Hebrews 3:12-14. 12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.
The story of the Israelites in the wilderness is truly a tragic tale. Hebrews 3 is taking us back to the wandering Hebrew people. Because of the deceitfulness of sin, and their unbelieving hearts, they failed to trust God and take the land. They listened to their fears instead of God. They refused to grasp their share of the inheritance. They failed to seize the day.
Is there eternal security in Christ? Yes. Will the saints persevere until the end? Yes. But there is also this very real warning, even for those that are in Christ: For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.
If?
Yes, if.
Christian, our faith in Christ is not a one and done transaction. Maybe you walked down the aisle at church, or prayed a prayer in your bedroom, or “asked Jesus into your heart” as a child, but then what? Have you fallen away from the living God? You passed through the Red Sea, but does that mean that now you can stop trusting God in the wilderness? Nope. Faith in Christ is an ongoing, daily, way of life. Why? Because grace is only grace when it’s received. And the reception of grace is something that must be ongoing. TODAY’s new mercies require TODAY’S new faith. Not yesterday’s.
Sharing in Christ is a moment by moment reality check of our faith.
Thus the strong warning – don’t let your heart be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin, lest you fall away from God. And the strong admonition – but exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today.”
So where is your faith today? Is it still in Christ? Are you still trusting your savior, Jesus? Notice I’m not asking how much faith you have. Or if you’re believing “fully,” or “completely” or “perfectly,” or “entirely.” There’s no adverbs here. Just simple believing. Simple trust.
This is the most important question that every Christian must ask themselves every single day of their life – am I sharing in Christ today? Is my confidence still in Christ’s cross alone? Then you have to ask it again tomorrow. And the next day. And the next day. Until the end.
And we have to ask each other this same question. We have to exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
This is incredibly important. We can’t just assume that the Christians around us in church, in our families, our small groups, our classes and Bible studies, are in Christ because of some profession of faith they made years ago. Where is their faith TODAY?
Thousands and thousands of Israelites crossed through the Red Sea and then died in the wilderness because they never really had true lasting faith. Their faith fell away. They stopped trusting grace. Or did they ever really trust it? Who knows? Who cares? All that matters is what we believe TODAY.
So exhort one another EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.
When’s the last time you checked on someone’s faith? When’s the last time you knew someone well enough spiritually to know that they are still trusting Christ alone for salvation? Does anyone ever ask you about your faith?
Remember, this is NOT about exhorting others to have more faith in their faith. It’s about exhorting one another to simply trust our Savior Jesus and our union with him. To remember that “to live is Christ” is a day by day experience of Jesus that lasts to the end, and beyond.
You
Are you trusting in Christ alone today?
You in Christ
Can you explain grace as “you in Christ?”
Christ in you
Who might you exhort today to hold on to their confidence in Christ to the end?
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Playlist: Faith For Today.
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To Live is Christ 