Hebrews – Chapter Ten XXVI

by Ed Urzi

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23).

A careful reading of Hebrews 10:23 reveals two distinct portions of this passage. If we refer to the original language of this verse, we might render the first portion of Hebrews 10:23 in the following manner: “Let us keep firm possession of what we profess, as we remain firm and unmoved, in the joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation…”

While this exhortation was originally directed toward an audience of those who were unsettled in their faith, it is just as relevant for contemporary audiences as well. In fact, this exhortation was (and is) so important that our author affirmed this idea in several earlier portions of this this letter…

“But Christ, as the Son, is in charge of God’s entire house. And we are God’s house, if we keep our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ” (Hebrews 3:6 NLT).

“And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end” (Hebrews 6:11 ESV).

“So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us” (Hebrews 6:18 NLT).

The second half of Hebrews 10:23 draws our attention to an important attribute of Christ: faithfulness. When others prove unworthy of our trust, Jesus remains faithful. In fact, Jesus’ faithfulness is an intrinsic part of His character, for as we are told in 2 Timothy 2:13, “…he always remains faithful. He cannot deny his own nature” (2 Timothy 2:13 Phillips).

Unlike those who are less than trustworthy, we can always rely upon Christ to demonstrate His faithfulness towards us. As one source observes, “This is a wonderful affirmation of assurance that although we are called to endure and be faithful, salvation does not rest ultimately on our faithfulness, but upon the perfect faithfulness of Christ.” (1)

Thus, Jesus is faithful to keep His promises to us. The Gospel of John records one of the most significant of those promises…

“There are many rooms in my Father’s house, and I am going to prepare a place for you. I would not tell you this if it were not so. And after I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to myself, so that you will be where I am” (John 14:2-3 GNT).

(1) Sproul, R. C. (Ed.). (2015). The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (2015 Edition) (p. 2172). Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust.