RESOURCES — SHORT ARTICLES

 

SHORT ARTICLES BY TOM ELSEROAD
	2021-04-26	Come Boldly To The Throne of Grace (He.4:16)
		Heb 4:16 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 main theme of the book of Hebrews is the superiority of Jesus. The writer urges his readers to believe and follow Him. Following Jesus is about confidence, not timidity. We have confidence because Jesus is our High Priest (He.4:14-15). Jesus is described as a merciful and faithful high priest who accomplished the satisfaction of God’s wrath for our sin. In the Mosaic Law, the high priest would intercede on behalf of the people and was at least a symbolic head (Nu.25). The priest would bring sacrifices to God on behalf of the people of Israel. While ordinarily the high priest would bring the sacrifice, Jesus Himself WAS the sacrifice. He could be the sacrifice because He had become like those for whom He was giving Himself up (He2:17). Because of Jesus the High Priest, we can come boldly to the throne of grace (He.4:16). Jesus is a trustworthy high priest, as God the Father counted Him faithful (He.3:2). If the Father counts Jesus as faithful, then we can, too. In the Mosaic Law, that which was sacrificed died, and so new sacrifices were necessary to temporarily cover sin. But Jesus as a high priest brought a different kind of sacrifice. Jesus sacrificed Himself. He was resurrected and ascended into heaven giving us another evidence of the Father's satisfaction. Thus, Jesus is faithful and can accomplish salvation for all who believe in Him. Because of Jesus we can come boldly to the throne of grace. Because He became like us when He became a man, He is a high priest who sympathizes with our weakness (He.4:15). Because Jesus was a man, He could be our substitute. He can stand in our place to pay the price for sin. That is, death! He could pay the price in our place as a man. Because Jesus was God, He had no sin of His own and He could arise from the grave showing that He conquered sin and death. His one-time sacrifice was enough (He.9:26). Because of Jesus we can now come boldly to the throne of grace. This is not because of any merit on our behalf. Now that He has made it possible for us to come to God, we come to Him by faith (He.11:6). Because of Jesus we can come boldly. It is no longer a throne of judgment for us. Rather, it is where we have received forgiveness by His grace. Jesus, our High Priest, intercedes on our behalf even today (Ro.8:34). We can come to that same throne in prayer knowing that we are no longer enemies of God, but beloved children, who can call Him “Abba, Father” (Ga.4:6; Ro.8:15). Pastor Tom Elseroad

 

An Evangelical Free Church of America

23304 E Wellesley Ave. Otis Orchards, WA 99027 Church Office: 509.926.9552 Church Cell: 509.342.9145 Pastor Cell: 509.828.8843 tomelseroad@gmail.com