"Come Boldly"

by Garry D. Pifer

Recently, in our little group, one of our presenters talked a little about Hebrews 4:16 and coming boldly before God.  I’ve done a bit of further study and thought I’d share with you.  I find that so much ties in with what I have been studying and presenting over the last few months.

The word “boldly” is from the Greek word parrhesia, #3954 in Strong’s.  Note the way it is used and defined in the lexicon.  This is taken directly from Thayer’s Greek Lexicon as contained in  the On-Line Bible program that I use.

Definition #2, “free and fearless confidence, cheerful courage, boldness, assurance,” seems to stand out for me.  Many translations render Hebrews 4:16 with the word confidence. Notice the following.

Green’s Literal Translation: “Therefore, let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and we may find grace for help in time of need.”

New American Standard: “Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need.”

Jewish New Testament: “Therefore, let us confidently approach the throne from which God gives grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace in our time of need.”

New International Version: “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

In looking at the Scriptures where this Greek word is used I found several that were very powerful but thought 1 John 5:14-15 was especially helpful.

1 John 5:14-15  “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:   And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” 

I presented a study several months ago on faith. (See Understanding Faith)  If you will remember we covered Hebrews 11:1 where it says that “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  The word “substance” can be translated “confidence.”  Moffatt renders it “Now faith means that we are confident of what we hope for...”  J.B. Phillips puts it this way, “Now faith means that we have full confidence in the thing we hope for,...”

When the writer of Hebrews says that we come “boldly unto the throne” he is expressing that we come with confidence, which is true faith.  And, as we covered in the study on faith, we obtain faith “by hearing, and hearing comes by the word of God.”  (Rom. 10:17)    To be able to come before God, before the throne of grace, “boldly” we need to be filling our minds with the Word of God, knowing what God’s will is.  Then, as John says, with that faith, that confidence, we can ask anything according to that will knowing that He hears us and that we “have the petitions that we desired of Him.”  It is impossible to come “boldly” in true faith and confidence IF we do not understand and know His will.  That “will” is revealed in His Word.

Notice the words of Jesus, as recorded in John 15:7, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.”  Among the lexicon definitions for “abide” is “to remain, not to depart, to continue to be present, to be held, kept, continually.”  IF we are filling our minds with the word of God, keeping it there continually, meditating on it day and night, we will KNOW God’s will, His promises, His assurances.  And, then, “ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.”  We are able to come “boldly” and with confidence, in true faith, before the throne of grace.

Just a few chapters earlier in the book of John, notice some verses we covered in the study on “What is THE TRUTH?”  John 8:31-32, “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  In verse 36 He says, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”  IF we are filling our minds with the word of God, written and incarnate, coming to know God’s will and His promises, we are continuing and abiding in Christ and we are made free.  We are freed from the bondage of sin AND the bondage of wrong thinking.  Satan has perverted and subverted the world.  We have had the ways of the world around us and have allowed those ways and ways of thinking to rub off on us.  We counteract that by renewing our minds (Romans 12:2), letting our minds become the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5).  With His mind in us, thinking as He thinks, knowing His will and the Father’s will, we then have the real faith, the confidence to come boldly before the throne of Grace, “nothing wavering” (James 1:5). Notice what James tells us in verse 7 of chapter 1.  IF we come “wavering” and doubting, “For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.”