An Evil Heart of Unbelief – Hebrews 3
‘Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.’ — Hebrews 3:12
The faithfulness of Christ as the Apostle (the sent one) and High Priest of our profession is to be an example to us (v.1). He was faithful to do all that God wanted him to do just as Moses was faithful in how he built the tabernacle (v.2). Actually, the work of Christ is worthy of more glory than Moses, because Jesus is God who built all things (v.3-4).
As we ‘consider’ Christ and Moses and how they faithfully performed their duties, we too as ‘holy brethren’ need to be faithful in our ‘heavenly calling’ (v.1). We need to keep trusting God and keep following God. We need to learn from the negative example of the Israelites who did not enter the Promised Land due to unbelief (v.7-11).
That generation who died in the wilderness were God’s people but they missed out on the rest, the victory, and the blessings of all God has for them in Canaan. In the same way, Christians, who have believed on Christ for salvation, can fail to believe on Christ for service (v.12).
The way that we keep on trusting God for service is to exhort one another daily so that we are not hardened through the deceitfulness of sin (v.13). If we keep trusting God in every area of our lives, then we can partake of the privilege to serve Christ and the victory faith brings each day (v.14-15). if we do not keep trusting Christ, we will miss out on the victorious Christian life (‘the rest’) that God intends for every child of his to experience.
The discussion in this passage is for Christians, for those who are ‘brethren’ (v.1,12), just as those who hardened their hearts in the wilderness were Israelites redeemed from Egypt. So, the choice is not between being saved and lost, but between the reward of victorious service for Christ and the frustration of faithless living.
Christian, what kind of life are you living. One of faith and trust in God for each new day? Or one of doubt and fear? An evil heart of unbelief will grieve God and leave you frustrated in this life. A believing heart will bring you rest and lead you into a life of victory, joy, and peace.