THE THRONE OF GRACE. Hebrews 4:16
Approaching the throne of grace is possible because our Lord Jesus Christ, our Great High Priest, is always ready to help us in our time of need. He understands our true needs because He has been here and knows what it is like to live in this world of sin and sinful people. There is no need for us to approach Him with a defeated attitude, nor should we come in a nonchalant, careless manner. When we come to the throne of grace, we should do so with reverent respect and calm assurance that we are welcome there.
At the throne of grace, undeserving petitioners find mercy—there is forgiveness there, and the grace we need to overcome temptations and go through trials is available when we need it. The “boldness” is not because we deserve the least of His mercies, but because He invites us to come expecting to receive what we truly need from His abundant supply of mercy and grace. This boldness or lack of fear, and the courage we need, is in contrast to the fear that the presence of God brought to the Israelites at Mt. Sinai. They couldn’t even touch the border of that mountain. Our Great High Priest has opened the way straight to the throne of grace.
Our Great High Priest is God, and He is at and on that throne. He is there at the right hand of the Majesty on high. He is the Ruler, the Judge, and at the same time our Advocate and mediator between us and the “thrice holy God!” We do not come to that throne because of our personal merit, but we have been made acceptable by the righteousness of Christ, which has been imputed to us.
For believers, especially Jewish believers, this can be difficult to understand. We have access to “this grace wherein we stand.” God’s grace gave His Son to be “made sin for us, He who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him."
Those who “have obtained mercy” can come with confidence and freedom from fear of rejection to receive mercy, divine favor, and blessing. We can also get the grace we need for what lies ahead of us. This mercy is not the mercy we need for salvation, but a faithful believer can go at any time to the throne of grace to find what our souls need in their dependence on God.
The “time of need” can come at any moment. It might be a testing time, or a time of correction; a moment of rejection, or a period when the world, the flesh, and the devil attack us. When we have already received mercy, the grace we require has also been provided by God’s power.
In such a state of soul, we are aware of God’s provision. The barrier between God and us has been removed, and we have been seated with Christ in heavenly places. The ability to “draw near” and find the “sufficient” grace we need is thanks to God's mercy and the Great High Priest who is our ever-present Intercessor. Understanding this humbles us and makes us think seriously about everything we do and speak. We do not want our hearts to condemn us and make us feel distant from God. “If our hearts condemn us not, then have we confidence.”
When we "Come boldly," we receive grace and mercy from the throne of grace [4:16], and in our confidence, we do not need to feel uncertain or insecure. We certainly do not want to come flippantly, but we must approach with reverence and respect, trusting and resting in Him.
Another exhortation, "Go on," urges us not to stop and miss God's desire and goal for us [6:1], which is our maturity. Those who have stopped at the foundational principles include both Jewish unbelievers and Christian believers. That verse does not mention the Lord Jesus Christ. For us, it is essential to go beyond the basics to understand faith fully. This responsibility falls on older Christians to teach new believers effectively.
"Be not slothful," or lazy in divine things, can be because of weak faith, heart, spirit, and soul [6:11- 12]. Our commitment at the beginning of our Christian life is usually enthusiastic. God will not overlook the evidence of a life lived for Him, even in the face of failure. There is no reason for letting ourselves get slack. Train hard and run well. We must keep pressing forward toward all God promised, and the rest we have now is a foretaste of what is ahead.
It is our privilege to "Draw near" with a sincere heart, full assurance of faith, a clear conscience, and a pure life [10:22]. We have personal access to God through Jesus Christ and can approach Him. We may grow in faith, overcome doubts, and deepen our relationship with God when we draw near. Our clean consciences enable us to approach boldly, and once we are cleansed, we can approach God confidently.
We are to "Hold fast without wavering," the confession of our hope and confidence in the promises of God [10:23] because of our faith. We may grow in faith, overcome our doubts, and deepen our friendship with God, so we can "Ask in faith, nothing wavering" [Jas 1:6].
In our relationship, we are to "Provoke" to love and labor [10:24]. That is our motivation when we need to remind each other of our origins. We must remember who we are now, and we also need to remind each other of the Lord's coming.
With that understanding of our Lord, we can see why He is the Great High Priest. Christ is a real priest of a higher priesthood that surpasses the Aaronic priesthood. The earthly high priest of Israel was limited in what he could do, as well as when and where he could do it. The Lord Jesus Christ's priesthood is superior because He has no limits on time, place, authority, or access to God. His position at the right hand of God signifies an active priesthood that endures forever. "He ever liveth to make intercession for us."
Not only is Christ a genuine priest [4:14], but He is also the rightful priest [5:4-6:20]. God chose Christ to be our priest [5:4-10]. The challenge for our High Priest is to represent people who truly believe, even though we often fall short [5:11-6:20]. Further explanation and description of His priesthood are provided when we see that He is a royal priest, "a priest forever" [7:1-8:5].
Our Lord Jesus Christ took the lowest place in His incarnation when He was "made a little lower than the angels." But now He is the highest of the high through His ascension into heaven, where, seated at the right hand of God, "He ever liveth to make intercession for us." As a Man, He was made a little lower than the angels [Heb. 2:7]. As a Kinsman, He is made like unto His brethren [Heb. 2:17]. As the Sufferer, He was made perfect through suffering [Heb. 5:9]. As our High Priest, He is made a high priest after the order of Melchizedek [Heb. 6:20]. As our Surety, He is made surety of a better covenant [Heb. 7:22]. As Inheritor, He is made so much better than the angels [Heb. 1:4]. As the Exalted One, He is made higher than the heavens [Heb. 7:26]. During His time here on earth, all of these offices He now bears were added to the "great offices" He bears, and bright his character appears, exalted on the throne. He returned to heaven with glory added to glory.