Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Hebrews 10:19-22 This verse in Hebrews shows how Jesus took care of the sin separation between God and man. Jesus, through His sacrifice, paved a pathway back to a Holy God and gave us His righteousness. It's hard to wrap your head around, but it's true! Through Jesus we are now blameless.

Before Jesus came, people were dependent on the stipulations of the law for righteousness. King David in the Old Testament longed for righteousness and fellowship with God. He asked in Psalm 15, "O Lord, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy hill?" David knew a righteous man must walk in integrity and truth (Psalm 15:1-2). But, before Jesus, people always fell short of the perfection of the law.

Now, we have "a new and living way" through Jesus (Hebrews 10:20). The new covenant says that now, in Christ, we can draw near to God in full assurance of faith—not on the basis of performance but on the basis of His sacrifice (Hebrews 10:22). This new and living way mandates that we abide in Jesus. He is the only access to the Father. As we abide in Jesus, we become more like Him and grow in character. We have been given righteousness, but we must develop a lifestyle of character. Oswald Chambers said of character: "God makes me pure in heart; I must make myself pure in conduct."

We cannot earn closeness with God. I don't ever want religious activity to replace a relationship with God. As we stay close to Jesus we find strength that won't be shaken when challenges come (Psalm 1). Let's draw near to God with full assurance, knowing that we have been forgiven.

I love knowing Jesus!
Pastor Jeff







© 2008 St. Louis Family Church. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.