Draw near with confidence to the throne of grace
Hebrews 4:16 Mercy and judgement were reconciled on the cross, bringing humanity the throne of grace.
Depiction of God’s throne of grace, created by Dall-E 3 AI
“Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Hebrews 4:16 NASB1995
Today’s verse is found at the end of the fourth chapter of Hebrews, in a section that describes Jesus as our High Priest. Here, we as believers are told that we can come with confidence to the throne of an all-knowing and merciful Jesus. Satan, of course, wants to do everything possible to discourage us from this access to Jesus.
How? The devil wants us to think of Jesus as an unattainable goal, and may put an emphasis on using Mary or the saints as intermediaries for Him. Satan also throws doubt into our minds, making us think of Jesus as weak and unable (or unwilling) to help us, not as one enthroned in heaven.
Some translations of the Bible use the term “boldly” in place of “with confidence”, and I found this commentary from Enduring Word’s David Guzik to be useful in explaining what Paul meant by “coming boldly to the throne of grace”:
Boldly does not mean proudly, arrogantly, or with presumption.
• Boldly means we may come constantly.
• Boldly means we may come without reservation.
• Boldly means we can come freely, without fancy words.
• Boldly means we can come with confidence.
• Boldly means we should come with persistence.
That first line says a lot. I know some Christians who say “Hey, I go to church, so Jesus is going to be happy to see me!” or something similar. Guzik’s words say that we should approach the throne of grace in constant prayer, realize that we (as righteous believers) have no reason to be afraid to approach Jesus, and that we don’t need to participate in a specific liturgy or ceremony to be received at the throne. He’s also saying living a life of love for our Savior means that we can be confident when approaching the throne, and even though we may stumble with sin, we shouldn't give up in our life quest to emulate the Lord.
What do we get when we arrive at the throne of grace? To the Jews of Jesus’ time, rabbis taught that God had two thrones — the mercy throne and the judgement throne. They had no way of reconciling God’s mercy and His judgement, so they gave Him two celestial seats to rule from. Mercy and judgement were reconciled on the cross, bringing humanity the throne of grace.
Receiving mercy and finding grace may seem to be similar, but they’re not. When Barb and I were participating in our first Bible studies, we found that obtaining mercy means that we’re not getting what we deserve in our time of need, and that finding grace means we get what we don’t deserve.
Looking at one’s life of sin, mercy means that we’re not separated from God’s love for eternity (what we deserve), but instead have eternal life in His presence (getting what we don’t deserve). What a wonderful gift Jesus gave us!
Finally, what does “find grace to help in time of need” really mean? It means God will help us when we need His assistance, although perhaps not in the way we think. Remember the words in Philippians 4:6, which say “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Today’s prayer comes from Knowing Jesus:
Thank You, Father, for the grace and mercy that streams from Your throne of grace to me through Jesus Christ, my great High Priest and heavenly Saviour. I praise and thank You for the goodness and grace You have extended to me. Were I to spend the rest of my days in grateful thanks and reverential praise, I could not express my love for You. Thank You, in Christ’s name I pray, AMEN.