COME ON IN
“Let us, therefore, come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in our time of need.“ Hebrews 4:16
The torn veil did not let God out of the Holy of Holies, it allowed all, Jews and Gentiles, who were willing, to enter in. God was not freed to come to us, we were freed to come to Him. The high priest was no longer the only one who could enter into the glorious presence of God. As chosen priests of God, all who believe can come in with boldness and assurance to Christ’s invitation. Anyone who desires to come in will in no way be denied entrance.
The ability of the believer to enter into is a beautiful and accurate picture of salvation. When a person understands the gospel, surrenders his life to Christ, and submits to His Lordship, at that very moment, he enters into the Holy of Holies to dwell with Christ forevermore. The initial act of salvation is more about us coming into Christ than it is Jesus Christ coming into us. The doctrinal term is called Justification. The apostle Paul consistently used a phrase to describe our relationship to Jesus. Paul said often, we are “in Christ.” (Romans 6:23, 8:1, 8:2, 8:39, 12:5, 16:7, 16:9) We are eternally secure in Christ; therefore, He will never cast us out once we are in Him. Paul also used another phrase to describe our spiritual growth in Christ. In Colossians 1:27, Paul said the goal of the Christian life is “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” The doctrinal term is called Sanctification. Sanctification or “Christ in you” is the process of the believer becoming more like Jesus and less like himself on a daily basis. John the Baptist said, “He (Jesus) must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30) Our daily goal is to look, think, and act more like Jesus and less like ourselves. This is spiritual maturity. The final act of our salvation is completed when Jesus calls us home. The doctrinal term is called Glorification. During our Christian life on earth, we should look and act like Jesus to the point that when He calls us home, it will only take a little tweaking on His part to make us completely like Him. The sad truth for many Christians when they die is, because of their lack of spiritual maturity, it will require on God’s part, a major overhaul to make them look completely like Jesus. Are you looking, thinking, and acting more like Jesus or yourself?
The torn veil is also a beautiful picture of worship. In worship, we do not invite God to come into our presence, because God already invited us into His. We simply acknowledge where we are. To think you must invite Jesus into your presence exposes your lack of understanding regarding the nature of God. Since God is everywhere at all times, it is not necessary to invite Him in because He is already there in your midst. True worship begins with the acknowledgement that God is present. Also, true worship occurs when God is given His rightful place to control what happens. God moves, not because He “shows up,” He moves because He is given complete control to do what He wishes. In worship today, will you acknowledge Jesus is present and will you give Him His rightful place?
Have you entered into the Holy of Holies? If you have not, what are you waiting on? Jesus has invited you to come on in! Once you enter, you cannot leave. As a matter of fact, you will not want to leave (even if you could) when you experience the Christian life in the Holy of Holies. There is no place you would rather be than in the Holy of Holies with Jesus. I promise!
