The apostle, having finished the doctrinal part of his epistle to the Hebrews showing the superiority of Christ to all men and angels, the superiority of his priesthood to that of Aaron and his successors, the absolute efficacy of the atonement of Christ to reconcile man to God in comparison to the animal sacrifices, proceeds now to show what influence these doctrines should have on the hearts and lives of the believers.
Jesus Our Great High Priest has gained for us free access to the Holiest
Heb 10:19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;
1. We may come boldly. The word ‘holiest’ taken from the holy of holies in the temple is here applied to heaven. The Jewish High Priest entered into the holy of holies with fear and trembling but we may enter with boldness, with confidence, because of Jesus’ shed blood. Our sins need not hinder us as they are washed by the blood. Our inadequacies should not prevent us, for through our High Priest Jesus Christ we shall have audience with the Holy God.
2. We need to come by faith in Christ our Great High Priest. By a new and living way (v 20). The word rendered new properly means newly killed and fresh. This is evidently an allusion to the blood of the animal newly shed and as yet possessing life. When we come to Christ, crucified nearly 2000 years ago, we need not fear that His blood has lost its power, but it is as new, freshly shed, like a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Immanuel’s vein that sinners may come and plunge beneath that flood and lose all their guilty stains, and live. Jesus is that new and living way. Come by faith in Jesus.
3. We need to come thankfully. The blood of animals cannot take away sins permanently. The blood of Jesus is the means by which this access to heaven is procured. The Saviour shed his own blood, and that became the means by which we have access to God.
The Jewish high priest entered into the most holy place by drawing aside the veil that divided the holy from the most holy place. But our Saviour obtained access for us to the holiest, though his flesh (the veil, v 20) that was broken for us.
Consider this, the access may be free, but it costs the Savior his blood, shed for the remission of our sins and his body broken to pay the wages of sins that we cannot pay! How we ought to come with thankfulness to the throne of mercy.
Consider how he loved us to consecrate (v 20) this way for us at such a price. He has dedicated and set apart this new and living way of access to the eternal sanctuary, to the audience of God, for the sinner. How we ought to come thankfully.
We have an High Priest over the house of God. (v 21).
The house of God refers to the body of believers. Like those under the Jewish dispensation who had the privilege of access to the mercy-seat by means of the high priest, so it is in a much higher sense, that we now have access to God through our great high priest.
It is a privilege that we should have a great high priest seated at the right hand of the Father, and as we offer up sacrifices of praise and prayer to God, He presents and perfumes it with the incense of his own merits before the throne, representing our persons, pleading our cause, and continually interceding for our good, making them acceptable to his Father by his own blood.
What Should Be Our Reasonable Response?
1. Let us draw near with a true (truthful, sincere) heart. (v 22). Let our hearts be cleansed from all hypocrisy and uncleanness.
2. Let us come in full assurance of faith (v 22), in unwavering confidence, leaving no room for doubt that we shall be heard and accepted when we come through Jesus Christ our Mediator.
3. Let us have our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience (v 22), free from an accusing or condemning conscience because of the guilt of sin. We are made free from such a conscience through the atonement of Jesus, not because we become convinced that we have not committed sin, and not because we are led to suppose that sin is a small matter but because our sins are forgiven, and since they are freely pardoned, they no longer produce remorse and the fear of future wrath.
4. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering (v 23). Let none be shaken by trials and tribulation for we have a faithful high priest who intercedes on our behalf like the way he prayed for Peter, that his faith failed not, when Satan sifted him as wheat. He is faithful and will not suffer us to be tempted beyond what we can bear.
5. And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works (v 24). We are to endeavour to excite each other to love God and one another. The best way to do it is to be an example yourself and encourage others to do likewise. And in order to have opportunity to consider one another, we should not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is (v 25). All who do so for whatever reasons are to know that God is displeased and that it is detrimental to their spiritual progress and is headed for spiritual declension. All Christians should regard it as a sacred duty to meet together.
6. We should exhort one another (v 25) to prayer, to attend public worship, to regard all the duties of religion, to abide and walk with Christ, comforting one another in trials and reminding one another of the promises of God and by putting each other in mind of the coming again of the Lord, so much the more as ye see the day approaching.
May we all avail ourselves fully to all the advantages and privileges of having Jesus Christ as our great high priest. Amen