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importance to say to those who, having been saved out of their spiritual Egypt, would
also be saved throughout the wilderness journey until they reach the land of promise.
"Wherefore He is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him,
seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them" (Heb. 7: 25).
However much we may stress that in the gospel of grace we have an "uttermost"
salvation, the fact remains that this passage is not a gospel text for the unsaved, but a
message to the believer. The sinner is saved, not because Christ makes intercession for
him, but by His death. Moreover this "salvation" in Heb. 7: is not from the uttermost
depths of sin but unto the uttermost--eis to panteles. Most of our readers know that the
key-word of Hebrews is "perfect", and that the exhortation is that we should "go on unto
perfection" (Heb. 6: 1). The word "perfect" is teleios, which is kindred with telos, "the
end". The word panteles in Heb. 7: might almost be translated "all perfection".
In order that the full bearing of Heb. 7: 25 and its association with the perseverance
of the believer may be appreciated, we give below some of the occurrences of telos in
Hebrews and of teleios and its derivatives.
Telos, the end.
"If we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end"
(Heb. 3: 6).
"We desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of
hope unto the end" (Heb. 6: 11).
Teleios, and cognates.
"Strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age" (Heb. 5: 14).
"Let us go on unto perfection" (Heb. 6: 1).
"To make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings" (Heb. 2: 10).
"God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be
made perfect" (Heb. 11: 40).
"Looking unto Jesus, the Captain and Perfecter of faith" (Heb. 12: 2).
The initial salvation of the believer may be likened to the deliverance of Israel from
the bondage of Egypt, effected once and for all by the blood of the Passover Lamb, and
never to be rescinded. The Red Sea rolled between the redeemed people and Egypt,
remembering the onions and garlic, and though they even suggested that they should find
a captain to lead them back to their bondage, their return was never permitted. So also in
the case of the believer--he can never undo his salvation, he can never become
unredeemed. This salvation rests for ever unmoved upon the finished work of Christ.
Returning to our type, we observe that the redeemed people of Israel did not, as an
undivided company, journey triumphantly onwards through the wilderness, across the
Jordan, and into the Land of Promise. On the contrary, we read that "with many of them
God was not well pleased" and the N.T. is emphatic upon the typical importance of this
failure: