The House of God
But believers have more than a confident spirit. They are also reminded that (2) we have a great priest over the house of God. All that the writer has said about the Melchizedek priesthood of Jesus is recalled here. Believers have not only a confident spirit, but also a competent advocate. He is continually available, completely aware of our present situation, and vitally involved with us in working all things together for good. His great concern is the welfare of each member of the household of God, and “we are his house,” as the writer has told us unmistakably in Heb. 3:6.
Encouraged by these two powerful resources, a confident spirit and a competent advocate, believers are now exhorted to three specific activities. (1) Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart. This “drawing near” must be the motive for all subsequent action. It includes more than formal prayer, since the present tense infers a continual drawing near. As the wick of a lamp continually draws oil for the light, so let us continually draw from God the strength and grace we need to function. This must be done (a) sincerely, without religious pretense; (b) believing, in simple faith that God means what he says; (c) without guilt, having cleansed the conscience by reliance on the sprinkled blood of Jesus; and (d) with integrity, in line with our public profession of commitment to Christ expressed in our baptism. This continual drawing near to God is the great privilege of every believer in Jesus, in contrast to the remoteness of the old covenant which excluded everyone from the holy places except the priests. Even they could not enter except under the most stringent conditions. This “drawing near” is that “access by faith into this grace in which we now stand” which Paul describes in Romans 5:2.
Stedman, Ray C. Hebrews. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1992. Print. The IVP New Testament Commentary Series.
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