Commentary
by Walter Albritton
Faithfulness
Necessary to Inherit
God’s
Promise of Eternal Rest
Hebrews 3:12 – 4:13
Key Verse: We
have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we
had at first. – Hebrews 3:14
Christians are
warned by the writer of the Hebrews of the grave danger of falling away from
the faith. Like the Hebrew children whose hearts were hardened by unbelief,
Christians can be separated from God by an unbelieving heart. If we expect to
inherit God’s promise of salvation in heaven, we must hold firmly to the faith
to the end.
The early
Christians were tempted to drift back into Judaism, thus “falling away from the
living God.” They did so gradually because of the deceitfulness of sin. What
must we do to prevent this hardening of our hearts? Two things are recommended.
One, be
tenacious in faithfulness. Be careful daily to obey God. Disobedience leads to
unfaithfulness. In a sense, the writer says, “Grab yourself by the nap of the
neck and make sure unbelief does not creep up on you. Take responsibility for
your faith; do not allow it to waver in the least. Keep reminding yourself of
the uniqueness of Jesus, our great high priest to whom God gave greater honor
than to Moses.”
Two, encourage
one another daily. Here is a serious responsibility for all believers. We are
to encourage each other, not occasionally but daily. The clear implication is
that our salvation hangs in the balance. To fail to offer daily encouragement
to our brothers and sisters is to jeopardize their eternal salvation.
This reminds me
that one of the major themes in the writing of Elton Trueblood was the ministry
of encouragement. He insisted that every Christian is called not only to be a
minister of Christ, but specifically to the ministry of encouragement. We can,
and should, encourage one another as we rub shoulders in daily life.
What a
wonderful difference an encouraging friend can make through even a casual
encounter. A cheerful greeting, spoken with enthusiasm, can make our day. On
the other hand, the negative comments of an old grouch can ruin our day. Even
more depressing can be the cool indifference of one who passes us by without so
much as a glance.
Consider how we
may employ encouragement to bolster the faith of our brothers and sisters. We
might say to one another often, “Good morning, my brother (or my sister), are
we not blessed by the assurance that because we are partners with Christ in
this world that one day we will share the joy of heaven with him? We must not
allow unbelief to rob us of our eternal reward. Let us pray for each other to
continue to obey God and remain faithful to the end of our journey.”
If making such
a comment seems uncomfortable to you, think how worthless are so many of the
remarks we make to one another in daily conversations. Perhaps God wants to
take us out of our comfort zone and teach us how to speak more freely of
eternal things. Some of our unbelieving friends might ask us about Jesus if we
were to speak more often of our love for him.
Faithful Bible
reading is important. When we dig into the word of God daily, we allow the
Scriptures to penetrate our inner thoughts like a two-edged sword. How does
this happen? Here is an example.
A friend
criticized me, behind my back, for something I had done. I was sure I had done
no wrong. I am angry toward him. Then I read in Matthew 6:14-15 the words of
Jesus, “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father
will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father
will not forgive your sins.” Instantly, I am convicted. The sharp sword of the
Lord has laid my heart bare, exposing my ugly attitude. I know I must forgive
my friend and make amends.
Experiences
like this remind us that we can hide nothing from God; we have no secret
thoughts that are hidden from him. He sees all and knows all. When this truth
sinks in, we realize the need to confess all our sinful desires and ambitions
and allow him to cleanse our hearts.
Daily Bible
reading can help us resist the sin of unbelief. When we delight in reading the
wonderful descriptions of Christ by the New Testament writers, we are less
likely to suffer from hardening of the heart. The word of God can strengthen
our faith and soften our hearts, causing us to celebrate daily the glorious
majesty of the living Christ! + + + + (Walter may be contacted at
walbritton@elmore.rr.com)
+ + + + (Contact Walter at walbritton@elmore.rr.com)