A Call to Persevere

Meditations on Seeking the Life in Christ

 November 13, 2020

A Call to Persevere

And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.

Hebrews 10:21-22

In the Temple worship of sacrifices under the Old Covenant, the priest could make sin offerings for only two types of sins: violations of God’s law in ignorance, or unintentional violations of God’s law. There was no sin offering for someone who intentionally, willfully violated God’s law. Within the Jewish culture, such willful violations could result in capital punishment – death to the violator. Do you recall the story of the woman caught in adultery in John 8? The woman was on the verge of execution for her willful sinfulness.

The writer to Hebrews has reminded us of the extraordinarily Good News of the New Covenant. Jesus’ sacrifice of his life, his blood, is once and for all time a sin offering for our willful disobedience, our willful sins against God. Hallelujah!

The above verses are included in a passage that is a summary of the qualities of life for those who have ‘entered heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus.’ The writer describes hearts that have, in John Wesley’s words, ‘been strangely warmed.’ The gift of full assurance has been realized through our baptism into the life of Christ. (See Romans 6) And we hold firm in our confession of faith, not because we are so strong, but because ‘God can be trusted to keep his promises.’

My Takeaway: “Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise” (Hebrews 10:23).

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription.

 

Copyright © 2020 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.