Go boldly before Him

Hebrews 4:14-16

¹⁴Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. ¹⁵For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. ¹⁶Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Why is it that we can approach the throne of God with confidence?

Selwyn Hughes remarked that there are some who teach that we can come boldly and confidently before God because the veil has been torn away and there are no obstacles on our path to the eternal throne. While there is no doctrinal issue with this teaching, he advocated that the true reason for Hebrews 4:16 is not that the throne of God has been opened up for us, but because Jesus who sits on the throne knows exactly how we feel. He knows because "He was tempted in every way, just as we are and yet without sin."

What difference does that make?

Because Christ came in flesh, He experienced all the pains, grief, joy and doubts of humanity and was tempted in every way possible. Selwyn further said that He asks us not to stand timidly, fearfully or hesitantly outside the throne room and wondering if God really understands what is going on inside us or not. Instead, we are to come boldly before Him because He understands us completely.

We are so blessed to have a God who is holy and yet merciful and gracious. More importantly, because Jesus came in the flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14), we can now "approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."

Beloved, this is blessed assurance indeed. Praise the Lord!

God bless.