In this passage, Loke seeks to understand Christ “becoming like us in
all respects” as merely a reference to him becoming a human so that he could physically
die. However, this is an untenable interpretation of Hebrews, as this
fundamentally misrepresents how the author of Hebrews understands atonement. In
Levitical sacrifices, sin was not atoned for once the animal had been killed.
Rather, the killing of the animal was the first step in the atonement process.
After the animal had been killed, its blood was sprinkled on the furniture in
the holy place and most holy place, and the sacrifice was presented before God
by the high priest. The author of Hebrews similarly believes that after his
death, Christ entered into the heavenly holy places purifying it with his blood
and offering himself as the sacrifice of God. After this, Christ remains
forever in the presence of God as our high priest.
The author of Hebrews primarily understands the atoning work of Christ
through what Christ did after his death, not Christ’s death itself
(though his death is what freed us from the powers of the Devil). It is because
Christ is our interceding High Priest that we can be saved, as Hebrews 7:25
makes clear. “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 2:18
connects Christ’s ability to atone for our sins not with his death, but with his
suffering when tempted. Similarly, Hebrews 4:15 emphasizes that we can draw
near to the throne of God because our high priest is “One who in every respect
has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” This is immediately followed by
the beginning of Hebrews 5 which describes that the high priest is able to deal
gently with his people because he himself has been beset with weakness.
Hebrews explicitly connects Christ’s ability to be our high priest
with him suffering and being tempted as we have, which allows him to be
sympathetic and merciful. The reason this is emphasized by the author of
Hebrews is because the sacrifice of Christ which was presented to the Father
for our atonement was not just his dead body on the cross but his blood in the heavenly
holy place. It is because Christ presented this perfect offering to the Father
that he is able to remain as our priest, and it is through this high priestly
role that we are saved. . . .
Christ is a merciful and faithful high priest not just to the
community Hebrews was written to, but to all of humanity. Thus, this verse
demands on understanding that is global to all of humanity, and not just to the
specific community that received Hebrews. Similarly, Hebrews 2:11, “He who
sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is
not ashamed to call them brothers.” All humanity comes from the same source;
thus, all humanity is in mind when we see that Christ must be made “like his
brothers in all respects.” (James Agnew, What Jesus Didn’t Know: A
Defense of Kenotic Christology [2025], 102-3, 104)
