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the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest". The newly-slain and living
way means a rent vail.
And having an high priest over the house of God.--As chapter 8: puts it, we have a
seated priest in a heavenly sanctuary. So far the summary of the doctrine--what we
"have". Now follows the summary of the practice "let us".
Let us draw near with a true heart.--To draw near expresses the full privileges of
those who are sanctified. It is a word used nowhere else in the epistles of Paul except
I Tim. 6: 3, where "consent" translates the word, and shows an entirely different usage.
So special a word we would expect to be stamped with its hall mark "seven", for that is
the number of its occurrences in Hebrews.
To draw near (proserchomai).
A | 4: 14-16.
Having a great high priest, let us hold fast our profession
and draw near boldly.
B | 7: 25.
Saved unto all perfection those who draw near.
10: 1.
Could not perfect unto perpetuity those who draw near.
A | 10: 19-23.
Having an high priest, let us draw near with boldness,
and let us hold fast our profession.
B | 11: 6.
Those who draw near to God must believe that He is.
12: 18.
Sinai
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12: 22.
Sion
/
Spirit of perfected righteous ones.
The true heart means the heart of the new covenant realities in contrast with the old
covenant shadows. So the "true" tabernacle (8: 2), the antitypes of the "true" (11: 24).
In full assurance of faith.--Heb. 6: 11 speaks of a full assurance of hope, and both
hope and faith find their anchor "within the vail" (Heb. 6: 19, 10: 20).
Having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with
pure water.--The sprinkling here refers to the "ashes of the heifer sprinkling the
unclean", which set forth in type that cleansing of the conscience from dead works, which
was only possible through the blood of Christ (9: 13, 14). The washing of the bodies
with pure water refers to the spiritual reality set forth in the typical "divers washings" of
the law (9: 10).
Let us . . . . . let us . . . . . let us. Three times over comes the beseeching command.
Let us draw near, let us hold fast, let us consider one another. The first is Godward, the
second is personal, the third is for others.
Let us hold fast the profession of our hope without wavering.--The word here (elpis)
is hope, not faith, and refers to "that better hope whereby we draw near to God" (7: 19).
This must be held at all costs "without wavering". This firm hold of the hope and its
profession is in view in Heb. 3: 6 & 14, and to this all the exhortations to endure are
directed. Without wavering (aklines) may be translated "without bending". It is the
exact opposite of klino, "turned to flight" (Heb. 11: 34).