“Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”
Hebrews 10:22
The more we trust Him, the firmer our faith will be.
Someone once said, “Faith is like a muscle; the more you exercise it, the stronger it becomes.” So true, so true. And, today’s Manna about “drawing near” exhorts us to do so “with a true heart in full assurance of faith.”
The Greek word “althinos” is used here for “true” and also means “pure, nothing hidden or concealed, truthful, etc.,” while “plerophoria” is used for “full assurance” and basically means “entire confidence, fully persuaded, thoroughly convinced, etc.”
Thus, it’s the picture of complete confidence, “nothing wavering” (James 1:6a).
And, this confidence assurance is grounded in “Who God is and what He has promised” (Heb. 1:6). Some used to rephrase it this way, “God said it, I believe it and that settles it!” But, dear Pilgrim, what we should say is “God said it—and THAT settles it!!” Hallelujah!!
Yes, when the King of kings says “You are hereby invited to draw near to Me without hesitation or reservation,” we should not second-guess or underestimate Him. He knows EVERYTHING about us. . .what we’ve ever thought, done or said. . .or ever will think, say or do . . .yet still says “Come. Come boldly. What’s Mine is yours. I pardon you of your sins and adopt you into My Family. So, come. Come now.”
Again, the key to doing so is “drawing near with a true heart”—not one that is filled with hidden sins or secret motives—and “in full assurance of faith.” This cannot happen until we’ve been born again and “have our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience.”
And, how does that happen?
“By the Blood of Christ, Who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot unto God” (Heb. 9:14a).
Likewise, “full assurance of faith” isn’t possible without “our bodies being washed with pure water.”
Does this mean being baptized into a local church?
No, not really—although the Lord has commanded us to do so as a public profession of our “union with Him” (Rom. 6:3-17).
In reality, it’s talking about being “washed by the Word” (Eph. 5:26), which comes through daily Bible study and prayer. As we “study to show ourselves approved unto God as a workman that needs not to be ashamed” (II Tim. 2:15a), we’ll “hide His Word in our hearts so we won’t sin against Him” (Ps. 119:11). This will also cause us to “delight in His Word and prosper in our ways” (Ps. 1:2-3) because our minds are focused on Heavenly things, not earthly ones (Rom. 12:2; Phil. 2:5; 3:20; 4:6-8; Heb. 12:1-2). Therefore, be bold in your believing today, Pilgrim. Trust God, doubting nothing (Acts 11:12); then go forth and do His bidding.
By Tom Smith Morning Manna Dated March 20, 2010
