Original Confidence

“For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.” (Hebrews 3:14, ESV)

Once a believer starts desiring and drawing near to God, something often forgotten is that a relationship with Him does not depend on perfection, nor does righteousness through Christ correlate with absolute perfection. If this were true, the very mission and work of Jesus would arguably be pointless, as it mentions throughout the New Testament. Jesus once said in Matthew 9:12-14, “…Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

It is so crucial to our Christian walk that we seek only to please God by means of an unshakeable faith and unbreakable confidence in Him as said in Hebrews 4:15-16 (ESV) – “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 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”. 

In no way, shape, or form am I alluding to the justification of cognizant, ongoing, pre-planned, or willful sinning in the life of any believer — mind you — however, it is a very dangerous tactic of Satan to throw knife upon knife of condemnation at a believer the very moment he or she feels even a slight nudge of conviction from the Holy Spirit. And if that brother/sister is somehow lacking in their faith or confidence or identity in Jesus due to, say, allowing their “spiritual tank” to begin running on fumes. Their ability to simply approach God’s throne of grace seems markedly more difficult on their part. So as a brother/sister, we must not discourage but encourage them to get up, tell them that they are not hopeless, to repent, and continue to draw near to God. Remind them that they must never give up their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

I’ll end with this fitting passage: “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. **But exhort one another every day… that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.** For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our ORIGINAL CONFIDENCE firm to the end. As it is said, ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion’” (Hebrews 3:12-15, ESV).

– Contributed by Bro. James Agtuca