The Text
What Has Been Done: The Veil Rent by God
First, think of what has been done. In actual historical fact the glorious veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. As a matter of spiritual fact, which is far more important to us, the separating legal ordinance is abolished. This rending of the veil signified also the removal of the separating sin. Sin is, after all, the great divider between God and man. The separating sinfulness is taken away through our Lord Jesus — not only what we have done, but what we are, which kept us apart from God.
Notice that this veil, when it was rent, was rent by God, not by man. It was not the act of an irreverent mob; it was not the midnight outrage of a set of profane priests: it was the act of God alone. Nobody stood within the veil; and on the outer side stood the priests only, fulfilling their ordinary vocation of offering sacrifice. How they fled when they saw that holy place laid bare in a moment — that massive veil divided without human hand in a second of time! Who rent it? Who but God himself?
If another had done it, there might have been a mistake about it, and the mistake might need to be remedied by replacing the curtain; but if the Lord has done it, it is done rightly, it is done finally, it is done irreversibly. It is God himself who has laid sin on Christ, and in Christ has put that sin away. God himself has opened the gate of heaven to believers, and cast up a highway along which the souls of men may travel to himself. God himself has set the ladder between earth and heaven. Come to him now, ye humble ones. Behold, he sets before you an open door!
What We Have: Boldness to Enter In
We now notice what we have: Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest. Observe the word boldness. There are degrees in boldness; but this is one of the highest. When the veil was rent it required some boldness to look within. It requires a measure of boldness steadily to look upon the mystery of God. It needs boldness to look into the splendours of redeeming and electing love. The Holy Spirit invites you to look into the holy place, and view it all with reverent eye; for it is full of teaching to you. But do not content yourself with looking!
Boldness to enter in is what we ought to have. To stand within the veil filled the servant of God with an overpowering sense of the divine presence. If ever in his life he was near to God, he was certainly near to God then, when quite alone, shut in, and excluded from all the world. O my beloved, may we enter into the holiest in this sense! Shut out from the world, both wicked and Christian, let us know that the Lord is here, most near and manifest.
At first we tremble in the divine presence; but as we feel more of the spirit of adoption we draw near with sacred delight, and feel so fully at home with our God that we sing with Moses, Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations (Psalm 90:1). Do not live as if God were as far off from you as the east is from the west. Jesus hath made us nigh by his precious blood. Try day by day to live in as great nearness to God as the high priest felt when he stood for a while within the secret of Jehovah’s tabernacle.
Communion Within the Veil
The high priest had a sense of communion with God; he was not only near, but he spake with God. Beloved, do you know what it is to commune with God? Words are poor vehicles for this fellowship; but what a blessed thing it is! Proofs of the existence of God are altogether superfluous to those of us who are in the habit of conversing with the Eternal One. If anybody were to write an essay to prove the existence of my wife or my son, I certainly should not read it except for the amusement of the thing; and proofs of the existence of God to the man who communes with God are much the same. Many of you walk with God: what bliss! Fellowship with the Most High is elevating, purifying, strengthening. Enter into it boldly.
The high priest entered within the veil with blood and with incense, that he might pray for Israel. O beloved, prayer is a divine institution, and it belongs to us. There is the prayer of one who seems shut out from God’s holy temple; there is the prayer of another who stands in the court of the Gentiles afar off; there is the prayer of one who stands where Israel pleads; there is the prayer in the court of the priests. But the best prayer of all is offered in the holiest of all. There is no fear about prayer being heard when it is offered in the holiest. The very position of the man proves that he is accepted with God.
Luther came out of his closet, and cried, Vici! — “I have conquered!” He had not yet met his adversaries; but as he had prevailed with God for men, he felt that he should prevail with men for God. The high priest, after he had communed and prayed with God, came out and blessed the people. That is what you will do if you have the boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus. Your ordinary conduct and conversation will be a blessed example; the words you speak for Jesus will be like a dew from the Lord; the sick will be comforted by your words; the despondent will be encouraged by your faith; the lukewarm will be recovered by your love. May we each one have boldness to enter in, that we may come forth laden with benedictions!
Why the Boldness Is Well Grounded
This boldness is well grounded. Paul is often a true poet, but he is always a correct logician. Here he writes one of his therefores: Having therefore, brethren, boldness. Why is it that we have boldness? Is it not because of our relationship to Christ which makes us brethren? The feeblest believer has as much right to enter into the holy place as Paul had; because he is one of the brotherhood. We are brethren to one another, because we are brethren to Jesus. Where we see the Great Apostle and High Priest of our profession enter, we will follow.
Beloved, we have now no fear of death in the most holy place. The high priest must always have dreaded that solemn Day of Atonement when he had to pass into the silent and secluded place. There is a tradition among the Jews that a rope was fastened to the high priest’s foot that they might draw out his corpse in case he died before the Lord. But we cannot die in the holy place now, since Jesus has died for us. The death of Jesus is the guarantee of the eternal life of all for whom he died.
Our boldness arises from the perfection of his sacrifice: He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. We rely upon the sacrifice of Christ, believing that he was such a perfect substitute for us, that it is not possible for us to die after our substitute has died; and we must be accepted, because he is accepted. The precious blood has so effectually and eternally put away sin from us, that we are no longer obnoxious to the wrath of God. Sin is so completely lifted from us by the vicarious sacrifice of Christ, that we have boldness to enter where Jehovah himself dwells.
But the Lord saith not so to us. Dear child of God, you may at all times have boldness to enter in. The veil is always rent, and is never restored to its old place. The veil is rent both day and night. Yea, let me say it, even when thine eye of faith is dim, still enter in; when evidences are dark, still have boldness to enter in; and even if thou hast unhappily sinned, remember that access is open to thy penitent prayer. Come still through the rent veil, sinner as thou art. What though thou hast backslidden, what though thou art grieved with the sense of thy wanderings, come even now! The veil cannot be there, for it was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.
The Way: New, Living, and Consecrated
Let us at this hour enter into the holiest. We come by the way of atonement: Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus. Everywhere throughout this divine book you meet with the precious blood. There is no way into the holiest, even though the veil be rent, without blood. The way is open, and you have boldness to enter; but not without the blood of Jesus. It would be an unholy boldness which would think of drawing near to God without the blood of the great Sacrifice.
The way by which we come is an unfailing way — a new way. This means by a way which is always fresh. The original Greek suggests the idea of “newly slain.” Jesus died long ago, but his death is the same now as at the moment of its occurrence. We come to God by a way which is always effectual with God. It never, never loses one whit of its power and freshness. If Jesus Christ had died yesterday, would you not feel that you could plead his merit today? Very well, you can plead that merit after these nineteen centuries with as much confidence as at the first hour. Let the doctrine of atonement never grow stale, but let it have dew upon it for our souls.
The apostle adds that it is a living way. A wonderful word! The way could not help the high priest, but our way helps us abundantly. Jesus says, I am the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). When we come to God by this way, the way itself leads, guides, bears, brings us near. This way gives us life with which to come.
It is also a dedicated way: which he hath consecrated for us. When a new road is opened, it is set apart and dedicated for the public use. Beloved, the way to God through Jesus Christ is dedicated by Christ and ordained by Christ for the use of poor believing sinners such as we are. He has consecrated the way towards God and dedicated it for us, that we may freely use it. Surely, if there is a road set apart for me, I may use it without fear; and the way to God and heaven through Jesus Christ is dedicated by the Saviour for sinners; it is the King’s highway for wayfaring men, who are bound for the City of God.
Draw Near With Full Assurance
We are called to take holy freedoms with God. Let us draw near, at once, with a true heart in full assurance of faith. Let us do so boldly, for we have a great high priest. Jesus is the great Priest, and we are the sub-priests under him, and since he bids us come near to God, and himself leads the way, let us follow him into the inner sanctuary. Because he lives, we shall live also. We shall not die in the holy place, unless he dies.
Two things the high priest had to do before he might enter: one was to be sprinkled with blood, and this we have; for our hearts are sprinkled from an evil conscience. The other was to have his bodies washed with pure water. This we have received in symbol in our baptism, and in reality in the spiritual cleansing of regeneration. To us has been fulfilled the prayer:
We have known the washing of water by the Word, and we have been sanctified by the Spirit of his grace; therefore let us enter into the holiest. Why should we stay away? Hearts sprinkled with blood, bodies washed with pure water — these are the ordained preparations for acceptable entrance. Come near, beloved! May the Holy Spirit be the Spirit of access to you now. Come to your God, and then abide with him!
He is your Father, your all in all. Sit down and rejoice in him; take your fill of love; and let not your communion be broken between here and heaven. Why should it be? Why not begin today that sweet enjoyment of perfect reconciliation and delight in God which shall go on increasing in intensity until you behold the Lord in open vision, and go no more out? Heaven will bring a great change in condition, but not in our standing, if even now we stand within the veil. It will be only such a change as there is between the perfect day and the daybreak; for we have the same sun, and the same light from the sun, and the same privilege of walking in the light.