“Therefore, believers, since we have confidence and full freedom to enter the Holy Place [the place where God dwells] by [means of] the blood of Jesus, by this new and living way which He initiated and opened for us through the veil [as in the Holy of Holies], that is, through His flesh, and since we have a great and wonderful Priest [Who rules] over the house of God, let us approach [God] with a true and sincere heart in unqualified assurance of faith, having had our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”
Hebrews 10:19-22 AMP
Grace Perspective:
If you don’t know His character, drawing near to God is a fearful thing. Because He is holy and without sin, we should fear Him and treat Him with reverence. In the Old Testament, God gave Moses clear instructions on how He was to be worshipped. The consequences could be deadly if someone approached Him in pride or insincere worship. (Read Leviticus 10:1) In the tabernacle and later the temple, a veil hid the Ark of the Covenant, which held the Ten Commandments. Only the High Priest could enter into the Holy of Holies once a year to offer a sacrifice for his sin and the nation’s sin.
Christ died for our sins so that the veil which separated us from His holy presence is removed. Because He gave Himself as a sacrifice for our sins, our hearts are cleansed when we repent of our sins. That is the core of our faith, knowing that He paid the price for our sins. Because we are forgiven, we can draw close to Him. In fact, those who are in Christ are invited to enter His presence with thanksgiving and praise. Our Savior graciously assures us that we can come to Him confidently because we have placed our faith in Him.
A Touch of Grace:
How is your faith strengthened by this assurance?
How will you draw close to God today?
Grace Application:
Throughout God’s word, He calls us to draw near to Him. However, there are times when I struggle with this. How about you? Why do we choose not to come near to Him?
For me, it’s often due to my fight with sin. Yep. My flesh gets in the way far too often. Just when I think I’m doing better with a particularly pesky sin, wham! I give in to what my flesh wants and find myself humbly confessing my sin again. Can you relate to this struggle?
Yet, once I see my sin for what it is, the Holy Spirit reminds me to come to my Savior. Into the Holy Place, where He is waiting to receive me with grace. He tore the veil that separated us from Him, washing away our sins with His blood. As we turn from sin and run to Him for forgiveness, He assures us that His sacrifice on the cross was sufficient to cover all our sins.
We are invited to draw near the Savior as we sincerely repent of sin. He graciously assures us that He has cleansed our hearts from the evil that separated us from Him. Rejoice in His goodness, mercy, and love!
Gracious Prayer:
Abba Father, I come to you in the precious name of Jesus, thankful that You invite me to draw close to You. Jesus, Your death on the cross covers my sin and assures me that I can worship you with a heart that is cleansed. Help me know You more fully as I spend time in Your word, learning how to live and love in truth and deed. You call me to seek you with a whole heart. Mend my heart, Lord, so it is whole as I draw close to You. Amen.
**Today, as you read this, I pray you will know for sure you are in Christ Jesus. If you have any doubt, please call out to God so all doubt may be erased. Today is a good day to be assured of salvation in Christ Jesus. If you have any questions, please contact me at graceisdawning@gmail.com**