Hebrews 10:19 tells us that “we have confidence to enter into the Most Holy Place (and into God’s very presence).” And what gives us that total confidence? The last sentence in verse 19: “the blood of Jesus.”
Verse 20 then goes on to say, that we have “a new and living way opened up for us through the curtain (into God’s very presence).” And how was this new and living way opened up for us? The last two words in verse 20: “his body.”
So, verse 22, because of Jesus’ blood (verse 19), and because of his body (verse 20), “let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith.”
Any mention of “works” needed on our part? A hint in verse 22, perhaps? – that we “draw near to God.…having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.” Does that mean we can only confidently enter God’s presence if our hearts are sprinkled and our bodies washed”? Well, yes, but is it up to us to get those two things done?
Not according to verse 21, which hints instead that all this confidence we have, and hope we have, and full assurance of faith we have, are the result of “having a great priest over the house of God.”
In other words, it’s all his doing. He’s the one who, through his blood and his body, got us into God’s presence in the first place. Because that’s what high priests do. In Israel of old it was the high priest who did “the sprinkling (of animal blood, Leviticus 16:15-16), and the washing (of his own body, 16:4)” that God required of him to enter his presence. No sprinkling or washing by the people at all. All they did was watch the high priest in action, in hopeful trust that God would honour the high priest’s actions on their behalf. It was a total act of faith in their high priest, therefore, no works on their part required.
Well, “we have such a high priest in the presence of God” doing the same for us (8:1-2). He “went before us, entering God’s presence on our behalf” (6:19-20). We “come to God through him and his intercession for us” (7:25), just like the Israelites of old went through their high priest and his intercession for them. But “If it’s all faith, what do we do?”….next blog)
