Come Boldly to the Throne of Grace: Hebrews

        “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”                                          

                                                                                                 Hebrews 4:15-16

 

         “Hebrews is the most Christ-centered of all the books of the New Testament,”  said Joseph F. McConkie. In it Paul presents a brilliant review of Old Testament history in the light of Christ's fulfillment of the Mosaic law. He shows us how faith is at the center of every great Bible story, and how Jesus and his atoning sacrifice are foreshadowed in the Mosaic rituals. Paul focuses on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) and movingly portrays Jesus as the "great High Priest." Whereas the Jewish High Priest must return every year to enact the ritual sacrifices that cleanse the Jewish nation. Jesus's was the offering that was eternally binding. "For this he did once, when he offered up himself." (Heb. 7:27)

         There are some big ideas in Hebrews. To begin with, Christ and the Father are one, and we, as their offspring, are heirs to their divine nature. In every way Christ fulfilled the law of Moses and supersedes it. The temptation both Jewish and Gentile converts may have felt to go back to the security of the Mosaic law, or the temptation we may feel to rely on a set of rules rather than on the grace of Christ, must be seen for what it is: a choice of a dead law over a living Savior. This required a seismic shift in thinking for those new converts; it requires a rebirth of the Spirit for all of us.

          "And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins." (2 Ne 25:26) These words beautifully describe Paul's valiant service, and these stirring epistles we have studied. Do they also describe us? How often are we talking about Jesus, and preaching about Him, rather than the less important rules and regulations of the law? When times are tough, do we prophesy about Him to our loved ones? Joseph Smith said that the "testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy" so bearing testimony of Him counts as prophecy. Are we the ones who remind others to look for the hand of the Lord in our challenges? And when that hand is manifest, do we write these miracles down so that our children will know where to look when they need help? 
         Paul reminds us that we have, in our Savior, the greatest source of power, comfort, and healing in the universe. And as a result, "we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us, which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil."