Draw Near
“But we are not those who draw back and are destroyed, but those who have faith and are saved. ”
Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have boldness to enter the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus—he has inaugurated for us a new and living way through the curtain (that is, through his flesh)—and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, 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 in pure water. (Hebrews 10:19-22)
The author makes it clear that there is nothing keeping us from the presence of God: we have a boldness to enter the sanctuary—we have a new and living way through Jesus; our hearts have been sprinkled clean by his blood and our bodies have been purified by the Living Water; we have Jesus as our high priest. And yet, he reminds us to draw near. Drawing near to God is about having an intimate relationship with Him and keeping in step with His spirit. So we have a choice: we can either draw closer to the presence of God, to which we have unlimited access, or we draw back.
So these verses got me thinking: what causes someone to draw back? Or worse, what causes someone to walk away? What causes a true believing Christian to live an apathetic life, distanced from the presence of God?
In my own life, I have been guilty of seeking my own personal comfort over the cause of Christ. My focus has largely been on myself. I have also been convicted about how much of the world is in my life—whether it’s forms of entertainment, or going along with the crowd. And when I choose personal comfort and the appeals of the world over a life of holiness, it’s not hard to wonder why I feel a distance from and lack of intimacy with God in my life, Drawing closer to God requires holiness, and you cannot live both a holy and a worldly life. Drawing closer to God means dying to self. And when God invites us to draw closer, which isn’t always comfortable, which requires sacrifice, which means being different from the world, is it then that we walk away, or stop short?
Or what about fear that keeps us from drawing near? When we become followers of Christ, God does not reveal His life plan for us. And when drawing near to Him requires a step of faith, fear can paralyze us from moving forward. Sometimes we would rather stay in what we know, no matter how dissatisfied we might be, than take that step of faith into the unknown.
Shame and pride are both obstacles keeping us from drawing near to God. I’ve heard shame and pride are two sides of the same coin. The former keeps us from drawing near because we feel unworthy and the latter keeps us from drawing near because we think we are too worthy. To allow shame to keep us from drawing near to God is saying that Jesus’ sacrifice was not enough. And our pride keeps us from humbling ourselves which is how we must draw near.
Ultimately, all of these lead to disillusionment, which is what causes people to walk away. Following Christ is not looking how we thought it would look. Following Christ isn’t lining up with the the world view we hold. Following Christ isn’t as easy as we thought it would be. And rather than seeking God and wrestling with that, we walk away or keep ourselves at a distance.
Essentially when we draw back, when we walk away, for whatever reason, we are rejecting Jesus’ sacrifice, one way or another. In a world with so many things vying for our attention and with a real enemy trying to trip us up, the danger of falling away is more real than maybe we want to admit. Let’s not overlook the warning that is tucked in verses 26-31:
For if we deliberately go on sinning after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire about to consume the adversaries. Anyone who disregarded the law of Moses died without mercy, based on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment do you think one will deserve who has trampled on the Son of God, who has regarded as profane the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?
There is a lot of theological debate as to exactly who these verses are talking about, but it is largely believed it is referring to apostates, which are those who hear the Gospel, maybe even profess to believe it, but then deliberately reject and choose not to believe. These are not Christians who have back slidden, where the things of the world have drawn them away, nor are these believers, who have been caught in the snares of sinful behavior. Rather, these are people who have heard the truth and intentionally reject Christ. I have known some believers like this and it has always grieved my heart that they did not find everything they needed in Jesus Christ.
This warning is very real. And maybe we won’t commit the grave sin of apostasy, but how much are we “trampling on the Son of God” and “regarding as profane the blood of the covenant” when we keep our distance from the living God, when we live with apathy toward the presence of God?
To live the Christian life, we need to embrace his sacrifice fully, which means embracing not only the atonement for our sin, but also the call to holiness that we find in drawing near to His presence. This is the life He has called us to and this is the invitation when he says “draw near.” But this is not a calling to an easy life; I think many new believers are disillusioned here. Jesus never promised that following Him would be easy. It is fraught with suffering and sacrifice. There is a reason the author of Hebrews is taking the time to exhort believers. If following Christ were easy, he would have no need to say “let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering.” Or “don’t throw away your confidence, which has great reward.” In fact, that last encouragement comes right after he reminds them of the persecution they have faced. This calling to a holy life requires endurance.
How do we resist drawing away when life is hard? How do we endure and press into Jesus? We “hold on to the confession of our hope.” Our hope is our future eternity. We endure the hardships of life here on earth knowing that we have an eternal reward. Paul reminds us in Philippians 3:12-20 that pursuing a life of godliness is to focus on the eternal.
14 I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus. Therefore, let all of us who are mature think this way. And if you think differently about anything, God will reveal this also to you. In any case, we should live up to whatever truth we have attained.
18 for I have often told you, and now say again with tears, that many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction...they are focused on earthly things, but our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly wait for a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.’
Our ultimate purpose, the source of our fulfillment and true satisfaction is being in the presence of God. Our focus here on earth is to glorify Him and we endure the hardships knowing that in eternity we will also live out that same purpose. Those who are focused on earthly things, their end is destruction.
But the author of Hebrews reminds believers of who we are: “but we are not those who draw back and are destroyed, but those who have faith and are saved.”
So, how then do we draw near?
We draw near in full assurance of faith. We can trust that it is because of His new covenant that we will have eternal life. And we can trust that God is faithful to His word.
We draw near with a posture of humility. Confessing Christ is Lord, we acknowledge who we are in relation to Christ and that our position is found in Him. We are servants of Christ and should seek to accomplish His will, not our own.
We draw near with a true heart. We cannot have one foot in the world and one foot in the presence our God. Our pure & undivided devotion prompts us to seek only Him, rather than the things of this world.
We draw near with an eternal perspective. When we remember that we are citizens of heaven, it helps us to understand that the cares of this life do not compare to the eternal reward we will have in heaven. When we remember that He is our prize, we will focus on drawing near to Him now.
