How does access to the Holy of Holies perfect us?
With the onset of the new covenant, Christians now have constant access to the Holy of Holies. As high priest, Jesus has torn through the veil separating us from the Holy of Holies, and we can now follow him. For instance, 4:16 says (and much the same thing is found in 9:8 and 10:19): Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. But what does such access do for us with respect to our sanctification? That this access is vital to sanctification is implied in 9:8-9, where our sanctification is linked with the access now available through Jesus’ entrance into the Holy of Holies. The sanctifying effect of God’s indwelling presence, just discussed, seems obvious; not so here. Obviously, our going to God’s throne has a totally different function in our sanctification than His coming to us has. The astute reader will, by now, be trying to butt in with, “Hey, why don’t you read the verse you just quoted; it gives the answe
