Hebrews 10:19-23
The holy place was unlike any other place. It was different because God filled this place with his very presence. It was the only place that Hebrews knew beyond a shadow of the doubt they could meet God. Hebrews who loved God and loved righteousness longed to enter the most holy place, but they could not because it was off limits. Only the high priest could enter, and then only once a year, and only after bathing and cleaning himself, and having himself sprinkled for ceremonial cleansing.

Christ has changed everything. The most holy place in the temple is no longer holy. It is no longer the residing place of the spirit of God. It is no longer any different from any other place on earth. The most holy place is now empty. Yet Hebrews tells us that we have the confidence to enter the most holy place by the blood of Christ. We are prepared to enter the holy place because Christ has cleansed our hearts of a guilty conscience. We have washed our bodies through the act of baptism. We have placed our faith in Christ and he is faithful. The question now becomes, “Where is the holy place?”

The Holy Spirit still dwells in the holy place. God still centers his interaction with the world in the holy place. The holy place is still a place of hope for a world devastated by sin. The holy place is no longer in the same place, but it is the same type of place. The Holy Spirit now dwells in the heart of the Christian. The Christian has become the place of interaction between God and the world. It is in the life of a Christian that most people will first meet and see Jesus. If the world does not see holiness in the Christian, they will not see God. As the Holy Spirit cleanses us, together we cleanse the life we are living. By the grace of God, the Christian’s life becomes a holy place.