A Confident Confession of Christ

On account of all Christ’s work as priest, the author confidently claims that God’s people are to “draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.” To whom can we draw near? To the Father. And in what manner can we draw near to him? With a true heart in full assurance. In other words, we can now stand before God certain that our sins are forgiven by virtue of our faith in Jesus.

Full assurance of faith has been a matter of Christian turmoil and some controversy throughout the centuries of the church. Many Christians struggle with the certainty of their salvation. But the New Testament exhorts Christians to know they are saved. God grants assurance, not on the basis of man’s faith, but on the basis of Christ’s faithfulness. The apostle John writes in 1 John 5:13, “I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” And Romans 10:9,13 promise that the one who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Thus, the believer is to have full confidence, not in self or in personal faithfulness, but in the object of the faith, Jesus Christ. At the same time, believers must heed the numerous warnings the author of Hebrews gives through his letter. A believer necessarily produces fruit. If a faith is fruitless, it will not save.

The language of sprinkling alludes to the sacrificial system in the Old Testament. On the Day of Atonement, the priest would sprinkle the blood of the sacrifice on the mercy seat of God, resulting in propitiation (Lev 16:14). Consequently, God would alter his disposition toward Israel from wrath to acceptance. Just as the blood spilled and sprinkled purified God’s people under the old covenant, Christ’s blood purifies us under the new covenant. Jesus’s blood, however, cleanses us with superior power and efficiency. His blood, unlike that of bulls and goats, purifies the conscience. It cleanses us from sin at our cores and perfects our hearts.

The washing with “pure water” also points back to the Old Testament, where washings of the body were required for cleanliness. These washings were unable to truly cleanse the people, though. A washing that truly purifies seems to be the type the author of Hebrews has in mind here. This pure water washes us completely clean from sin. It is a comprehensive cleansing that purifies us internally, not just externally. The language of washing also suggests a beautiful image pointing to baptism as a picture of salvation. In baptism we are graphically buried with Christ and beautifully raised with him in newness of life. It is the external symbol of the internal work accomplished by Christ.

Hebrews 10:23-25

In this passage the author of Hebrews brilliantly addresses all aspects of time:

He first comments on the past by mentioning God’s faithfulness to his promises. He addresses the need for Christian fellowship and encouragement in the present. He also extends his exhortations into the future, recognizing the approaching day of the Lord.

On the grounds of confidence and full assurance, the author of Hebrews implores his readers to “hold on to the confession of our hope.” The confession demonstrates faith. It is the verbal verification of repentant hearts. What is the confession of Christian hope? Jesus is Lord and Jesus saves. The writer of Hebrews is not referencing a lengthy doctrinal statement. The confession on his mind is the central confession that Jesus saves sinners. Christians must never waver or stray from that confession in any capacity. Like the author’s audience, we must hold on to the confession in which we initially place our hope.

The Christian holds on not by his own tenacity, but by God’s faithfulness. We will persevere until the end because God does not abandon his children. God has proved faithful to his promises throughout Scripture. Jesus affirmed the Father’s faithfulness in John 6:37: “Everyone the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will never cast out.” No one who comes to Christ can ever be snatched out of his hand (John 10:28). God’s power guards his children. Man can do nothing by his own power to keep himself. The security of God’s protection and provision allows the church to hold the confession without wavering.

The author shifts to the present in verse 24. Here he stresses Christian fellowship and the church’s role in helping believers persevere until the end. We cannot have confidence and full assurance of faith apart from the church. We cannot endure in isolation. Each Christian desperately needs the body of believers for encouragement. To obtain assurance, we need continual reminding from other saints.

Christ calls his followers to bring out the best in each other. Believers must actively and verbally stir up one another to love and good works. An unhealthy church fails to do this. Unfortunately, some churches bring out the worst in their attendees rather than the best. The hymn “Blest Be the Tie That Binds” beautifully echoes the fellowship in the Lord Jesus Christ and the value of bearing one another’s burdens.

Christians must not neglect gathering together for corporate worship and for times of prayer and encouragement. Verses 24 and 25 are strong words of judgment against those who are in the habit of neglecting other believers. Those who neglect assembling together cut themselves off from the very means whereby Christ feeds, assures, and protects his people. To say, “I can do this alone,” is to defy the very command of Christ. Some may claim that they can hear better preaching on the Internet or that they are too busy to attend church, but these excuses reveal the reality of a disobedient heart. Instead of searching for an excuse, Christians should be doing everything within their power to meet together. Not only because they need to be fed by the preaching of God’s Word but also because it is part of the faith to stir up fellow believers to love and good works.

Finally, the author turns his focus on the future. Many English translations capitalize the word day because it refers to a specific day in history. It refers to the day of Christ’s return and God’s judgment (2 Pet 3:10). Christ will call together his church on that day, and he will judge those who do not belong to it.

Faithful anticipation should characterize the church’s daily life. The nearness of Christ’s return makes our encouragement of one another and our gathering together all the more urgent and all the more significant. As time moves toward the Day of the Lord, the author expects the church to grow in faithful commitment. No one knows when that day will come, but God’s Word confirms that the day is imminent. We must remain ready.