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19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. ~ Hebrews 10:19-25
Having taught extensively on the Old Testament Tabernacle and the limited ministry of the Mosaic Covenant, the writer of Hebrews now turns our attention to the true tabernacle, the spirit of the believer in Christ. Pictured in the Old Testament Tabernacle is the whole being of the born again believer in Christ. The outer court represents the body, the holy place represents the soul, and the Holy of Holies represents the spirit. It was not until we came into a personal relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ that we were able to know God through our spirits. According to Ephesians 2:1, our spirits were "dead in trespasses and sins." But, when we became believers in Christ, our spirits were made alive to God.
In v.19-21 of today's text we read, "19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God."
When we trusted in the work of Christ on the cross and invited Him into our lives, we became tabernacles for the living God. This is proven in Hebrews 3:6 where we learn that the believer in Christ has become the dwelling place of God. Unlike what many believe, Christianity is Jesus Christ living His life in and through us in all circumstances.
Therefore, we should have the greatest confidence in all of life because we are not only right with God, but He is actively performing His will in and through our lives as we yield to His leading. This means everything that happens in our lives comes through His will for our lives. Since, we have been made alive to God in our spirit, the only acceptable worship to God is worship which takes place in our spirit. We enter this, the writer says, by the blood of the Lord Jesus.
In v.20 a very rare word is used, and, it is the word "new." It means "freshly slaughtered." We have confidence to enter into the very presence of God by the blood of the Lord Jesus by a freshly slaughtered Savior. The Lord Jesus Christ was freshly slaughtered so that the way to God would be opened to us. And, no man or thing will ever be able to close this way to us. All of the old sacrifices could not accomplish this great thing which yielded to us this "living way."
In v.22 of today's text we read, "Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water."
In v.22-24 we have three "Let us" statements. The first "let us" statement has to do with faith, the second has to do with hope and the third has to do with love. That is the three pronged cord of the fullness of our salvation through the Lord Jesus.
To "draw near to God with a sincere heart" means to live in the recognition of His presence in our lives right now. And, when we understand more fully the acceptance we have before God in Christ, we will draw near to God more so with a sincere heart. The Greek word used for "sincere" describes a heart that has been gripped by the truth. This sincere heart has seen the truth and has been liberated to the point of being defined only by God. And, the opinions of others and the circumstances in life are increasingly not budging this one who is being granted a life that is being defined by God.
This "full assurance of faith" means living out of Christ's adequacy. This means we have discovered a source of supply which never runs dry. Our dependence is no longer upon our weak abilities, our dependence now is upon the flowing power of the Spirit of the living God who dwells in us. And, He is the river of living water, the supply that never runs dry. This enables us to meet any circumstance with the confidence that He who is in us is greater than any enemy we may encounter.
As our faith in the God of the Bible grows, we begin to understand that we may come to God at any moment, even when we have purposely failed miserably. This is possible because "our hearts (are being) cleansed from a guilty conscience." You see, God has already hurled His wrath onto the Lord Jesus Christ on the behalf of all who have and who will believe. Nothing should keep us from daily running into the arms of this God who loves us to the point of slaying His only begotten Son on our behalf.
At the end of v.22 we read, "having our bodies washed with pure water."
This is symbolic language taken from the Old Testament priests duties in the tabernacle. The bronze laver was one of the furnishings required by God in the outer courts of the tabernacle. It stood between the temple and the altar, and it held water for the priests to wash their hands and feet before they entered the tabernacle. God wanted His people to understand the importance of practical purity. This refers to our sanctification wherein God is changing us from the inside out. This is about an outward life which has been cleansed, rearranged, changed by our new life in Christ.
In v.23 of today's text we read, "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful."
The second "let us" has to do with hope. We are not only to draw near to God, but we are to share the gospel with all who will listen. We can be confident that in Christ we are perfected through His death, burial and resurrection. As our confidence grows in His salvation, we then will be freed from those things which would prevent us from sharing the Gospel in the first place.
In v.24-25 of today's text we read, "24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
The third "let us" has to do with love. Here, our love is expressed in two ways: "spur one another on toward love and good deeds" and "encouraging one another." As believers in Christ, we are never judged by the confessions we make, or the creed we recite. We are always judged by our deeds. Our meetings are to be essentially encouraging times, and this is one way we stir up one another to love and good works.
These young Jewish Christians were having a hard time breaking with the old covenant. They were still holding on to legalism, and they were tempted to go back to the temple, the priests and the sacrifices. This is why the writer of Hebrews wrote these words of encouragement to one another.
As we get closer and closer to the end of time as we know it, and it becomes more and more difficult to tell the difference between truth and error, good and bad, and, right and wrong, we must be diligent to gather together and encourage one another by sharing the truth with one another that God is sharing with us. It is in the sharing of His life with one another, that we grow in this "new life" He is giving us. We must be diligent to do this as we see the Day of His return approaching.
