Do you know what makes all the pain and suffering we experience in this life worth enduring? I’m sure that most of you could answer that question correctly in a number of different ways. Here is the way I answer it. In Hebrews 10:23, the writer commands us to hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering… And then he gives the reason for holding fast: …for He who promised is faithful… That’s why! God is faithful. The One Who promised to save you and me is faithful. We can depend on Him!
The writer of Hebrews is in the middle of explaining why and how we should draw near to the holy place with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith (10:19-22). But the point is the same for circumstances in our lives. God is faithful! He is faithful no matter what the situation is in my life or yours. Why should I come to Jesus when I’m weary and heavy-laden? Jesus said I should because He will give me rest (Matthew 11:28-30). I come to Him without reservation because He is faithful! I trust Him that the rest He promised will be given to me. Why do I repent of my sins? Jesus said I should repent of my sins because if I don’t, I’ll perish (Luke 13:3, 5). I repent without reservation or hesitation because He is faithful! I trust Him when He says I’ll perish. I trust Him when He says He’ll rescue me.
Let’s get back to Hebrews 10:23. The command is to “hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering.” That’s a pretty tall order, isn’t it? The only reason we would need to be cautioned to “hold fast” is the possibility that whatever it is we’re holding will slip out of our grasp. In Hebrews 2:1 we read: For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. That tells us that there is a distinct possibility (even probability) that we can drift away from God’s grace. The secret to not drifting away is to “pay closer attention” or to “hold fast the confession of our hope.”
There are some things in this life that make the confession of our hope slippery. When times get hard, when we’re suffering, we don’t want to hold on to anything. The harder things get the more we want to give up, to turn loose, to let go of our confession of hope. Mockers who walk by sight and not by faith, ask the question, “Where is the promise of Christ’s coming?” (2 Peter 3:4). They point out that nothing looks any different. Today they would say we can look back over thousands of years of history and see that nothing has changed. Even during the spiritually tumultuous times of Jesus’ ministry, death and resurrection, the rest of the world took no notice. Everything in the cities of Rome and Athens continued pretty much the same that Friday afternoon, Saturday and Sunday when Jesus was crucified, buried and raised. The Bible student, of course, knows that things were not the same even in those far off cities. Even though the populace was ignorant of the fact, they now had hope of eternal life through Jesus Christ.
Now, when things in your life seem to be at their most hopeless, you still have hope. The rope (the confession of your hope) has gotten slippery and a lot harder to hang on to, but you can do it. You can hang on, and you can take comfort and encouragement in the fact that He Who promised (He Who holds the other end of your rope…I mean, hope) is faithful. He will not let go. I don’t know about you, but that means something to me! It means I don’t have to give up. It means things are not as hopeless as they seem. It means all I have to do is hold on for dear (eternal) life and I’ll have it. Because He is faithful, all I have to worry about is me. And my faithfulness doesn’t depend on anyone but me. In other words, no matter what I have done and no matter what anyone says about what I have done, I can be faithful to God. I can repent of my sins; I can place myself in His grace (by faithful obedience, not by works which earn me salvation). He has promised and, in His promise, He has given me certain conditions for receiving the promise. All I have to do is meet the conditions (in faith) and because He is faithful, I can “draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith.” Man, that sure helps me sleep at night! How about you? How does it make you feel to know that God loves you that much? He does, you know, and so do I.
by Donnie Bates