Communion

Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he has consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say, 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... Let us hold fast the profession of our hope without wavering, for he is faithful that promised. And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together... but exhorting one another, and so much more as we see the day approaching. (Hebrews 10:19-25)

How the insufficient old covenant points us to the sufficient Christ—and to a mature life of faith, hope, and love.

The Insufficiency of the Old Covenant

The book of Hebrews is awesome, and it is deeply grounded in the first covenant. It establishes so much of the truth of the new covenant by showing us that the old covenant was not enough. It was written to Christians who came out of a Hebrew background—people being tempted to go back to their religious tradition of the old covenant. The author, whose identity is uncertain because there is little internal evidence to tell us, writes to people tempted to return to their old way of life.

And it was an awesome system. The religion of Judaism was a system created by God; He instituted it. Every other religion in the world is the creation of man, but that system was established by God. Yet it was given for a specific purpose. It was never intended to make man holy. The old covenant was given to show that man was sinful, to reinforce continually the realization that there is no possible way, in our own effort, to make ourselves right before God.

Hebrews 10:1-25 is really a summary of this reality—that the old covenant system was insufficient and that we never measure up to the perfect standard, which is the holiness of God. The law shows us how holy God is and sets the standard we need to attain, but we never do. Many of us came out of a religious system where we tried to appease our conscience or make God happy, all the while recognizing we just weren't fulfilling it.

Why Even Our Good Works Fall Short

Most religion comes down to good works versus bad works: I do more good than bad, so hopefully God will recognize I did a lot of good things. But Paul tells us whatever is not from faith is sin. Isaiah 64:6 says even our good works are as filthy rags before God. The good that man does apart from faith will never atone for sin.

I am so thankful that Christ dealt with my sin on the cross—all in the past, all in the future. His blood is enough. He has sprinkled us with that atoning sacrifice, and His blood has removed our sin as far as the east is from the west. It does not merely cover sin, sweeping it under the rug; it brings complete remission. As Hebrews 9 says, without the shedding of blood there can be no remission of sins. So Jesus had to lay down His life.

The Outline and the Turning Point

The first five chapters of Hebrews establish that Jesus is greater than all the Old Testament prophets, greater than the patriarchs, greater than angels, the law, the temple, and the sacrifices. At the end of chapter 5 and into chapter 6, the author urges us to move on to maturity in Christ. Then he takes a parenthetical break through chapter 10, explaining a few more things—but his whole point is, let us move on to maturity, beyond a religious lifestyle into an active, vibrant relationship with the King of Kings, in communion with God and community with the body of Christ.

The phrase "let us" is key. It appears something like thirteen times in Hebrews. Chapter 10 is the turning point, and chapters 11, 12, and 13 explain it. After summarizing that the Old Testament sacrifices could not make us holy while Jesus' sacrifice removed sin completely, the author comes to verse 19. Notice the word therefore—an inference pointing back. Because Jesus' sacrifice cleanses us from all unrighteousness, "therefore, brethren," with boldness, "let us enter in."

Bold Access by a New and Living Way

Under the old covenant, only one man—the high priest—could enter the holy of holies, and only one day a year, on the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur. He brought a sacrifice for the whole nation and sprinkled the blood on the mercy seat. He had to do this year after year, and every time there was a fresh, conscious reminder: you are a sinner, and God is holy. Only one person could come, at one time of the year, to cover the sin of the people for a time.

But now in Christ the veil has been torn from top to bottom. We have boldness to enter the holiest—not by the blood of bulls and goats, not by our own efforts, but by the blood of Jesus, "by a new and living way" (verse 20). There need not be a new death, because a sacrifice means death, and something always died in your place. Now we come at any time through the veil, "that is to say, his flesh." He gave His flesh to open the way, and He is our high priest over the house of God.

Let Us Draw Near in Full Assurance of Faith

The first "let us" is to draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith (verse 22). Circle the word faith—it is one of the key aspects of Christian maturity, living in fresh and vital daily faith. Because of Jesus' work, we can walk with God just as Enoch did in Genesis, whom the author celebrates in the very next chapter. Enoch walked with the God he could not see, by faith. Now we can daily walk in a close, living relationship with the God who created everything seen and unseen.

James tells us that when we draw near to God, He draws near to us—and as an added benefit, the enemy flees. He flees not because we are powerful, but because we have come close to the presence of God. So we should perpetually draw near in full assurance of faith, nothing doubting. Our authority to approach Him is based not on our merit but on what Jesus has done.

Yet we have a tendency to rebuild religion, just like these Hebrew Christians. We say, "I can't draw near because I sinned this morning; I haven't read my Bible yet; I haven't taken communion in a while." We invent all kinds of reasons. But Scripture says we can draw near because Jesus dealt with all our sin and made the way wide open.

Hearts Sprinkled: Imputed Righteousness

Notice that we draw near "having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience." The Greek word for sprinkled appears only four times in the New Testament, all in Hebrews; the first three, in chapter 9, all deal with the high priest sprinkling blood for atonement. Jeremiah 17:9 says our hearts are desperately wicked—yet the blood of Jesus has been sprinkled upon them, just as the high priest sprinkled blood on the mercy seat seeking mercy. Jesus is our high priest, and He has sprinkled His blood upon us. Our sin is atoned for.

What hinders us from drawing near in full assurance? Our conscience. We want to enter His throne room, and then our conscience hangs us up: but I sinned this morning; I haven't spent time in the Word. The enemy loves to capitalize on this, telling us, Look at how you talked to your spouse, look at what you did on the freeway—you can't come before God. Yes, we are sinful. But the blood of Jesus has been sprinkled on our wicked hearts and atoned for our sin. When by faith we grab hold of that, we can enter at any time, because it is not according to our merit.

This is imputed righteousness. Second Corinthians 5:21 says He who knew no sin became sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Christ. Imputed is an accounting term. Picture a debt you owe a creditor, recorded in a ledger. Someone comes in and pays it; their funds are credited to your account—debt cleared, paid for. Jesus took our sin upon Himself and imputed His righteousness to us. That is why we can approach God with a clear conscience.

Bodies Washed: The Work of Sanctification

But although our sin has been dealt with, do we still sin? We do—probably all of us, this very week, sometimes in ways we did not even realize, sins of omission. When you become a Christian, you do not automatically become perfect. Your heart is right before God; He has imputed His righteousness to you. That is justification—just as if you had never sinned. But we still sin, and so God is refining us, sanctifying us, pruning out the dead branches that we might bear abundant fruit.

That is why verse 22 adds "and our bodies washed with pure water"—the ongoing work of sanctification as we draw near and walk in the light. In John 3, after John 3:16, Jesus says light has come into the world, but men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil. Wicked man hides in darkness, afraid his sin will be exposed. So men fear to approach God, who is light.

But notice 1 John 1:7: "If we walk in light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanses us from all sin." Our flesh fears that drawing near to God will expose us. The reality is, as we draw near, His light reveals our sin—which He already knew was there—but it also reveals something greater than our sin: His blood, which cleanses us from all sin. His blood opened the way in, and His blood continues to cleanse us once we are in.

Confession and Cleansing

What allows that cleansing? First John 1:9: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." The word confess is the compound Greek word homologeo—to say the same thing as, to agree with. We come into agreement with God that what we did, said, or thought is wrong. God says, Yes, it is. We ask Him to take it away, and He does. That is justification on the side of imputed righteousness, and cleansing on the side of imparted righteousness as we are sanctified. We cannot cleanse ourselves, but He cleanses us, so that we begin to look more and more like Him.

God uses His Word in this work. Ephesians 5:25-26 tells us Jesus washes us by the washing of the water of His Word. As we spend time in prayer and Scripture, walking in the light, He exposes our sin, we confess it, and He removes it as far as the east is from the west. If you are bothered by your sin and bring it to God in confession, you are being sanctified—that is a good thing. But John warns that if we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His Word is not in us. We want His Word to abide in us, revealing where we do not measure up.

Let Us Hold Fast Our Hope

The second "let us" comes in verse 23: "Let us hold fast the profession of our hope without wavering, for he is faithful that promised." The King James uses faith here, but the Greek word elpis appears 54 times in the New Testament and is translated hope 53 of them. This is the only place the translators chose faith. You could cross it out and write hope—I did in mine.

So verse 22 speaks of justification (our hearts sprinkled), and verse 23 speaks of glorification—our hope. Justification and sanctification are issues of faith; we are justified and sanctified by grace through faith. And we have hope of glorification: we will be with Him when we die. Jesus said in John 14, "Let not your heart be troubled... In my Father's house are many mansions... I go to prepare a place for you... and I will return and bring you to myself."

His death, burial, and resurrection deal with our justification; by that work He is now sanctifying us; and He will bring us to Himself in glorification. This is why the New Testament speaks of salvation as past ("we have been saved"), present ("we are being saved"), and future ("we shall be saved")—justified, being sanctified, and one day glorified.

A Sure Hope Built on His Faithfulness

This hope is not the blind, "well, I kind of hope so" of the average person you ask in the mall. They have no assurance. But we who are in Christ have absolute assurance. The phrase hold fast pictures a storm at sea, things being swept off the deck, yet something so prized that you lash it to the mast so nothing can wash it overboard. Our hope is of supreme value—Christ in you, the hope of glory.

How can our hope be so sure? The parenthesis at the end of verse 23: "for he is faithful that promised." Our hope does not waver because it has nothing to do with our merit and everything to do with His sure promise and faithfulness. We all waffle in our faithfulness to God—not necessarily in our belief, but in our adherence to His call. If our salvation depended on our faithfulness, that would be a dreadful existence, no different than Islam, Mormonism, or the Jehovah's Witness faith, where there is no assurance from one minute to the next. Our hope stands steadfast because Jesus, who promised, is faithful.

Let Us Consider One Another in Love

If we have faith, then hope, what comes next? Verse 24: "Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works." Since Jesus has justified us, is sanctifying us, and has promised to glorify us, should we now just sit back and do nothing because He has done it all? Some within the body of Christ say so. But the answer is no.

The word provoke pictures a dying fire—just coals and embers—and taking a stick to stir it up and breathe upon it. We are to stir one another up to a love that works, to love and good deeds. We are walking through 1 Corinthians 13 on Sundays, where the virtues of Christian love are defined: love suffers long and is kind, does not envy, does not boast. Having been justified, being sanctified, and destined to be glorified, we should consider one another and stir each other up to live out these virtues—both within the household of faith and toward those outside.

Do Not Forsake the Assembly

How are we to do this? Verse 25: do not neglect gathering together as the body of Christ. Salvation is individual—my being justified does not guarantee my children will be; there is no universal or corporate salvation. But once saved individually, God brings us into the body and desires that we function in Christian love, fulfilling the good works He prepared for us, because He is more greatly glorified in that.

Some say, "My relationship with God is my own; I was saved individually; I don't need the church." That is wrong. Jesus says, I build my church. I save you individually, but I place you into the body so you might love one another, love Me, and love those outside—not to inherit salvation, but because you have inherited it. People forsake the assembly out of arrogance or ignorance, but they should not.

Instead, "exhort one another." The word parakaleo means to come alongside with the call—like a coach or trainer who runs beside you saying, "Come on, one more rep, let's do this." And "so much more as you see the day approaching"—the day Jesus comes for us. That finish line is coming, so we exhort and stir one another up to love and good deeds.

Faith, Hope, and Love: Christian Maturity

These verses are the turning point of Hebrews. Chapter 11 is the hall of faith, chapter 12 expresses our confidence of hope, and chapter 13 calls us to brotherly love. Faith, hope, and love—this is what it means to live in Christian maturity: a vibrant faith that God has justified and is sanctifying us, a steadfast hope that He will one day glorify us, and out of that a love for God, for the body, and for the world expressed in good works.

As we will see in 1 Corinthians 13:13, the greatest of these is love. The church at Ephesus in Revelation 2 was challenged for losing this. But Paul affirmed the Thessalonians: "remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labor of love, and patience of hope" (1 Thessalonians 1:3). And he exhorts them, "putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet, the hope of salvation" (1 Thessalonians 5:8). Throughout the New Testament I keep stumbling upon this reality—faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these for us here on earth is love: love for God, love for one another, love expressed in good works to the world. So, church, consider one another to stir each other up to love and good deeds, because we have been justified, are being sanctified, and shall be glorified. That is a done deal. So we focus on love.

Closing Prayer

Father, we thank You that You have saved us and called us, set us apart for Your glory. Glorify Yourself in and through our lives, we pray. Be magnified, God, in our expression of love for You as we now sing these songs of adoration and praise. Be magnified in this expression of love. Be glorified as we express our love one toward another, and, Lord, be magnified in this world as we express our love to those that are outside. Work this out in our lives, Lord, we pray. We thank You. Amen.