Hebrews 10:21-23 – “21 and having a great priest over God’s house, 22 let’s draw near with a true heart in fullness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and having our body washed with pure water, 23 let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering; for he who promised is faithful.” (WEB)
Today, our Heavenly Father wants us to draw closer to Him with a true heart, in full assurance of Faith. Jesus, our High Priest is Interceding for us and all will be well. This full assurance of Faith “excludes all doubt and fear since the heart has now been perfected in love”, consistent with 1 John 4:18, which proclaims “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment.
When the Savior Invites us to “draw near” to Him, it is similar to when He Says, “Follow me” or “Come unto me.” He is Inviting us to follow His Example and develop a deep, intimate, and personal, relationship with Him. We can “draw near” to Him by: Learning about Him in the Scriptures. Serving and loving others, like He would. Drawing near to God comes with an additional promise: God will Respond by moving closer to us. That’s an incredible act of Mercy on God’s part. The God of the universe owes us nothing, including His closeness.
Assurance of Faith is the conviction that one belongs to Christ through Faith and will enjoy everlasting salvation. A person who has ‘assurance’ not only believes in Christ’s Righteousness as his salvation, but also knows that he believes and that he is graciously Loved by God. It relies in unquestioning certainty upon what God has Declared to be true. And when there is this complete reliance upon the Promise of God, the Holy Spirit Bears witness to the Truth, so that the believer has the full assurance of Faith. Assurance comes from Faith in the Promises of God. Assurance of Faith comes from the testimony of the Holy Spirit testifying to our spirits that we are children of God. Assurance comes from “a serious and holy pursuit of a clear conscience and of good works
WHAT DOES ASSURANCE THAT FAITH BRINGS: when we are bidden to draw near to God with true hearts in full assurance of Faith, the meaning is that we are to rest implicitly on what God has Revealed concerning His Son and His glorious work for our redemption.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FAITH AND ASSURANCE: Faith gets into the plane; assurance enjoys the journey. Faith puts you “in Christ” where you are completely safe, even if you are full of fear; assurance is the joy and peace that comes from knowing that in Christ you are completely safe.
Beloved: God admonishing us to draw near to Him, suggests that we may be far from Him. It also reveals that He is Doing His Part to be closer to us; we have to also do our part to love and draw closer to Him. Are we ready to consciously do all it takes for us to draw near to Him? Many of us waver in Faith because we don’t really know Him and His Ways.
Also, God is asking us to draw closer to Him with a true heart. This suggests that one can attempt drawing nearer to God with a ‘fake’ heart. Some people go to church and pay tithes not because they love God but because of welfare benefits. Many of us perceive God as a ‘hospital’; only relevant in times of need.
We may be wondering, “What then characterises a true heart?”. The true heart God is searching for, is one full of Faith, free of evil conscience, and consciously living a pure life. Though we are not yet perfected, let us strive to live in holiness. For most of us, the reason we doubt God is not because we deem Him unfaithful, but because we are afraid our sins will not qualify us to receive of God.
Special one, the author of Hebrews gives us two powerful reasons for which we should never lose Faith as follows: 1. Because Jesus continues to pray and intercede for us as our High Priest, and 2. Because God is so faithful and will surely perform what He has Promised. We must not lose hope or waver in Faith at all.
I want to challenge us today. Let us draw near to God with a genuine love, and commitment to obedience. Let us analyse our thoughts and conscience to find out if there are selfish or evil motives with which we live. Jesus is with us, and our Heavenly Father is Faithful. Let us prepare ourselves for Divine Restoration.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, I want to draw closer to You, that I may know Your very Nature, Glory and Ways. Help me to rise in Faith and purity of heart. Grant me the Grace to honour You with my body. Help me LORD, that I may draw nearer to You in full assurance of Faith. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
QUESTION FOR MEDITATION
What can I do to ensure that I constantly hold fast in Faith without wavering?
