“But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” (Ephesians 2:13, NASB)
God miraculously demonstrated time and again the special love He had for Israel by bringing them out of bondage, through the wilderness, to the land of promise. So beloved were His chosen ones, in fact, that they are described in Zechariah 2:8 as the “apple of His eye.”
And yet these same people were not allowed behind the veil that separated the holy place where God dwelt from the rest of the tabernacle. Only the high priest could enter there once a year to offer the blood of sacrifice before the mercy seat (Lev. 16). This intercessory work of Israel’s high priest provided a temporary stay of God’s wrath… but it also symbolized His forthcoming divine, and permanent, solution to the sin problem (Heb. 10:1-22).
In the fullness of time God Himself ripped in two the veil that had long separated man’s sinfulness from His holiness when He ripped the flesh of His very own Son, drawing life-giving, sin-cleansing blood (Matt. 27:50-51).
One of the most beautiful aspects of the Gospel is that in His death Christ fulfills the essential shedding of blood. And in His resurrection and ascension to the very throne of God, He fulfills the role of our Great High Priest who intercedes with God on behalf of His own… not just once a year, but continually (Heb. 7:25-27, Rom. 8:34).
In light of this indescribable gift, the writer of Hebrews urges us to boldly, confidently “draw near [to God] with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith…” (Heb.10:22).
My dear friend, if you are His child, do you realize what has been given you by way of the cross? Not only to dwell with God in the forever hereafter, but the right to enter God’s presence right here… right now!
Under the old covenant, God’s people were prohibited from approaching His presence behind the veil; and disobedience meant death.
But under the new covenant there is no veil. Believers have been granted the ability to come to God boldly with full assurance of faith that they will find grace to help in their time of need!
God paid the costly price of His Son to a gruesome death so we might have opportunity to draw near. Death, hell, and Satan himself were defeated, so we could be free, yes, even emboldened, to draw near.
If we still choose to follow God at a distance, He is not disadvantaged in any way. But do we, His children, want to be guilty of ignoring our spiritual privilege to draw near to God? If so, we suffer, because that is where God promises we will find fullness of joy.
You will make known to me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
In Your right hand there are pleasures forever. (Ps. 16:11, NASB)
The curtain to the most holy place is now gone. Will you draw near to Him?
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Holy Father,
The more I ponder the cross and how my Savior, Jesus Christ, secured access to You, enabling me to be in Your very presence, I’m ashamed by how often I ignore you and do not draw near. I know I am to seek Your face, but I remember the depths of my depravity and I am tempted to hide from You, or simply ignore You, instead of running toward You. Remind me in Thy wonderful Word of Your love, mercy, and forgiveness – and my position in Christ because of the blood – draw me to experience the warmth of Your presence in a way I’ve never known before.
Light a fire of desire in my soul for You, Lord, a burning desire to be near You, as knowing You intimately and becoming ever more like You are the summum bonum of life – both now and forever after. There is no higher aim.
Teach me to draw near. Make me hungry for Your presence. Let me experience what life looks like when I draw near vs. when I stray and stay away. And may my first thought on waking… and my last before sleep… be spoken to You, my most dear and most near Friend and Master.
Amen.
- Lord, I know Your Word says that all men in their natural condition are at an infinite distance from the comfort of Your beloved Son. Paul describes it as being, “without Christ,” (Eph. 2:13). All unregenerate people are wretched and miserable (Rev. 3:17), no matter who they are or what they have because true happiness can only come from knowing Christ (Psa. 72:17, 2:12).
- Lord Jesus, You have purchased and procured favor and acceptance with God for all those that are in You, united to You and covered by Your blood.
- There is a great gulf – a moral disparity – between our souls and You when we first come into the world because of Adam’s sin. But there is also a judicial distance between us. Man is wicked and therefore unfit to approach You in his sinfulness. Until we are drawn near by Christ, until we are born again of the Spirit, justified and sanctified by Christ, we remain separated by this unfathomable distance. What a blessed time it is when we are brought near by the blood of Christ. What a blessed thing it is that I have been made new by His work on the cross.
- By the merit of Jesus Christ I have been brought near to You by His blood. Nothing can snatch me from Your sovereign hand; nothing can sperate me from Your love.
Further References for Eph. 2:13
Eph. 1:7, 2:16; Exod. 12:44; Lev. 23:19; Rom. 5:9-10; 1 Cor 6:11.
