He Who Promised is Faithful (Hebrews 10:23)

We can be encouraged by seeing that God deals in absolutes, all the time.  Today, let’s look at the further encouragement that we can have because our God does nothing half-way, half-rate, or half-baked.

Hebrews 10:19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

Looking at that passage through a lens of absolutes, just look what God offers us!  

• We’re brothers and sisters in Christ (period!) and we don’t need to be enemies or adversaries anymore (if only we understood that). 
• We can have confidence, not just a little bit of etiquette coaching to keep us from getting obliterated, but full confidence to enter. 
• Enter what?  The Most Holy Place!  Before we would have been afraid to come into God’s presence, but now we can have confidence!  Full and complete!
• We have confidence because this is the absolute power of the blood of Jesus.  He is our absolute and perfect sacrifice! 
• He opened a new way, not simply rebuilding, reforming, or tweaking an old way.   
• He opened a living way because He died for our sins.  He didn’t half die, half suffer, or go Dutch, half paying and we’re responsible for the other half.  No way!  He said, “It is finished!”  Boom.  Now we have access to eternal life!
• He’s our Great High Priest over the house of God!  He’s needs no other intermediaries and we don’t either.  Jesus Christ is absolutely perfect and perfectly enough for all we need for all time.
• We can have sincere hearts and full assurance of faith.  No half-hearted and tepid assurance!  Nope.  It’s all or nothing.
• Why?  Because our hearts have been cleansed … even from a guilty conscience as if we’ve been washed head-to-toe, inside and out with pure water that doesn’t come from a bottle or filtered Zero water.  It’s perfectly pure.

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Because this is absolutely, completely, and thoroughly ours through confession of faith in Christ and His immeasurable grace, we have total confidence in this hope:

He who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:23)

Think about it: 

• If God didn’t deal in absolutes, how much confidence could we really have? 
• If we have been all-or-nothing forgiven by grace, because it’s all or nothing law (James 2:10) that we cannot keep, how does that raise the stakes for spreading the good news about salvation? 
• How ought it inform our understanding that we have been forgiven and not reliving what we regret?

Praise Him!  He is faithful.  Praise Him for this full and complete confidence given to us as a gift!  Praise Him for the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ.  Praise Him that we need no other advocate or intermediary!  Praise Him!  He is God alone.