Come before God with boldness yet with humility

(^^)Regin · #1 (**permalink**) 09-24-2009, 11:41 PM

Hello Everyone,

I have this curious question of mine. I would like to see insight, I highly appreciate your response:

Quote:

Philippians 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Quote:

Hebrews 4:16
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.

I am Asian, and the though of confidence and humility mixed together gives me twitch in my thinking. In my language the closest word I can associate with confidence is pride which is the opposite of humility.

Perhaps if some of you can shed light on the word confidence- it will help me understand it better

thank you

AThornquist · #2 (**permalink**) 09-25-2009, 12:04 AM

Hello Regin! God bless you, brother.

To put it rather simply and in a way that applies to Hebrews 4:16, pride is a high and usually overboard opinion of one's self. Someone who is prideful looks completely at himself and will tend to exaggerate his abilities and importance. Confidence is total trust and a firm belief in something. So for Hebrews 4:16 we have total trust and a firm belief in God (which is confidence), which is actually more like humility than pride because we look completely away from ourselves and toward God. An example of pride would be the Pharisee who prayed to God about how great he was and who thanked God that he wasn't like the sinner next to him. Does that make sense? I can try to clarify if I don't make enough sense.

(^^)Regin · #3 (**permalink**) 09-25-2009, 12:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AThornquist

So for Hebrews 4:16 we have total trust and a firm belief in God (which is confidence), which is actually more like humility than pride because we look completely away from ourselves and toward God.

From where I was raised (and from where I am now) confidence is highly associated with 'one's ability'. It is rarely used as a form of complete trust to another rather than self.

This was like night and day for me today! Thank you!

God bless you.

**armourbearer** · #4 (**permalink**) 09-25-2009, 01:00 AM

Andrew's reply is insightful. The Puritans would say that confident prayer is an act of worship because the pouring out of our hearts to God is a humble recognition of all God has promised to be and to do for His people. Psalm 62:8, "Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us."

rbcbob · #5 (**permalink**) 09-25-2009, 01:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by (^^)Regin

Hello Everyone,

I have this curious question of mine. I would like to see insight, I highly appreciate your response:

Quote:

Philippians 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Quote:

Hebrews 4:16
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.

I am Asian, and the though of confidence and humility mixed together gives me twitch in my thinking. In my language the closest word I can associate with confidence is pride which is the opposite of humility.

Perhaps if some of you can shed light on the word confidence- it will help me understand it better

thank you

Regin, the Greek word for confidence is Παρρησια and has these meanings:

1. freedom in speaking, unreservedness in speech; -- openly, frankly, i. e. without concealment: Mark 8:32; John 11:14; -- without ambiguity John 10:24;

2. free and fearless confidence, cheerful courage, boldness, assurance,… … of the confidence impelling one to do something, of the undoubting confidence of Christians relative to their fellowship with God, Eph. 3:12; Heb. 3:6; 10:35; Heb. 4:16; opposed to being covered with shame, 1 John 2:28;

I hope this helps.

The Lord bless you and keep you.

discipulo · #6 (**permalink**) 09-25-2009, 04:12 AM

I believe that boldness the writer of Hebrews writes comes from the

absolute confidence we can have in the merits of the Mediator of the

Covenant, our High Priest, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

A debtor to mercy alone, of Covenant mercy I sing;
Nor fear, with thy righteousness on, my person and off’ring to bring.
The terrors of the Law of God, with me can have nothing to do;
My Saviour’s obedience and blood hide all my transgressions from view.

Augustus Toplady

rpavich · #7 (**permalink**) 09-25-2009, 01:09 PM

Wouldn't the answer be that these two texts are addressing two different issues?

Philippians:
Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.
But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.

He goes on to say:

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Hebrews

Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

I would seem that in the Philippians passage Paul is juxtaposing certain kinds of unbelievers with the Philippian church members. Rejoice in what you have; don't be anxious, ask God. If you do...you will have peace.

In the Hebrews passage the subject is that Christ knows our situation; he's been through it and because of that; we have a worthy high priest to make intercession for us; so on that basis; you can have confidence in him as a high priest.

Two separate subjects.

(^^)Regin · #8 (**permalink**) 09-26-2009, 09:19 AM

Brothers, thank you for all the insight, I highly appreciate your inputs. I wanted to click the thank you button for all of you but I just found out I only have 20 click

I think I used most of them before I found out (lol)

Seriously I appreciate the board's warmness its like being with big brothers (tough I really didn't have one)

Thank you

***Semper Fidelis*** · #9 (**permalink**) 09-26-2009, 01:54 PM

Hi Regin. Good to see you interacting here. You don't know how much it warms my heart to interact with you.

I like the insights offered above but want to add one more thing regarding the idea being communicated in Hebrews 4:16.

Consider these passages as they relate to the glory of God:

What marks all these passages is that the glory of God is such that it is unapproachable. Recall that when we walked through Hebrews about 1.5 years ago we discussed the High Priest and how only he could enter the Holy of Holies once a year and, even then, only after he had offered a sacrifice for his own sins.

What is remarkable about Hebrews 4:16 is that it is telling us that, through the veil of Christ's flesh, we have access to the very presence of God! No longer do we worship in an earthly sanctuary where only one man can enter the Holy of Holies such that all men must leave when the glory of God descends but we have access to the fulness of communion with God through the veil of Christ's flesh. No fear of condemnation. No fear of being consumed.

It is too wonderful for words to express how glorious that is.

Pilgrim72 · #10 (**permalink**) 09-26-2009, 02:28 PM

Thanks Rich for that. I was very much blessed by the reminder of the holiness of God, my own sinfulness, and our redemption through Christ giving us access to the throne of grace.

I am humbled and at the same time filled with joy that there is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus. I feel like Paul in Romans 7 where he says, "I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord."