“So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” Hebrews 4:14-16, NLT
Note from the Christian Basics Bible
Confidence—the assurance we can do or say something—is a valuable asset. When we know we have the ability or resources to do a task, or that right is on our side, we can face the toughest challenges. Of course, some of us are naturally more confident than others; and our confidence can be challenged when we encounter someone who is just as confident as us but takes a different viewpoint.
Hebrews, however, speaks of an entirely different kind of confidence, one that isn’t based on our abilities and knowledge—which will ultimately fail in some situation or other—but rather, one that is based on Christ alone. Such confidence means we can approach God boldly (Hebrews 4:16)—yes, boldly! For it is not dependent on us—our efforts or goodness—but on Christ our great High Priest alone (4:14-15), who not only acted as our priest but who also offered himself as a perfect sacrifice for us (9:11-14, 24-28).
It was through this sacrifice that he removed every trace of sin from us, thus cleansing our conscience (9:14) and removing any barrier to our being able to enter God’s presence and know him as our friend. Because of Christ, God is now utterly approachable (10:19-22).