It is blessedly true that the believer's position is always inside the veil where Jesus has gone by His own blood. It is his sweet privilege to have access with confidence at all times, and it is where divine grace has set him. Other scriptures show that he is made nigh in Christ and through His blood.
It is true, moreover, that as a matter of experience, many souls un-established in these precious truths have no apprehension or enjoyment of this unchanging position of nearness. So when trouble, failure, entanglement with Jewish things, or defilement come between them and God, they lose the sense of His presence, and become greatly distressed and groan and struggle to get near. Such surely are not excluded from "the holiest of all," neither have they lost their position there. (How could they? They have no other place before God.) But through ignorance or unbelief, their souls have no consciousness of it.
Like the Hebrew believers, they have to learn by divine teaching what "the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all" has done for them. And they always have title to be there, because Christ has gone into heaven itself by His own blood, and now appears before the face of God for them. It is well when they apprehend these precious realities, and are moved by the encouraging words, "Let us draw near." It is a time of wonderful blessing when such learn the true way of approach to God, and surely there is no other way of access to God for any of His people at any time.
We must look, however, to other scriptures for instruction as to the way of soul-restoration from sin, because that opens the question, not of our position before God, nor of our everlasting security, nor of liberty to be inside the veil, but of communion with the Father. It is another line of divine truth to what we have in Hebrews.
Strictly speaking, we do not have restoration from sin in Hebrews, but from the danger of going back to Judaism. We find this in John's first epistle where the precious subjects of our relationship and fellowship with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ are taken up. There advocacy comes in, not priesthood, and "the Father," because it is the sin of His child having interrupted communion which is the question. "If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." 1 John 2:11My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: (1 John 2:1). This precious advocacy is founded on "propitiation" having been made for our sins. The Advocate is "the righteous" One; it is the Father with whom He is the Advocate, and the children of God for whom He is the Advocate.
Blessed be His name, He is our Advocate whether we know it or not. He faithfully maintains His own gracious office according as our state requires. The effect on us is, no doubt, to produce self-judgment and confession.
It is not a fresh application of the blood, as some say, which is needed to restore the soul to communion, for it has already perfected the conscience and put him in the light as God is in the light. But it is the washing of water by the Word, as set forth in Christ's washing the disciples' feet with water, and by the ashes of the red heifer mixed with water and sprinkled upon the unclean.
“The word" is brought home to the heart and conscience by the Holy Spirit with such personal application. This makes us feel the sin before God, and assures those who have humbled themselves and confessed their sins that He is faithful and just to forgive them their sins, and to cleanse them from all unrighteousness. Thus the washing of water by the Word exposes and removes the defilement, and so ministers Christ to the soul so that it finds fellowship restored, and perhaps its joy deepened.
In Hebrews we have God, the High Priest, the holiest, and worshippers. In John we have the Father, the Advocate, children, and communion. In Hebrews we have access to God, and believers enjoined to draw near. In John we have the way of soul-restoration for "children" who have sinned. But whether the question for our souls be as to worship or communion, both are founded on the death of the cross, and secured for us by Him who went into heaven itself by His own blood. The blood of Jesus is our abiding title to be in the presence of God. We have no other and want no other. It is where the righteousness of God has set us. To Him be everlasting praise!
H. H. Snell