Hebrews 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
‘Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.’ Seven commands for believers: To draw near to God (10:22). To have a pure conscience. To have clean bodies. To have unwavering faith (10:23). To provoke others to good works (10:24). To assemble with other Christians (10:25). To exhort one another daily (10:25; 3:13).
‘Draw near’ – Four ways to draw near to God: By boldness (10:19; 4:14-16); By the blood of Jesus (10:19); By a new and living way (10:20); By the high priesthood of Christ (10:21).
‘A true heart’ – An honest, earnest, sincere heart.
‘Full assurance’ [Greek: plerophoria] full conviction; certain (10:22; 6:11; Col. 2:2; 1Thess. 1:5).
‘Hearts sprinkled’ – Not the body sprinkled by the water of separation, as under the law (Num. 19:2-10), but our hearts—the inner man—sprinkled by the blood of Jesus (10:22; 12:24; 1Pet. 1:2). This is accomplished by faith in the blood (Rom. 3:24-25).
‘Conscience’ [Greek: suneidesis] is joint knowledge of God and man; knowledge of our acts, state, or character as to right and wrong; the faculty, power, or principle which decides the lawfulness of our actions and affections, and approves or condemns them; the moral faculty or sense; consciousness of actions; the eye, judge, and guide of the inner man. Used 32 times. The word “conscience” is not found in the Old Testament.
‘Bodies washed with pure water.’ Our bodies are bathed, referring to the actual cleanliness of the body rather than to baptism (Lev. 15:8-27; 17:15-16).
Living the Word 