What Does It Mean to Have Holy Confidence?

November 19, 2021

You are worthy, clean, and fully redeemed.

What Does It Mean to Have Holy Confidence?

By Brooke Holt

“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great 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 with pure water.” - Hebrews 10:19-22

There has been a great movement in parenting on creating self-esteem in children. The idea is that children recognize and know their inherent value, and then live out of that value. It doesn’t matter what they do or why they do it; they are good. Or as the YMCA used to say to all the competing athletes, “You are all winners.” How perplexing for the child to know that he just lost the soccer game and yet he has received the winner’s trophy.

The writer of Hebrews teaches a better way than self-confidence as every child and every adult knows they are not always the winner and so often fall short of the glory of God. Instead of self-confidence, you are invited to live in God-confidence. When Jesus offered himself as a sacrifice for your sins, he provided full access to his Father and your Father. Where once the curtain in the temple kept people from entering the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place, now you have full access through Jesus. There is no separation between you and God; you are summoned into his presence. In fact, you have the Spirit of the living God dwelling within you.

Every day the Lord stands ready to meet with you, to welcome you, and to fellowship with you. You are wanted and loved; you are seen and known; you are of infinite value to him. While the people of the world judge, condemn, and dismiss each other, the Lord never does. Yes, he sees your sin and then he sees the blood of Jesus covering that sin. Your sin grieves the Father because he wants the very best for you. Sin is still missing the mark; it is settling for less than God’s abundant life. Yet, sin no longer makes you unworthy to stand before the Lord.

Instead, you are invited to draw near knowing that you are seen, known, and wanted. You are invited to draw near without fear or guilt because your sin is washed away. Daily, the Lord creates in you a new heart, a true heart of assurance, that enables you to stand before him in holy confidence.

This God-confidence or holy confidence is such an amazing gift. You are worthy; you are clean; you are fully redeemed. And all of this is yours through the gift of Jesus Christ. You did nothing to deserve it, and you can do nothing to lose it. The question is, have you surrendered your self-confidence to receive God’s gift of holy confidence?

Reflection:
Consider that last question again—have you surrendered your self-confidence to receive God’s gift of holy confidence? We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Related Resource:

Let's face it, the Christian life is hard. Relationships take work. Christians forget. Sometimes it is tempting to go back to the days when God was not the center of our lives - to backslide. We are all faced with tremendous pressures to drift away from intimacy with Jesus and the community of the Church. However, the Lord invites us to pay attention, to move forward, to draw near, and to live lives of worship. Draw Near: Hebrews on Christian Worship is a small group Bible study on the Book of Hebrews intended to lead participants into a deeper intimacy with the living God in the context of New Testament worship. Draw nearer to God in authentic worship today!