By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo
Hebrews 4:16 "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."- NIV
In the old covenant, the high priest would access the holy of holies in the temple only once a year to offer sacrifices to atone for the people’s sins, begining with his own. Jesus, the high priest of the new covenant, didn’t enter a physical temple, but the very throne of God Most High in heaven. He shed His own blood to once and forever atone for all human sins. One never needs to offer animal blood or other sacrifices for their sins any more. Jesus blood is forever enough to wash away sin, confessed and repented of.
The other wonderful news is that it’s not only the priests who have access to God’s throne on behalf of others, but anyone can now access God’s holy throne by the blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus, Who takes away our sins. To confirm this, when Jesus died on the cross, the curtain which separated the most holy (where the ark of the old covenant representing God’s presence was), and the holy place in the temple, was torn from top to bottom(Matthew 27:51).
This implied a broken barrier between man and God. Now at any time, we can access the throne of grace and commune with our loving Father, and to find help for our needs without fear of judgment or rejection, but with confidence of acceptance by God on account of the atoning work of Jesus. Access, moreover to God Almighty, is a great gift! We come to God in Jesus name, not on the basis of any good works. That is grace, to be accepted for what we didn’t even deserve in the first place! Glory to God! So come to God as you are.
Hebrews 4:15 "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."
Shalom children of God.