“22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed pure with water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” Hebrews 10:22-23
Before we study the verses above, let’s look at the verses preceding them. The Old Covenant animal sacrifices could not “perfect” its worshippers, but instead served as a reminder of sins since they could not remove sins or the guilt that accompanied them (10:1-4). Since these Old Testament sacrifices did not completely satisfy God’s demand to punish sin, Jesus Christ came to do God’s will (10:5-9) and has “sanctified” believers through His death “once for all” so that they are in a permanent state of being separated (“sanctified”) from their sin and guilt before God (10:10).
The author of Hebrews emphasizes that the perfecting of the sanctified believer is accomplished through the finished work of Christ (10:11-14). The writer quotes Jeremiah 31:33-34 to show that the final forgiveness which the New Covenant promised, and Christ’s death provided, meant that there was no other sacrifice which one could turn to for forgiveness (10:15-18).
Think about this for a moment. When you as a Christian sin against the Lord, are you confident that Christ’s sacrifice was sufficient to pay the penalty for that sin and all you must do is confess your sin to restore your fellowship with the Lord (I John 1:9)? Or do you try to atone for your own sin by spending more time in prayer or Bible study? Do you try to earn God’s forgiveness by feeding the poor or volunteering at an orphanage or by going on a mission trip? Do you punish yourself with negative self-talk instead of resting in the punishment Jesus endured on the Cross in your place? The Bible says, “Now where there is remission [forgiveness] of these (through Christ’s sacrifice – 10:10-14), there is no longer an offering for sin” (10:18). If you turn to some other sacrifice whether it be your own or someone’s other than Jesus,’ your search for forgiveness is futile. Only Jesus’ sacrifice was sufficient to perfect us and give us total acceptance before God. God wants you to rest in His finished work on the Cross so you can now focus on living a life of faith for Him (10:22-23).
After establishing our total and unconditional acceptance before God on the basis of Jesus’ all-sufficient sacrifice on the Cross (10:1-18), the writer of Hebrews gives us two commands: “Let us draw near…” (10:22) and “Let us hold fast…”(10:23). Let’s look at each one.
We are to “draw near” to God “with a true heart in full assurance of faith” that Jesus Christ’s death has removed our guilt for sin, and has made us acceptable to God (10:22). We can have “full assurance” of our “faith,” since our confidence rests in the sufficiency of what Christ has done for us (John 19:30), not what we do for Him. Knowing that we are totally accepted by God on the basis of Christ’s sufficient sacrifice for our sins invites us to draw near to God without any doubts that we are truly saved and going to heaven when we die. God wants His children to know that they are forever His the moment they believe in His Son Jesus Christ (cf. John 1:12; I John 5:13). Having this complete assurance that we are God’s children empowers us to approach Him with a true heart, not a false or disingenuous heart that withholds our true selves from our Father in heaven. Because of God’s complete acceptance of us in Christ, we are free to present our true selves to God without fear of rejection or shame. Why? Because Christ’s sacrifice completely cleansed us inwardly of all guilt (“from an evil conscience”) and outwardly of all impurity (“our bodies washed with pure water”) so that there is no consciousness of sin or shame.
Many Christians are afraid to draw near to God because they are being taught that they must clean themselves up first before He will accept them. They are told to repent or turn from their sins before God will welcome them into His family. The nagging question they have is, “How many or which of my sins must I turn from before God will accept me?”
Imagine a child doubting that he or she was truly their parents’ son or daughter on the basis of their behavior!?! Think of the insecurities and fear that child would have. Instead of drawing near to his or her parents when struggling with sin or shame, he or she would hide their struggles and try harder and harder to overcome them, only to experience more defeat, fear, and shame. This is a terrible cycle of shame that God never intended His children to endure. Yet Christians are being taught this at many different levels within evangelical Christianity.
Christians are also being told that assurance of salvation keeps believers from living holy lives. In other words, if I can know I have everlasting life which can never be lost, then what is to keep me from living like the Devil the rest of my life? Doesn’t assurance of salvation give me a license to sin? The writer of Hebrews answers these questions in Hebrews 10 with an absolute “No!”
Total acceptance before God is based on the finished work of Christ alone (10:1-18) and trusting in His work alone (John 3:14-15). This truth is foundational for Christians to draw near to God (Heb. 10:22). We can draw near to God with a “true heart” because Christ’s sacrifice has removed our consciousness of sin and shame and has made us acceptable before God. Christ’s death has removed our inward guilt and outward impurity. We are no longer defined by our sin and shame, but by the love and light of Jesus Christ (Ephes. 5:2, 8). We can approach God boldly now because Christ’s perfect love which was manifested when He died in our place (Rom. 5:8; I John 4:9-10) casts out our fear (I John 4:18).
This assurance of salvation that is based on the finished work of Christ, enables believers to obey the second command: “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful” (10:23). Being liberated from our sin and shame through Christ’s death on the Cross empowers us to persevere (“hold fast”) in our Christian faith. Instead of focusing on our past shame and failures, we can now focus on our future “hope” of receiving rewards from Christ “without wavering.” Why? Because “He who promised is faithful.” Our faithfulness to God now is based upon His faithfulness to our future.
The writer of Hebrews warns, “Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has a great reward” (10:35). To throw away one’s confidence or Christian confession (cf. Heb. 3:1, 14; 10:23) results in the loss of “great reward” which is synonymous with the promised inheritance-rest (4:1, 11: 9:15) and inheritance-salvation (1:13-14; 2:3; 5:9; 6:9; 7:25; 9:28; 11:27) of Hebrews which includes deliverance from Christ’s enemies (Heb. 1:13; 10:13) and sharing in His joyous reign (Psalm 2:7-9; Heb. 1:5-14; 12:1-:2; cf. 2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 2:25-27).
In conclusion, Christ’s sufficient sacrificial death on the Cross (10:1-18) provides both the basis for our confident approach to God (10:22) and our persevering faith which will be richly rewarded (10:23). Instead of undermining holy living, assurance of salvation bolsters holy living by empowering us to draw near to God with boldness to receive the resources we need (“grace” and “mercy”) to finish our Christians lives well for the Savior (Hebrews 4:14-16; 12:1-2).
Prayer: Because of my total acceptance before You, Father God, through the sufficient sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross, I can now approach You with full assurance that I belong to You forever. Thank You for paying the penalty for all my sins when You died in my place on the Cross, Lord Jesus. There is no longer anything I need to do to earn Your forgiveness. Because of this complete acceptance before You, I am compelled to persevere in the faith knowing You are faithful to reward those who do so. Help me to give You my very best each day because You alone are worthy. In Jesus’ name. Amen.