Boldly Coming Before God in Prayer According to Scripture
Scripture presents prayer as direct address to God, an act of "drawing near" and "pouring out the soul before the Lord" [1]. This language of approach assumes both intimacy and reverence, yet the New Testament introduces a striking note: believers may come boldly into God's presence. The Greek term underlying "boldness" (παρρησία) denotes free speech, confidence, and unreserved access—a privilege grounded not in human merit but in Christ's finished work.
The Basis for Bold Access
Hebrews 10:19 anchors this confidence explicitly: "we have boldness to enter...by the blood of Jesus" [6]. The author resumes an earlier exhortation (Hebrews 4:14–16) that urges believers to "come boldly to the throne of grace" [7], a throne that dispenses mercy rather than condemnation. This boldness is "grounded on the consciousness that our sins have been forgiven" [6], not on any inherent worthiness. Ephesians 3:12 similarly locates this access "through faith in Christ," emphasizing that believers approach God "boldly and confidently...not because of good deeds that we have done, but because of Christ's all-sufficient sacrifice" [4]. The pathway is Christ himself: "by Christ" and "by the Holy Spirit" [3], a trinitarian mediation that removes the barrier sin once erected.
Characteristics of Holy Boldness
Torrey's Topical Textbook identifies holy boldness as "a characteristic of saints" [2], produced by trust in God and faithfulness to him. It is not presumption but confidence rooted in relationship—believers approach as those reconciled, with "access...obtained through faith" [3]. The exhortation to "have boldness in prayer" [2] appears alongside other contexts where boldness marks faithful witness (Acts 4:29, Ephesians 6:19–20), suggesting that the same confidence that emboldens public testimony also characterizes private communion with God.
Matthew Henry, commenting on David's response to God's covenant promise, notes that "when ministers deliver God's message to us, it is not to them, but to God, that our hearts must reply...and to him we may come boldly" [5]. This boldness does not bypass reverence—David "retired" to pray, and the psalmist speaks of prayer as supplication, "which denotes the humility of it" [8]—but it does eliminate fear of rejection. John Gill observes that saints may come boldly to Christ "since he stands in the relations of a Father, husband, and brother" [7], relational categories that invite rather than repel approach.
The scriptural portrait thus holds together confidence and humility: believers come as beggars [8], yet as beggars who know the door is open.
Sources
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Prayer — Is converse with God; the intercourse of the soul with God, not in contemplation or meditation, but in direct address to him. Prayer may be oral or mental, occasional or constant, ejaculatory or formal. It is a "beseeching the Lord" (Ex. 32:11); "pouring out the soul before the Lord" (1 Sam. 1:15); "praying and crying to heaven" (2 Chr. 32:20); "seeking unto God and making supplication" (Job 8:5); "drawing near to God" (Ps. 73:28); "bowing the knees" (Eph. 3:14). Prayer presupposes a belief in the personality of God, his ability and willingness to hold inter”
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Boldness, Holy — Christ set an example of -- Joh 7:26. Is through faith in Christ -- Eph 3:12; Heb 10:19. A characteristic of saints -- Pr 28:1. Produced by Trust in God. -- Isa 50:7. The fear of God. -- Ac 4:19; 5:29. Faithfulness to God. -- 1Ti 3:13. Express your trust in God with -- Heb 13:6. Have, in prayer -- Eph 3:12; Heb 4:16. Saints shall have, in judgment -- 1Jo 4:17. Exhortations to -- Jos 1:7; 2Ch 19:11; Jer 1:8; Eze 3:9. Pray for -- Ac 4:29; Eph 6:19,20. Ministers should exhibit, in Faithfulness to their people. -- 2Co 7:4; 10:1. Preaching. -- Ac 4:31; Ph”
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Access to God — Is of God -- Ps 65:4. Is by Christ -- Joh 10:7, 9; 14:6; Ro 5:2; Eph 2:13; 3:12; Heb 7:9, 25; 10:19; 1Pe 3:18. Is by the Holy Spirit -- Eph 2:18. Obtained through faith -- Ac 14:27; Ro 5:2; Eph 3:12; Heb 11:6. Follows upon reconciliation to God -- Col 1:21,22. In Prayer -- See Prayer. De 4:7; Mt 6:6; 1Pe 1:17. In his temple -- Ps 15:1; 27:4; 43:3; 65:4. To obtain mercy and grace -- Heb 4:16. A privilege of saints -- De 4:7; Ps 15:1; 23:6; 24:3,4. Saints have, with confidence -- Eph 3:12; Heb 4:16; 10:19,20. Vouchsafed to repenting sinners -- See Repen”
- Ephesians (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Ephesians 3:12: 3:12 We can come boldly and confidently into God’s presence, not because of good deeds that we have done, but because of Christ’s all-sufficient sacrifice for our sins (see 2:18; Heb 4:14-16; 10:19-23; 1 Pet 3:18; 1 Jn 4:14).”
- 2 Samuel (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on 2 Samuel 7:18: We have here the solemn address David made to God, in answer to the gracious message God had sent him. We are not told what he said to Nathan; no doubt he received him very kindly and respectfully as God's messenger. But his answer to God he took himself, and did not send by Nathan. When ministers deliver God's message to us, it is not to them, but to God, that our hearts must reply; he understands the language of the heart, and to him we may come boldly. David had no sooner received the message than, while the impressions of it were fresh, he retired to return ”
- Hebrews (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Hebrews 10:19: Here begins the third and last division of the Epistle; our duty now while waiting for the Lord's second advent. Resumption and expansion of the exhortation (Heb 4:14-16; compare Heb 10:22-23 here) wherewith he closed the first part of the Epistle, preparatory to his great doctrinal argument, beginning at Heb 7:1. boldness--"free confidence," grounded on the consciousness that our sins have been forgiven. to enter--literally, "as regards the entering." by--Greek, "in"; it is in the blood of Jesus that our boldness to enter is grounded. Compare ”
- Hebrews (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Hebrews 4:15: Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace,.... Either to Christ, who is before spoken of as an high priest, and who was typified by the mercy seat, to which there seems to be an allusion; and coming to him as a priest upon his throne is very proper: to him saints come for pardon and cleansing, and for a justifying righteousness, for the acceptance of their persons, and the presentation of their services, and for every supply of grace; and to him they may come "boldly", since he stands in the relations of a Father, husband, and brother, and from him they may”
- Psalms (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Psalms 119:169: Here we have, I. A general petition for audience repeated: Let my cry come near before thee; and again, Let my supplication come before thee. He calls his prayer his cry, which denotes the fervency and vehemence of it, and his supplication, which denotes the humility of it. We must come to God as beggars come to our doors for an alms. He is concerned that his prayer might come before God, might come near before him, that is, that he might have grace and strength by faith and fervency to lift up his prayers, that no guilt might interpose to shut out his prayers ”