¹⁶ Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Summarizing the implications of Christ’s superiority, we discover tremendous benefits in coming to the “rest” of God. At its core, we can confidently enter into God’s presence without any fear. The Law brought fear because it exposed our unholiness, our sinfulness. But in Christ, the rest of God, fear is replaced by confidence.

This confidence, though, has nothing to do with our qualifications, achievements or holiness, however we may want to see our worthiness. It still remains that we are unworthy of God. The Law made that clear, and continues to make that clear. If all we do is live by the Law, we will never have confidence to enter God’s presence. Why would we even think, that having come to Christ, there would be any benefit in going back to living by the Law?

Now most Christians can articulate that we are no longer under Law but under grace. That is the theological maxim. However, the temptation is to live as though we are still under Law, albeit a New Testament version of the Law, thinking God is keeping score of our spiritual and moral behavior. That is living by the Law, no matter how you name it.

The wonderful contrast, though, is that when we rest in Christ and what He has done for us, then we can approach God regardless of our own worthiness. Admittedly this keeps many Christians from intimacy with God because of an honest awareness of their unworthiness. However, we know (or ought to know) that we have a rich welcome into God’s presence because it is His “throne of grace.” That is a place of acceptance, forgiveness and love. Let us not be like Peter who initially refused to let the Lord wash his feet. But, let us enter into intimate relationship with God, knowing that He is not waiting for us to wash our own feet first, as it were. He will do the cleansing—but we need to go to Him first.

Nothing is more transformative in a Christian’s life than when he rests in the fact that he can approach God unconditionally, unreservedly. God can handle our sin, our worldliness, our spiritual shortcomings. He wants us there in His presence, and He will take care of everything else. It all begins there. Notice what takes place there, as the writer of Hebrews puts it. We find mercy and grace to help us in our time of need—the very thing we need in this fallen world of temptation and sin.