Finding Grace

 DEVOTION

TO HEBREWS

FINDING GRACE

Heb 4:12-16

12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. 14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are — yet was without sin. 16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

NIV

It is the therefore which we must pay close attention to for that is where the point of all that was said before comes. Jesus is our high priest, the only priest we need, yet this author calls Jesus the High Priest, for he is the one who made atonement for our sins. We remember the Old Testament high priest on the one day of atonement was allowed to enter the Holy of Holies and sprinkle blood on the mercy seat of the Arc of the Covenant. If the high priest was not holy having prepared himself properly, God would strike him down dead. Jesus is the pure and holist and proper High Priest, who offered His own blood as the final act of atonement for all our sins and then went up into the heavens to sit at the right hand of the Father where Jesus is continually making intercession for us. This is He who we hold firmly to the faith we profess. Nothing will deter us from freely professing our unwavering faith in our Lord and Savior, our High Priest, Jesus Christ. He knows our struggles, our temptations, for He was once a man just like us, and faced the same temptations we are tempted with, yet he did not fall, he lived a perfect life, so He could be the perfect Lamb of God, the pure and holy sacrifice needed to satisfy the justice of God, who was himself, for Jesus is God, who came in the flesh, who was in the beginning who made all that was made, for nothing was made that was not made by Him. Therefore, we have nothing to fear from God and can approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find that grace to help us in our time of need. Interestingly, the Greek word charis, translated as grace here, means loving-kindness, the goodwill and favor of God expressed toward us. Any time we are struggling with temptation, and even when we yield to it and fall short, we still can have confidence that God will still express His loving kindness, His grace, and His forgiveness to us for Jesus, our High Priest is right there making intercession for us. God is consistent, His grace never fails, His faithfulness never fails, and so we are always assured we can approach His throne of grace with confidence and find His grace for our souls. When we approach God, He approaches us and we find grace.