Ephesians 3:12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.
In the Old Testament times before Christ, people did not have direct access to God. They had to go through a priest to present their requests and have their sins forgiven. Direct access was restricted to only men of the tribe of Levi who served as priests. But with Christ’s death and resurrection that restriction was removed. The veil separating the Holy of Holies (the sacred place God’s Spirit dwelt) from the rest of the Temple was ripped in half (Matthew 27:51) giving all of us full access to God, with no need for a mediator.
Our access to God is a gift made possible through the death of His beloved Son Jesus and is not something we earned or deserved. As we learned yesterday, when we believed we were adopted into the family of God and became His sons and daughters. Jesus made this possible for us and we know we can come before Him and be accepted. Jesus not only gave us access to God directly, but He gave us access to Him in a personal, intimate way – we became His children.
As believers we can be confident in approaching God ourselves. The Greek term used by Paul for confidence is parresian which means clarity and openness in our approach. We confidently believe that He is listening and hears our prayers and cries for help, as well as receives all of our praise and honor.
Today Americans celebrate the birth of the USA. Freedom is being celebrated across the USA. As believers, every day is a new opportunity to celebrate the freedom we have through Christ. Never forget His sacrifice and all it has given you. Boldly and confidently approach God and rest assured you are accepted and loved.
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