Letter to the Hebrews Volume 106

 Let Us Draw Near to God by the Blood of Jesus Part 3

Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for He is faithful that promised;) KJV

It is not what any sinner does that will enable them to obtain eternal forgiveness of sin and sins from God the Father as we have learned from the writer of Hebrews in the last few studies/commentaries, however, we now are told by this very same writer that their are things that we must do in order to draw nigh or near to our Heavenly Father and have within our inner man or inner woman that full assurance of faith (1 John 5:13) that is the birth right of every true believer in our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ. Therefore, with that being said, we find the writer of Hebrews exhorting the then Hebrew converts to Christ and we converts to Christ today and all of us from every era and generation with these first words written here, "Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for He is faithful that promised;)" (Hebrews 10:23) (KJV). The little English phrase 'let us hold fast' is translated by the Greek word katechō which means to hold down fast, to take possession of, to seize, to keep in our memory, or to retain. The English word 'profession' is translated by the Greek word homologia meaning acknowledgement, that is, a statement acknowledging something or someone and in this case that Someone is our Lord Jesus Christ. The little English phrase 'of our faith' is translated by the Greek word elpis meaning (to anticipate, usually with pleasure); expectation (abstract or concrete) or confidence: - faith, hope. The little English phrase 'without wavering' is translated by the Greek word aklinēs (used this one time only in the New Testament) which means not leaning, (that is, (figuratively) firm: - without wavering. In other words, let us keep on holding fast or taking hold of our faith in Christ without wavering or being uncertain in our purpose and actions and keeping it in our memory with anticipation and hope, that is, confidently expecting the end of our faith to be manifested when we are with the Lord Jesus, as it is written for us by the Apostle Peter with these words, "That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see Him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls." (1 Peter 1:7-9) (KJV). It is the end part of Hebrews 10:23 that gives to us this unwavering confidence and full assurance of our faith knowing that even when we are unfaithful, He (Christ Jesus or Lord) is always faithful. This little English phrase 'He is faithful' in  Hebrews 10:23 is translated by the Greek word pistos meaning objectively trustworthy; subjectively trustful: - believing, faithful, sure, and true.

Here is what Albert Barnes had to say of Hebrews 10:23, "To secure this was one of the leading designs of this Epistle, and hence, the Apostle adverts to it so frequently. It is evident that those whom he wrote were suffering persecution Hebrews 12, and that there was great danger that they would apostatize. As these persecutions came probably from the Jews, and as the aim was to induce them to return to their former opinions, the object of the Apostle is to show that there was in the Christian scheme every advantage of which the Jews could boast; everything pertaining to the dignity of the great Founder of the system, the character of the High Priest, and the nature and value of the sacrifices offered, and that all this was possessed far more abundantly in the permanent Christian system than in what was typical in its character, and which were designed soon to vanish away. In view of all this, therefore, the Apostle adds that they should hold fast the profession of their faith without being shaken by their trials, or by the arguments of their enemies. We have the same inducement to hold fast the profession of our faith - for it is the same religion still; we have the same Saviour, and there is held out to us still the same prospect of heaven. To induce them to hold fast their profession, the Apostle adds this additional consideration. God, who had promised eternal life to them, was faithful to all that He had said. The argument here is: (1) That since God is so faithful to us, we ought to be faithful to Him; (2) The fact that He is faithful is an encouragement to us. We are dependent on Him for grace to hold fast our profession. If He were to prove unfaithful, we should have no strength to do it. But this He never does; and we may be assured, that all that He has promised He will perform. To the service of such a God, therefore, we should adhere without wavering." Here also is what Matthew Henry had to say of Hebrews 10:23, "The duty itself - to hold fast the profession of our faith, to embrace all the truths and ways of the Gospel, to get fast hold of them, and to keep that hold against all temptation and opposition. Our spiritual enemies will do what they can to wrest our faith, and hope, and holiness, and comfort, out of our hands, but we must hold fast our religion as our best treasure. The manner in which we must do this - without wavering, without doubting, without disputing, without dallying with temptation to apostasy. Having once settled these great things between God and our souls, we must be stedfast and immovable. Those who begin to waver in matters of Christian faith and practice are in danger of falling away. The motive or reason enforcing this duty: He is faithful that hath promised. God has made great and precious promises to believers, and He is a faithful God, true to His word; there is no falseness nor fickleness with Him, and there should be none with us. His faithfulness should excite and encourage us to be faithful, and we must depend more upon His promises to us than upon our promises to Him, and we must plead with Him the promise of grace sufficient."

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.


Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…