No More Shrinking

June 19

Read: Hebrews 10:19-39

No More Shrinking

“But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.” (v.39)

The true children of God were never designed to be those who “shrink back” and “are destroyed”. Quite the opposite really. Christ has called us to a bold assurance of who we are IN HIM. The “new and living” way of Christ is one that empowers the people of God… it is one that is designed to breed confidence not doubt. Look at these confident declarations:

“…we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us…” (v.19,20)

“…we have a great priest over the house of God…” (v.21)

“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.” (v.22)

You see, the “old law” is designed to do the opposite. The old law breeds a lack of confidence… AS IT SHOULD. The old law cultivates a lack of confidence IN OURSELVES and our own efforts. (This is a good thing.) This is what prepares us to receive the “new and living law” which is rooted in our confidence IN CHRIST. We trade confidence in ourselves for confidence in Christ. If we are unclear about what Christ has done (what we have looked at in the previous few devotions) then we will shrink back in fear and lack confidence… we will feel like a fraud when we read the scriptures above!

In Christ, we are “brought into the holy places”; this is the very presence of God. Jesus has “sprinkled us clean”. We are not being challenged to try and develop confidence around how good we get at being “good”, it is quite the opposite. We rest in Christ and what he has done and who HE is within us. How often we are tempted to “throw away our confidence”. (v.35) It is possible to do that you know? We “throw away” this message of Christ alone because it just seems too good to be true. We corrupt this message of Christ alone by trying to add just a tiny bit of our own efforts… our own responsibilities… re-introducing just a little bit of the “old law”. Every time we try to add our own human efforts into the equation…when we take “old law” and mix it together with the “new law”… we end up “throwing our confidence away”. The “old law” will always erode confidence, this is its design. There is “great reward” to be found in CHRIST ALONE… this “new and living way” opened up for us. (v.35)

We are in great “need of endurance”. (v.36) We are trusting Christ has made it true that “…we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who have faith and preserve their souls.” Therefore, “…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.” This is the “new and living” way we have been given in Christ. Draw near to him today. Ask him to speak to you. Listen to him as he meets you through the Spirit, in the Scriptures, and through the words and actions of his people! The time for being ashamed, scared, easily broken down, riddled with guilt, and side-lined has come to an end! The Lord knows we need hope, confidence, endurance, and faith in this world. Be good and courageous… that is what you are meant to be in Christ. Love you guys. - JDP