation, or moksha. Still, none of these paths involve the recognition of Jesus Christ as the singular Savior who can save the Utmost.
In Catholicism, while Jesus is indeed central to their faith, there are idolatrous practices and devotions in the Catholic religion, such as the veneration of Mary and the dead saints and other rituals, such as repetition of the rosary prayers through beads and baby baptism, which overshadow the direct and exclusive role of Christ as the Only Mediator between God and humanity sufficient alone to save all souls.
These intentional or unintentional deviations lead people away from the gospel’s truth and into relying on human figures, religious rituals, or other deities that are powerless to save.
These analyses are not merely a matter of theological disagreement but have profound and eternal consequences.
When individuals trust in anything or anyone other than Jesus Christ for their salvation, they are effectively rejecting the only actual means of salvation that God has provided.
The result is spiritual and eternal peril, as Jesus Himself warned that many will come in His name, claiming to offer salvation, but they will deceive many (Matthew 24:5).
The Call to Repentance and Recognition of Jesus’ Supremacy
Given Jesus Christ’s supreme role in the salvation of humanity, as clearly articulated in Hebrews 7:24–26, it is imperative that all people—irrespective of their religious background—recognize the futility of seeking salvation outside of Christ.
World religions such as Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Shintoism, and others, as well as any Christian denominations that have strayed from the foundational doctrine of Christ’s unique and exclusive role in salvation, must turn back to the truth.
This call to repentance is not an act of religious arrogance but one of deep concern for the eternal destinies of countless souls destined to damnation in hell without Christ.
The gospel message, rooted in Christ’s supremacy, is one of hope, grace, and life. However, it also carries a grave warning: to reject Jesus as the only Savior is to deny the only source of eternal life and salvation and to embrace the alternative, which is damnation in hell forever.
The alternative is not simply a different path to God but a path that leads away from Him, resulting in eternal separation.
Some may view the exclusive reliance on Christ for salvation as narrow-minded in a world that embraces religious diversity. However, it is not a doctrine of exclusion but one of inclusion, as it invites all people to come to God through the only way He has provided—through His Son, Jesus Christ.
Christianity’s core belief is that Jesus, who is eternal, intercedes for us and allows us to reconcile with God through His love and mercy.
In Summary
Hebrews 7:24–26 reveals a profound and unwavering truth: only Jesus Christ, the everlasting High Priest, can completely and permanently save humanity. This truth is not only the cornerstone of the Christian faith but also a challenge to the world’s religions and denominations that have deviated from the centrality of Christ in their teachings.
The message of Hebrews 7:24–26 emphasizes Jesus’s supreme and exclusive role in salvation. It calls to abandon all other forms of reliance, whether on religious rituals, human intermediaries, or other deities and to place complete trust in Christ alone.
There is no other name under heaven given to humanity by which we must be saved, so Jesus is the only one who can save us to the fullest extent possible.
God has entrusted us with the solemn responsibility of telling the world about Jesus Christ, the Savior who came to earth to give Himself on the cross at Calvary on behalf of all humanity so that we could inherit God’s kingdom and be with our heavenly Father forever.
We ought to proclaim this truth boldly and faithfully, pointing others to the Savior, who alone has the power to save ultimately.
May we be unwavering in our commitment to this truth for the gospel’s sake and the eternal destinies of those who have yet to come to God through Christ.