Hebrews 10 opens with a declaration: “For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect.” (Hebrews 10:1). Although priests were required to make animal sacrifices for themselves and the people under the law, it could never thoroughly wash away their sins. It was as if they were delaying their healing. Verse 4 confirms this: “For it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins.”
Therefore, God offered Jesus as our sacrifice one time to cover our sins for all time. “Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin” (Hebrews 10:17). Because we are forgiven and made just in the eyesight of God through Christ, we can confidently approach God in prayer. Imagine trying to approach someone whom you wronged. Envision needing to ask that person for things like mercy, protection, peace, or a little joy.
You wouldn’t ask anything of that person with confidence because you have sinned against them. You may think their chances of helping you are slim to none. But if that person forgave you and loved you, then you could approach them with your request in full assurance. The Hebrew writer tells us, “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.” (Hebrews 10:19-23).
When we approach God, we can do so confidently because we are forgiven. Although we wronged God by sinning against him more times than you or I can count, because of Christ's one-time sacrifice, God forgives us. However, this is not a license to willfully remain in sin. God is incredibly merciful, but he is also the same God who will execute judgment. Hebrews 10:26-27 reads, “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice of sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgement, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.”
God will, as it reads, “devour the adversaries”. We can confess Christ with our mouths as far as the east is from the west, but if we remain in sin, we also remain God’s adversaries. To be an enemy of the Great, Holy, and Awesome God who stretched forth the heavens by merely opening his mouth is, to me, the scariest thing in the entire universe. Hebrews 10:31 confirms my fear: “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
Yet, we don’t have to live in fear of God’s judgment if we are led by the Spirit of God rather than our sinful flesh. Remaining steadfast in Christ is not always easy. The Hebrew authors’ audience consisted of people who endured many sufferings, yet they held on to God in faith. The writer mentioned their past trials to encourage them in what they were facing at the time of his writing.
In the past, the Hebrew audience stayed in Christ “knowing that they had a better and enduring possession for themselves in heaven.” (v.34). Previously, they knew to hang on, but at this point in their faith, they needed a reminder … they needed something to keep them grounded in God. They needed a spiritual push to remain steadfast and to keep going, regardless of the difficulties they were facing. And so, to motivate the audience of his letter, the Hebrew author wrote:
“Do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward.
For you have need of endurance,
So that after you have done the will of God,
You may receive the promise: “For yet a little while,
And He who is coming will come
And will not tarry.
Now the just shall live by faith;
But if anyone draws back,
My soul has no pleasure in him”.
But we are not of those who draw back to perdition,
But of those who believe to the saving of the soul.
(Hebrews 10:35-39)
The writer reminded his readers that if they were drawn away from the faith, they would return to perdition. Perdition means destruction, eternal damnation, or spiritual ruin. So, the audience had two choices. They could either hold on to their confidence in the Lord or shrink back and walk away from the great reward God promised them if they endured.
In a similar fashion, I am writing to you to remind you of these two choices. Be mindful that you only have two options. Dear reader, either you will hold on to your faith in the Lord, remain steadfast in Christ, and receive your reward after you have endured … or you will shrink back into spiritual ruin.
Suffering can make life exceptionally hard. Sometimes, the difficulties that enter our lives leave us wounded and damaged. And sometimes, healing from those wounds, whether physical or spiritual, seems next to impossible.
Nonetheless, in those seemingly impossible and very difficult circumstances, we only have two options: go forward or shrink back. But if we draw back, God says, “My soul has no pleasure in him.” So, within these two options, only one option will please God. I cannot speak on your behalf, but it is my heart’s desire and life goal to please God.
If your heart’s desire is the same, that is, if you desire to please God, you do not have two options. The option of shrinking back is removed, leaving you with only one choice: Go forth in the Lord. And if you choose to go forth, you will need to endure. Dear reader, if you choose to remain in faith and hold on to Christ with every fiber of your being despite the circumstances presented to you, endurance is mandatory.
So please, endure. Do not cast away your confidence in God. Rather, hold on to him, fully believing that your faith will give way to great reward. The readers of the Book of Hebrews needed this reminder back then, and we need it today as well.
We have need of endurance, and with the help of God the Father, Jesus Christ His Son, and His precious Holy Spirit, we will do just that. Be encouraged. Enduring isn’t easy, but it’s also not impossible. We can endure. With God, all things are possible. And when we endure, we will be rewarded.
That’s all I have for you today. Do not throw away your confidence. Hold on to your faith in God. Believe that he will see you through it. It is your only option.
Quin Arrington here, I just wanted to thank you for reading this week's Write On! Wednesday word. Browse the website for Christian Fiction & Nonfiction Books as well as Christian Apparel & Merchandise. The Now, That's A Word! YouTube Channel is here:
Have a blessed day!
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