We have considered the divine and everlasting basis of the Christian’s position, as set forth in the tenth chapter of the epistle to the Hebrews. Let us now see what this same scripture tells us of the Christian’s work, and of the sphere in which that work is to be carried on.
The Christian is brought into the immediate presence of God, inside the veil, into the holiest of all. This is his proper place, if indeed we are to listen to the voice of Scripture. “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which He hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, His flesh; and having a high priest over the house of God; let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.”
Our God, blessed be His holy name, would have us near unto Himself. He has made for us a title clear and indisputable in “the blood of Jesus.” Nothing more is needed. That precious blood stands out before the eye of faith in all its infinite value. In it alone we read our title. It is not the blood and something else, be that anything else whatsoever. The blood constitutes our exclusive title. We come before God in all the perfect efficacy of that blood which rent the veil, glorified God as to the question of sin, cancelled our guilt according to all the demands of infinite holiness, silenced forever every accuser, every foe. We enter by a new and living way — a way which can never become old or dead. We enter by the direct invitation, yea, by the distinct command of God. It is positive disobedience not to come. We enter to receive the loving welcome of our Father’s heart; it is an insult to that love not to come. He tells us to come boldly — to “draw near” with full, unclouded confidence — a boldness and confidence commensurate with the love that invites us, the Word that commands us and the blood that fits and entitles us. We dishonor the eternal Trinity to not draw near.
Is all of this understood and taught by much of Christendom today? Do the creeds, confessions and liturgical services harmonize with the apostolic teaching in Hebrews 10? Alas! they do not. They are in direct antagonism, and the state of souls, accordingly, is the very reverse of what it ought to be. In place of “draw near” it is keep away. In place of liberty and boldness, it is legality and bondage. In place of a heart sprinkled from an evil conscience, it is a heart bowed down beneath the intolerable burden of unforgiven sin. In place of a great High Priest seated on the throne of God, in virtue of accomplished redemption, we have poor mortal — not to say sinful —priests standing from week to week, all year long in wearisome routine, actually contradicting, in their barren rites and ceremonies, the very foundation truths of Christianity.
How truly deplorable is all this! And then we think of the sad condition of the Lord’s dear people, the lambs and sheep of that precious flock for which He died! It is this that so deeply affects us. It is of little use attacking Christendom. We quite admit this, but we yearn over the souls of God’s people. We long to see them fully delivered from false teaching, from Judaism, legalism and every other ism that robs them of a full salvation and a precious Saviour. We long to reach them with the clear and soul-satisfying teachings of Holy Scripture, so that they may know and enjoy the things that are freely given to them of God. We can truly say there is nothing which gives us such painful concern as the state of the Lord’s dear people, and one special object for which we desire to live is to be the instrument of leading them into those green pastures and beside those still waters where the true Shepherd and Bishop of their souls longs to feed them, according to all the deep and tender love of His heart. He would have them near Himself, reposing in the light of His blessed countenance. It is not according to His mind or His loving heart that His people should be kept at a dim, cold distance from His presence, in doubt and darkness. Ah! no; His Word tells us to draw near — to come boldly — to appropriate freely — to make our very own all the precious privileges to which a Father’s love invites us and a Saviour’s blood entitles us.
“Let us draw near.” This is the voice of God to us. Christ has opened up the way. The veil is rent, our place is in the holiest of all, the conscience sprinkled, the body washed, the soul intelligently entering into the atoning value of the blood, and the cleansing, sanctifying power of the Word — its action on our habits, our ways, our associations, our entire course and character.
All this is of the very utmost practical value to every true lover of holiness — and every true Christian is a lover of holiness. “Our bodies washed with pure water” is a perfectly delightful thought. It sets forth the purifying action of the Word of God on the Christian’s entire course and character. We must not be content with having the heart sprinkled by the blood; we must also have the body washed with pure water.
And what then? “Let us hold fast the confession of the hope unwavering, (for He is faithful who has promised).” Blessed parenthesis! We may well hold fast, seeing He is faithful. Our hope can never make ashamed. It rests, in holy calmness, on the infallible faithfulness of Him who cannot lie, whose Word is settled forever in heaven, far above all the changes and chances of this mortal life, above the din of controversy, the strife of tongues, the impudent assaults of infidelity, the ignorant ravings of superstition — far above all these things, eternally settled in heaven is that Word which forms the ground of our “hope.”
It well becomes us, therefore, to hold fast. We should not have a single wavering thought — a single question — a single misgiving. For a Christian to doubt is to cast dishonor on the Word of a faithful God. Let skeptics and rationalists and infidels doubt, for they have nothing to believe, nothing to rest on, no certainty. But for a child of God to doubt is to call in question the faithfulness of the divine Promiser. We owe it to His glory, to say nothing of our own peace, to “hold fast the confession of the hope unwavering.” Thus may it be with every beloved member of the household of faith, until that longed-for moment “when faith and hope shall cease, and love abide alone.”
But there is one more interesting branch of Christian work at which we must glance before closing this pamphlet. “Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works.”
This is in lovely moral keeping with all that has gone before. The grace of God has so richly met all our personal need, setting before us such an array of precious privileges: an opened heaven, a rent veil, a crowned and seated Saviour, a great High Priest, a hearty welcome, a faithful Promiser, a sure and certain hope. Having all these marvelous blessings in full possession, what have we got to do? To consider ourselves? Certainly not! This would be superfluous and sinfully selfish. We could not possibly do so well for ourselves as God has done for us. He has left nothing unsaid, nothing undone, nothing to be desired. Our cup is full and running over. What remains? Simply to “consider one another”; to go out in the activities of holy love, and serve our brethren in every possible way; to be on the lookout for opportunities to do good; to be ready for every good work; to seek in a thousand little ways to make hearts glad; to seek to shed a ray of light on the moral gloom around us; to be a stream of refreshing in this sterile and thirsty wilderness.
These are some of the things that make up a Christian’s work. May we attend to them! May we be found provoking one another, not to envy and jealousy, but to love and good works; exhorting one another daily; diligently availing ourselves of the public assembly, and so much the more, as we see the day approaching.
May the Holy Spirit engrave on each of our hearts these most precious exhortations so thoroughly characteristic of our glorious Christianity: “Let us draw near.” “Let us hold fast.” “Let us consider one another.”
The veil is rent: our souls draw near
Unto a throne of grace;
The merits of the Lord appear,
They fill the holy place.
His precious blood has spoken there,
Before and on the throne:
And His own wounds in heaven declare,
The atoning work is done.
’Tis finished! here our souls have rest,
His work can never fail:
By Him, our Sacrifice and Priest,
We pass within the veil.
Within the holiest of all,
Cleansed by His precious blood,
Before the throne we prostrate fall,
And worship Thee, O God!