Therefore, brothers, having boldness with respect to entering the holy places in the blood of Jesus, by which he consecrated for us a newly-made and living way through the veil, which is his flesh, as well as a great priest over God's house, we should approach with true heart in complete confidence of faith, hearts aspersed away from wicked conscience and body washed with pure water. We should hold tight the profession of hope, for faithful is the promised one. And we should consider one another so as to stimulate devotion and fine work, not deserting our assembly, according to the habit of some, but encouraging, and much the more as you see the day draw near.
If we willingly sin after receiving discernment of truth, sacrifice for sins no longer remains, but only a frightful waiting for judgment and fiery heat about to devour those who are opposed. Anyone violating the law of Moses dies without compassion on two or three witnesses; how much worse do you think will he deserve punishment, that one who has trampled down the Son of God and who has thought common the blood of the contract, by which he was consecrated, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we remember the one who said, Mine the vindication, I will repay; and again, The Lord will judge his people. Frightful, falling into the living God's hands.
Remember the former days in which, having been illuminated, you survived a great, tormenting struggle; yes, through both reproaches and afflictions having been exposed to view, and having become comrades of those who endured. For you sympathized with those who were bound, and the robbing of your possessions you received with joy, knowing that you had nobler and lasting property. Therefore do not throw overboard your boldness, which has a great repayment. For you have need of steadfastness so that, God's will being done, you may carry off the promise.
[Hebrews 10:19-35, my rough translation. The word for 'boldness' usually means 'outspokenness', but here certainly means something broader. As with the previous passage, 'approach' has the suggestion of approaching an altar for sacrifice, i.e., worship. 'Contract', of course, is usually translated as 'covenant', and rightly so, but it's worth sometimes preventing the idea from being encrusted with the sacred tones of the latter word, which can make us forget that a covenant is in fact literally a contract, albeit in this case one sealed by sanctifying blood and enforced by divine authority.
One important feature of this whole passage is that it insists, quite strongly, that God is terrifying (phoberon); this point is presented as essential, in fact, to understanding the significance of the boldness with which we can approach through the blood of Christ and baptism. Anyone who denies the former will not understand or properly appreciate the latter.
This passage is one of the several passages in the New Testament that discusses what later became known as the theological virtues: faith (v. 22), hope (v. 23), and love (v. 24, here translated as 'devotion'). (The other passages are from the Paul's letters, making this one of the things that the epistle to the Hebrews shares with the Pauline works with which it has historically often been associated.) Note that the way they are presented here, they capture essentially the whole structure of Christian life: we approach God in faith, we hope in Christ who is faithful, and we come together to excite each other to love and beautiful deeds.]
