June 21
Divine Service
Hebrews 10:23
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.
Where are we in the Bible?
From 6:13 to 10:19 the author of Hebrews builds his case for confessing Jesus as our High Priest. Right from the beginning, he states that “this hope we have [is] an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast” (6:19). Here “the confession” of Christ is the sure and steadfast anchor of our soul. The encouragement found in chapter 10, verses 19-25 builds directly on this preceding explanation; Jesus has given us the most intimate entry into God’s presence through His sacrifice.
These four chapters of exposition (mentioned above) are meant to give us confidence in who Christ is, and the relationship with God that His sacrifice allows us to have. This new reality is the unwavering confession: Jesus Christ is the willing sacrifice that brings us into the presence of God. This immovable truth stands as an anchor in our lives that brings peace when we believe and profess it. It continues to endure even when we are wavering. And so in 10:19- 25, the author of Hebrews writes an encouragement that affirms what we have received through what Christ has accomplished (“we have” or “having”) and also calls us to action (“let us”).
Summary:
Because Jesus Christ, our faithful High Priest, has opened a new and living way into God’s presence through His sacrifice, we can draw near with confident faith, hold fast to our unshakable hope, and encourage one another in love as we await His promised return. Anchored in who Christ is, anchored in our new reality, and anchored to the confession of our faith, we live in the peace that Christ already gives today - a peace that becomes the foundation for true joy and points us toward the future fulfillment of peace at His return.
Note: In the original Greek text of this verse, confession is modified by the adjective akline, which means unswerving or sure. It attaches grammatically to “confession,” not to our ability to hold fast. Thus the verse could be translated, “Let us hold on to the secure confession of hope...” But it is a natural temptation to make it translate the unswerving conviction of the believers, as though it were an adverb. Nevertheless, the emphasis here is on the confession itself as steady, as the next clause makes clear: they can hold on to it, because the One who has made the promise is “faithful.”
Foundation Reading
Scripture: Hebrews 10:11-25
Catechism: 3.4.7.2, 8.2.12