A True Heart
Hebrews 10:19-22 ESV says, “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”
Hebrews tells an eloquent and daring story of what Christ has done and how we might respond to that reality. I find this book to be one of the most challenging books of the New Testament to ingest because of the depth of the concepts conveyed. Yet within this rich account, we find cornerstone truths about how we can walk the Christian journey and respond rightly to Christ.
This passage sums up the gospel of grace. Before Christ came and suffered on the cross, the door to freedom and life was closed. We were barred from entry because of our sin and rebellion. Our exclusion was not because God wanted to get rid of us. His holiness, wisdom, and justice determined that sinfulness and wickedness cannot mix with the way of life.
What did God do in response to this? He enacted his eternal plan through the Son to redeem his creation. Christ’s act of redemption is the pure water to cleanse and the sprinkled blood to atone. More than that, Christ has become the great high priest, replacing the role of the Israelite priests of old. His priesthood is far greater because he offers his own blood, which has the power to save.
In light of this, we might still choose to hang on the outer edge of the holy of holies. After living a life of sinful rebellion, it feels a bit out of place to enter a place so holy. Of course, this is a spiritual place associated with the condition of our heart, mind, and soul. Despite the enormity of the gift of grace, our hearts are often inclined to stay on the outskirts of freedom.
In the place of a genuinely radical life in the presence of God, we often get religion. This is a sore replacement for what Christ has done. Religion does well if it points us to greater devotion, but it often becomes a checklist of routines and rituals.
I invite you to examine your heart. Do you have the confidence to enter boldly into the holy places and be transformed into the likeness of God? Or are you clinging to routines and ideologies that can’t save your soul? What might it look like to renew your understanding of the invitation you have to the very presence of God? I pray that God opens the path for you to receive a true heart of freedom.
