12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.
Having explained God’s purpose for the church, Paul now showed the implications of the certainty of that purpose. Christians now have boldness and confidence that cannot be daunted by hostile authorities.
12 in whom
Our position in Christ gives us privileges listed in this verse.
we [including Paul] have boldness [courage]
“Boldness” is the right to approach God (Php 1:20; He 3:6; 4:16; 10:19, 35). In classical Greek the word “boldness” carried the idea of freedom of speech. The freedom here is confidence to enter into God’s presence because of Christ’s work.
and access
Christians have the right of access into the presence of God. We have freedom to approach the Father. We can take courage in knowing that God will manage our situation because we have access to His sovereign care. We have entrée into God’s presence by placing our faith “in Him.”
with confidence
Believers can approach God with “confidence.” This is a term of certainty. “Confidence” is persuasion. We have past, complete persuasion with the present result of a settled conviction.
through faith in Him.
We access God through faith. Faith is the way we gain boldness, access, and confidence with God.
PRINCIPLE:
Christians have confidence that God will accept them and never reject them.
APPLICATION:
Believers have free and full access to God. There is no fear of God’s rejection of us. This does not mean that we can become flippant toward God. However, it does mean that we have unrestricted access to Him.
Union with Christ gives believers certainty of their relationship to God. We have the authority to come to the Lord of grace (He 4:16). We have both “boldness” and “access with confidence.” We have boldness of confident access to God. Christians need to know their privileges before God.
