What does it mean to come boldly to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16)?

TL;DR:

To “come boldly to the throne of grace” is to approach the Lord in prayer, confident that Jesus’ sacrifice was sufficient for our sins once and for all. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, we can approach God for grace.

what does the bible say?

Hebrews 4:16 encourages believers to “come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (NKJV). The "throne of grace" is an allusion to the mercy seat on the ark of the covenant. Under the Mosaic covenant, God's presence dwelled with the ark of the covenant in the innermost chamber of the tabernacle or temple, called the Holy of Holies or the Most Holy Place. The high priest could enter that room once per year, on the Day of Atonement, to offer blood sacrifices for his sins and the sins of the nation of Israel (Leviticus 16). When Jesus was crucified as the “once for all” sacrifice (Hebrews 10:10) through whom we have forgiveness of sin and become children of God (John 1:12), the veil that separated the Holy of Holies was torn from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51). The barriers of the old covenant—including priestly mediators and regular animal sacrifice—were removed because Jesus fulfilled the covenant (Hebrews 8—10). Because Jesus has made the way for us to have restored relationship with God, we can come “boldly to the throne of grace,” coming to God in prayer with confidence and honesty.

from the old testament

Leviticus 4:32 describes the sin offering as a “lamb … without blemish.” This parallels Jesus’ offering of Himself as the perfect Lamb of God whose sacrifice makes it possible for believers to approach God with confidence, without needing any other atonement for our sins.
Leviticus 16 describes the process by which the high priest entered the innermost chamber of the tabernacle called the Holy of Holies once per year, on the Day of Atonement. The atonement was for the priest as well as the nation of Israel (Leviticus 16:11, 15). Jesus’ sacrifice fulfilled this system.
Psalm 51:16–17 implies God’s true desire to allow us, through Christ, to come to Him as broken as we are: “For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; / you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. / The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; / a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”

from the new testament

Jesus told His disciples, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. … If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!" (Matthew 7:7, 11). When we understand who God is and know our position before Him in Christ (Ephesians 1:3–14), we can come before Him with complete assurance, knowing He will respond to us with perfect love.
In Galatians 4:4–5, readers are reminded that God sent Jesus to “redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” We need not fear that God is disinterested because in Christ we have been adopted as His child (Galatians 4:4–7). God will be merciful and gracious, so we confidently approach Him in prayer.
Romans 8:14–15 says, "For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, 'Abba! Father!’” As children of God, we can be assured that our Heavenly Father listens to our prayers.
Hebrews 10:19–22 gives similar encouragement: "Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." Those who are in Christ have been made clean and have been invited into full relationship with God.

implications for today

Because Jesus was fully human and is fully God, we know He understands us. He has lived the human experience and has compassion for us. He loved us so much that He took on the sin of all humanity upon Himself on the cross (2 Corinthians 5:21). We should be aware of this in our daily lives and not be ashamed to approach God to pray for forgiveness of our sins. Rather, we can approach God boldly because of what Christ did. We need not fear God's wrath because Jesus has made atonement for us on the cross (Romans 5:9). Thus, we can enjoy and cultivate our relationship with our Heavenly Father through prayer, knowing that He forgives our sins on the basis of His Son’s sacrifice. No matter what troubles we face in life, we can confidently seek our Lord’s help through honest and open prayer.

understand

Jesus’ sacrifice allows us to approach God boldly, without fear, confident that our sins are forgiven.
Jesus’ death and resurrection removed the barriers of the old covenant, giving us direct access to God as His adopted children.
As believers who have been saved by grace through faith, we can come boldly to the throne of grace in our time of need.

reflect

How does Jesus’ sacrifice affect the way you approach God in prayer?
What can you do daily to remember your identity as a child of God?
In what areas of your life do you need to seek God’s grace boldly?

engage

How does the “throne of grace” relate to the Old Testament mercy seat?
What does Hebrews 10:19–22 reveal about our access to God compared to the Old Covenant and what does it reveal about God since He is the One who made this relationship possible?
How does being adopted as God’s children (Romans 8:14–15; Galatians 4:4–5) affect our approach to Him when we need grace?