The Old Testament High Priests were warned that they must atone for their own sins in their service in the Tabernacle and later the Temple. They could not enter into the holiest unless they first of all offered the appropriate sacrifice for their own sins. God warned them that if they entered that place unworthily they would face certain death.
In Jesus Christ the way has been opened for all to be able to come before God’s throne. In the context of this passage the saved person has open access to God’s mercy seat. We can come and confess our sin to God and we can be forgiven and cleansed and brought back into right fellowship with the Lord.
A saved person can come before God’s throne at any time by him or herself. The godly pastor is not a priest. When a Christian sins, he or she does not need to seek out a pastor to confess their sin to. They need to go directly to God in Jesus name and confess their sin to God. I John 1:9 makes that clear. We are blessed in this dispensation of having that direct access to God through Jesus Christ. The Old Testament high priest was a type of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ abolished the need of a human high priest. We now have the Great High Priest that is there for all saints. There is no lineup. Every true saint has access to this One Great High Priest at all times. The lost can also come to God through Jesus Christ and be saved, but in our context, it is speaking to the saints.
Peter was directed to remind saved people that “we” are a royal priesthood. God provided the way for any person to come before Him, and that way is through the blood of Jesus Christ.
In verse 20 we are reminded that this is by a new and living way. Jesus Christ is not dead. The bulls and goats that shed their blood for the atonement, were killed. They did not get up and go out to pasture again. They were dead. Jesus Christ went to the cross and He died there. He shed His blood there. However, He was buried and then rose again the third day. He is not dead today. He is alive and He is the Only One Who can take away our sins.
Jesus Christ went through the veil and through His shed blood, that veil was torn in two from the top to the bottom. He personally, in His flesh made the way open for us to come before God’s heavenly mercy seat.
In verse 21 we are reminded that there is only One High Priest over the house of God. Jesus Christ is the head of every true local church. Every true born again Christian prays to God in Jesus’ name. There are far too many professing Christians who seem to be ignorant of this important fact. They think they can talk directly to God or to Jesus or to the Holy Spirit. They have no understanding and no conviction about this. Jesus Christ is the only High Priest. He is over the house of God.
This in no way supports the false teaching of the “universal church”. Every true local church has the same Head — the Lord Jesus Christ. In the Millennium, the Lord Jesus Christ will rule over His kingdom. The entire world of that time will be under His rule. In Heaven all saints will be together under the rule of the Lord Jesus Christ. In this present age, true churches are separated by location. True churches will be under the rule of the Lord Jesus Christ, but the pastors and members belong to a local assembly.
In verse 22 we are encouraged to draw near with a true heart. . . The “us” in this passage is saints. Lost people do not have a true heart in full assurance of faith. Their hearts have not been sprinkled from an evil conscience. We are again reminded here of the change that God makes in the heart of the saved person. It is foolish for saved people to fight against the truth. Saved people cannot get away with doing that. Lost people can and do. However, judgment day is coming. The saved person has the heart sprinkled from an evil conscience, and their body washed with pure water.
Don’t be fooled. If you still want to hold on to your sinful habits, you are demonstrating that you have not been cleansed. You are not saved. You need to turn to God in repentance and be saved. You are not doing yourself any favours by following deception rather than truth.
In verse 23 we are told to hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering. We have a faithful Saviour and God. The Bible warns of the falling away. We are witnessing a great falling away in our time. There are people who once seemed to hold a strong Biblical position who are now wavering and no longer sure of what is right and wrong. Many professing Christians have adopted a worldly attitude toward marriage. Many have even accepted the whoremongering that is so very common today. People choose not to even bother with marriage and just move in together. They call each other fiancé and somehow that makes it right.
The murder of unborn children is becoming more acceptable among those who profess to be saved. There is also a lack of conviction on the matter of sodomy. People’s convictions seem to be changing, but God has not changed. We need to study God’s Word and not allow smooth talkers to lead us astray. Keep in mind that the Holy Spirit indwells the true child of God. He is not content with wavering. He will continue to work in your heart and life if you are saved. He will not allow you to rest in a compromised place.
In verse 24 we see that we are also commanded to provoke (to incite, to anger), fellow saints. If you are saved and you see a fellow saint wavering, due to the love of God within you, you need to talk to that person and encourage them to get back into God’s love and good works. Born Again Christians are not an island unto themselves. This again is a rebuke against those who claim to be saved but content to stay home rather than join a good church and faithfully attend a good church. Those who take that position have no Biblical grounds for doing so. If there is no true local church in your area, you do yourself a favour to move to where there is a good church.
In verse 25 we are commanded not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is. It is true, you can look around and you can find others who also are staying home. You may try to justify your disobedience because you are not the only one. God does not give you that option. There is no justification for isolating yourself from fellow saints.
Notice as well that we are to be getting together more as we see the day approaching. We have often warned about the day of the Lord approaching. I just received a report this morning of Ukraine sending long range missiles deep into Russian territory and hitting some of Russia’s war planes. The U.S. in its present state of great weakness is encouraging Ukraine to be more aggressive. The U.S. wants to see an escalation of that war. Yet the U.S. is in no position to fight a war at this time. Nor is Canada. The foundation of the world is shaking. Read Psalm 2 and notice God’s position on the arrogance of the world.
For those who are saved, we certainly need to draw nigh to God’s throne of grace. We certainly need the fellowship of the saints. We need the prayers and encouragement of other saints to keep us from wavering. The Holy Spirit is working in the heart of every saint. God also expects His children to be an encouragement to one another. We do that through being a part of a true local church.
God loves His children. In fact, God loves the world. He wants all to know Him. Those who are saved have the privilege of being a light set on a hill. We can be a blessing to God and to others if we know Him and follow Him obediently. Let us be sure to do that today!
Pastor Bartel