Hebrews 4:14 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.

NIV: Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.

NASB: Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let’s hold firmly to our confession.

CSB: Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens—Jesus the Son of God—let us hold fast to our confession.

NLT: So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe.

KJV: Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.

NKJV: Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.

The prior passage was intended to both reassure and encourage Christians. "Today," for each person, there is still an opportunity to respond to God in faith, in order to obtain His "rest." This is not about working for our salvation, but about obtaining all of the heavenly rewards He has offered to His children. Earlier verses stated that this inheritance is only available to those who "hold fast" to their faith (Hebrews 3:6, 12–14). Fortunately, according to Hebrews 4:12, we have an immensely powerful tool available to help us in this effort: the written Word of God. And, per this verse, we have Jesus.

Chapter 2 pointed out that Jesus was able to become our ultimate example, and the true High Priest of all mankind, due to His humanity (Hebrews 1:3; 2:17; 3:1). Hebrews 2:18, in particular, made it clear that Jesus can sympathize with our suffering, since He has also suffered (Hebrews 2:14). This came as an introduction to the command to "hold fast," and both ideas are merged in this verse. Since Christ, the "founder" of our salvation (Hebrews 2:10), understands our condition, we have every good reason to maintain our faith in the face of struggles.

While Jesus is often referred to as our High Priest, it should be noted that the New Testament never explicitly refers to any Christian church official as a "priest." This is not because there are no such people any more. According to the Bible, the Christian church does not have a priesthood—it is a priesthood, made up of every believer (1 Peter 2:9).

Hebrews 4:14–16 is among the most often-quoted passages in the Bible. It is also one of the clearest expressions of Christianity's unique nature. Jesus, the Son of God, has experienced all of our struggles, temptations, and sufferings. And yet, He did so without succumbing to sin. For this reason, we can look to Him as our perfect example. We can rely on Him as our perfect substitute. We can come to Him as our only High Priest. And, we can trust in Him as our source of help and healing. Knowing that Christ fully, personally understands what it means to be human gives us confidence when we bring Him our failures and needs.

In Hebrews chapter 4, the author refines the theme of chapter 3. An entire generation of Israel lost out on their inheritance of the Promised Land due to a lack of faith. Here, the author points out that the rest promised by God is still offered, through Christ. The razor-sharp truth of the Word of God will separate what is truly spiritual from what is faithless. We should make every effort to obtain our inheritance in Christ, which is something separate from our eternal salvation. We can also be confident, knowing Jesus can uniquely sympathize with our temptations and sufferings.

Chapters 1 and 2 explained how Messiah could not be an angel, but had to be human in order to become our example and the ''Captain'' of our salvation. Chapter 3 described Jesus as worthy of greater glory than Moses, since Jesus fulfilled the promises Moses only spoke of. Chapter 4 will continue to place Jesus as a higher example than Old Testament figures, including Joshua. This chapter bridges the focus of Hebrews from our need to ''hold fast'' in faith to Jesus' status as our ultimate High Priest.

The book of Hebrews is meant to challenge, encourage, and empower Christian believers. According to this letter, Jesus Christ is superior to all other prophets and all other claims to truth. Since God has given us Christ, we ought to listen to what He says and not move backwards. The consequences of ignoring God are dire. Hebrews is important for drawing on many portions of the Old Testament in making a case that Christ is the ultimate and perfect expression of God's plan for mankind. This book presents some tough ideas about the Christian faith, a fact the author makes specific note of.