Written by Andy Willshire
Hebrews 10 v 19-25 :
The Full Assurance of Faith
19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 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. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
That God is faithful is one of the cornerstones of Christianity. He has, and always will be, faithful. In fact, He cannot be unfaithful as He is Holy. He was faithful in creation, in our salvation and in our ongoing santification.
For us, on the other hand, being faithful is a daily battle. Being faithful to our spouses, children, churches, work colleagues etc. We fall short in our faithfulness when we lack:
· Obedience;
· Courage;
· Boldness;
· Faith.
God never leaves us alone or without His resources. As children of God, this passage in Hebrews tells us that we can have faith because of, and by drawing near to, Jesus. Through the cross, He has made a way for us to be faithful and full of faith. Ultimately, we can be faithful because “He who promised is faithful”. Do you ever doubt your ability to be faithful? Draw near to Jesus with full assurance. And when you do, focus on his faithfulness, His victory on the cross, His power toward you, over your fear and doubt and lack of faith. Christ in you leads to faithfulness.
This got me thinking about the areas we struggle with faithfulness during lockdown and how as Christians, we have the staggering privilege to draw near to the Faithful One:
· How about our involvement in church? Has lockdown caused you to become indifferent which church involvement – perhaps enjoying the free time on a Sunday rather than tuning into online church? The passage reminds us that we should stir one another to love and good works and encourage one another. Maybe you’ve viewed lockdown as a chance to save a few bucks rather than give to God’s mission- let’s look back on lockdown as a time of faithfulness to our local churches where we gave joyfully to see God’s church grow;
· What about being faithful to God? Have we found time each day to spend with Him and hear His voice during this pandemic? I know I’ve struggled with this;
· Faithfulness to our spouses and children. Husbands, wives – has lockdown had an impact on your marriage? If so, maybe it’s time to reflect on what faithfulness means in a Godly marriage and take time to pray together. Fathers, mothers – have we modelled faithful Christian living during lockdown to our children? If not, let’s take strides to do it now.
Covid-19 could be with us for a while yet. It’s easy to get down. But the champion of heaven, the faithful One, has promised to NEVER leave us. So whether Covid remains or not, Jesus always will. What should our response be? Let’s remain faithful. Let’s go again for Jesus. If our heads have dropped, lift them up to see the risen Jesus. Let’s make this pandemic a turning point in our lives where faithfulness defines us. Let’s seek God more than we ever have before. Let’s be thankful, hopeful and prayerful. Let’s give more than we have ever done. Let’s trust Jesus for the future and fight on with faith.