Hebrews 10:23

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Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

Hebrews 10:23 (NKJV)

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

Hebrews 10:23 (NIV)

Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

Hebrews 10:23 (KJV)

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.

Hebrews 10:23 (NLT)

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

Hebrews 10:23 (ESV)

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;

Hebrews 10:23 (NASB)

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.lockman.org

Let us seize and hold fast and retain without wavering the hope we cherish and confess and our acknowledgment of it, for He Who promised is reliable (sure) and faithful to His word.

Hebrews 10:23 (AMP)

Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMP), Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.lockman.org

So let us seize and hold fast and retain without wavering the hope we cherish and confess and our acknowledgement of it, for He Who promised is reliable (sure) and faithful to His word.

Hebrews 10:23 (AMPC)

Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMPC), Copyright © 1954, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.lockman.org

Let's keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word.

Hebrews 10:23 (MSG)

Scripture quotations from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.

New Covenant Meaning

Hold Fast: Not Gripping What Is Slipping but Gripping What Is Secure

The command to hold fast is not about straining to maintain something that is in danger of being taken. It is about maintaining your grip on something that is fully secure on God's end. The confession of your hope is not wishful thinking that might not materialize. It is the declaration of what the faithful God has promised. The holding fast is your part. The faithfulness behind the promise is God's part. You hold fast to a promise backed by the character of God Himself. The wavering that the verse warns against is not loss of the promise but loss of your grip on it.

The Reason to Hold Fast Is His Faithfulness, Not Yours

The verse gives the reason for holding fast without wavering: He who promised is faithful. The reason is not your record of faithfulness. It is His. When you are tempted to let go of a promise because you do not feel worthy to hold it, this verse corrects the logic. The promise is kept by the faithful God who made it, not by the perfect believer who deserves it. You hold fast because of who He is. Your wavering would be a commentary on Him, not on you. And He has never wavered.

Hebrews 10:23 is the second of three parallel exhortations in verses 22-24. Let us draw near (v. 22): access to God through the finished work of Christ. Let us hold fast (v. 23): maintaining the confession of hope without wavering. Let us consider one another (v. 24): the community dimension of Christian life. The three are connected: drawing near to God, holding fast to His promises, and living in accountability with others form the full picture of the Christian life in the New Covenant. Verse 23 does not stand alone. It is embedded in the context of drawing near through the blood of Christ (v. 19) and the opened way through the veil (v. 20).

Application for Your Life

What Is Your Current Confession of Hope?

Hebrews 10:23 implies that you have a confession of hope, a specific thing you are saying about what God has promised you. The command is to hold it fast without wavering. This means the confession is specific enough to hold. If your hope is vague (things will get better eventually), there is nothing specific enough to hold fast to. What has God spoken to you? What promise are you standing on? Get specific. Name it. Hold it. Do not waver from it.

Wavering Is a Choice About Whose Report to Believe

Without wavering is a choice, not a natural condition. Circumstances, delay, disappointment, and the enemy's suggestions all create pressure to let go of the confession of hope. The command assumes this pressure and calls you to hold fast in spite of it. Wavering is not primarily an emotional failure. It is a choice to prioritize what you see over what God has said. The antidote is not more willpower. It is returning to the reason: He who promised is faithful. His faithfulness does not change with your circumstances.

Prayer Based on This Verse

Father, I hold fast to what You have spoken over my life. Not because I have the strength to maintain an iron grip but because You are faithful and the promise does not depend on me. I will not waver. I will not let go of what You have said because of what I currently see. He who promised is faithful. You promised. You will do it. In Jesus name. Amen.