Hebrews 4:16 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

NIV: Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

NASB: Therefore let’s approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help at the time of our need.

CSB: Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.

NLT: So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

KJV: Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

NKJV: Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

The central figure of the Christian faith is not some remote deity, a flawed spirit, or a being with no understanding of human nature. If that were the case, then prayer would be a terrifying and possibly meaningless experience. Fortunately, for the Christian, Jesus not only understands our struggles and failures (Hebrews 2:14–18), He has overcome them first-hand (Hebrews 4:15).

This verse is the conclusion of a point begun in verse 14. After encouraging Christians to complete the works God has given us (Hebrews 4:1–11), the writer reminds us that God's word is the ultimate measuring stick for all of our thoughts, deeds, and intentions (Hebrews 4:12). Nothing is hidden or obscure to God, who is our ultimate judge (Hebrews 4:13). Verses 14 and 15 make it clear that we can maintain our faith in the face of struggles, knowing that Christ has already shown us the way. He not only experienced suffering, death, and temptation, but did it without succumbing to sin.

Knowing, then, that Christ fully understands our weaknesses and has experienced our pain, we can pray. When we come to God asking for mercy, grace, help, or forgiveness, we can be confident (Hebrews 3:6) and assured. Nobody understands our pain better than Jesus, which is why only Jesus can be our High Priest as well as the substitute for our payment of sin (Hebrews 2:18).

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.