Where Is The Hope When we Sin?
Believing Jesus has Forgiven me.
"For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen
As we continue on in this remarkable passage in Hebrews we now come to point where the Writer says we can come to Christ with Confidence. What does that mean to you? Stop for a moment and ponder that before reading on.
The idea that I can confidently approach God, regardless of the circumstances, fills me with indescribable encouragement. Yet, too often, when we stumble into sin, feelings of guilt and shame flood our minds, prompting us to flee from God's presence. However, it's crucial to recognize that these feelings of remorse stemming from sin are actually beneficial—the Holy Spirit is actively at work within us, tenderizing our hearts.
Nevertheless, it's all too common for us to allow God to initiate a transformative work in us, only to revert to our own ways and follow our emotions. Yet, in this passage, it becomes evident that when we experience the convicting power of the Holy Spirit, God desires us to approach Him boldly. Not seeking forgiveness, for we already have it, but approaching with full assurance that God has already pardoned us and that His love for us remains steadfast.
Some will say that saying this outright gives us free license to continue to sin....GOD Forbid! Are there some who will try that, yes! But the overwhelming majority of true believers are not in that camp, they are the group being addressed in this passage...the broken, the shamed, those who feel they have no Hope to talk with their Heavenly Father.
HEBREWS 10:
16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts,
and write them on their minds,”
17 then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”18 Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.
19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
HOPE IN ACTION: Though our sins are already forgiven once and for all through the New Covenant established by Jesus' perfect sacrifice, we still stumble. However, we can find comfort in knowing that the Holy Spirit will convict our hearts. Yet, let us not be discouraged, but rather emboldened by the words we've read today. God desires us to approach Him boldly, free from shame and fear. He is a compassionate and gracious God, eagerly awaiting our return with open arms, declaring, "You are forgiven!" Therefore, let us come before Him with confidence, not relying on our own merits or entitlement, but trusting in the love and grace of God manifested in His Son, Jesus.
