Continue in Confidence - April 4

Read Hebrews 10:19-23, 35-36

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter to the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful…Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.

Reflect

Is anything in your life threatening your confidence in Christ? What is it? Can whatever it is actually overwhelm Christ and what He has already done for you?

We can be confident in the truth because God revealed the truth to us. He gave us His Word and every word of His is true! We also read in the Bible that through Jesus Christ, we can confidently enter into God’s presence and we can be assured that we are truly saved if we have placed our faith in Christ. Our confidence is not in ourselves but in the Lord and when we follow Him in obedience, we can be confident that we are living rightly. And of course, when we do sin, we can rest assured that He is faithful to forgive us and advocate for us.

Today’s verses are an encouragement to continue in that confidence. The author of Hebrews reiterated that through Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf, we can boldly enter God’s presence. The veil that kept us from Him was torn away! Our sin was dealt with once and for all in Christ! Our bold confidence isn’t found in ourselves. It isn’t the result of our accomplishments or good works. Our confidence is found in Christ and His work alone.

So, the author of Hebrews urged his readers to draw near to God “in full assurance of faith” because our sins have been washed away. He wrote: “hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering.” On verse 22 in his Study Bible, John MacArthur noted that “full assurance of faith” means, “Utter confidence in the promises of God... Such confidence will result in heartfelt assurance or security which will allow them to persevere through the coming trials.”

You see, Hebrews was originally written to an audience of Christian Jews. They had converted to Christianity but they were being persecuted for their faith (Hebrews 10:32-34; 12:4; 13:13-14) and some were being led astray by false teachers (Hebrews 13:99).

Dr. Warren Wiersbe explained: “... they were going through difficult times and were being tempted to go back to the Jewish religion. The temple was still standing when this book was written, and all the priestly ceremonies were still being carried on daily. How easy it would have been for these Jewish believers to escape persecution by going back into the old Mosaic system that they had known before…The tragic thing about these believers is that they were at a standstill spiritually and in danger of going backwards (Hebrews 5:12). Some of them had even forsaken the regular worship services (Hebrews 10:25) and were not making spiritual progress (Hebrews 6:1). In the Christian life, if you do not go forward, you go backward; there is no permanent standing still.” They were in danger of throwing away their newfound confidence in Christ and His grace by returning to the Old Covenant system of religion.

You probably aren’t like the ancient Jews and in danger of going back to the Old Covenant system complete with animal sacrifices. But we are all vulnerable. As Dr. Wiersbe reminded us, being at a standstill is the same thing as going backward. We may be going back to a system of self-reliance. We may be going back to a system of good deeds. We may go back to false teachings and lies. We may slip back into our old patterns of sin.

So, we must continue in the confidence that we have in Christ! Remember, we know His truth and when we obey His teachings, we are able to walk in freedom and stability. We know that our faith is in the Lord and not in ourselves or anything else. We have no need to fear the persecution of man. We can have been assured and reassured that our sins have been forgiven in Christ and that through Him, we have access to God the Father and eternal life. So, even when difficulty comes, even if you face persecution, hold fast to that confidence without wavering. Continue to draw near to God in full assurance of faith! For he who promised is faithful!

Respond

Lord, thank You for these words of encouragement from Hebrews. I confess that some days the trials and tribulations of life overwhelm me and threaten my spiritual growth. But my confidence is in You! Help me to hold fast to You without wavering. I know that You have promised salvation in Christ and I trust in You. You are faithful! Amen.

Reveal

Do you know someone who is wavering in faith, at risk of falling away? Pray for them and offer them some encouragement today to hold fast to their confidence in Christ.