Hebrews 4:11-16
The Word Discovers Our Condition
11 Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience. 12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
Our Compassionate High Priest
14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
The word of God reveals our corrupt hearts and yet grace is offered in our Mediator and great High Priest, Jesus Christ the Son of God, to openly approach when His word uncovers our sin. His word is much more than markings of words on various mediums to read and understand; it is alive because it comes from God’s breath (2 Timothy 3:16) and because Jesus Christ is Himself the Word (John 1:1-3, 14, Revelation 19:13) made into a man and yet still divine God in the mysterious hypostatic union of the mortal and divine natures. We then who have entered into His rest by His righteousness worked for our salvation are to pursue abiding in that Sabbath rest and not attempt to return to reliance on our own efforts to achieve righteousness. This does not negate our accountability and responsibility to obey His word, however. This word which we read or hear spoken to us has the power of life and discernment to expose our hidden intentions and motives (Psalm 90:8) emanating from our hearts and minds, even when we attempt to mask them to others. It brings us into the open view of the Lord and to one another in the end as we are called to account for reward or loss (1 Corinthians 3:12-13, 14-15) on the day of reckoning at the resurrection of the dead. Ah, but we have confidence (Ephesians 3:12) in our great High Priest who continually intercedes for us to the Father (Romans 8:34, 1 Timothy 2:5, Hebrews 7:25, 1 John 2:1-2) and gives us confidence to repent, receive forgiveness, and continue to walk in Christ whom we have already confessed and in whose righteousness we live and breath. He was tempted as we were as a man, but as God welded to that frail nature we share, He did not ever sin as we do. No, He is divine and is therefore able to sympathize with our mortal nature to forgive and help in our struggles against sin (Romans 7:23-25) until we see the consummation of redemption in the resurrection where sin is no longer present around us and we are made new in this present sinful flesh, just as our sinful souls have been in our spiritual rebirth already here and now. Because of these promises and the power of His word in the hands of our almighty High Priest, we are able and allowed to approach the throne of grace, holding nothing back, to find the help we need to put to death the sins (Romans 8:12-13) of our mortal and fallible flesh in which we worship Him in faith and assured confidence according to that same word. The revealing word of God shows us His grace to which we run to worship before His throne in absolute confidence for His intercession and assistance.
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