The Christian life was never promised to be easy, but the destination and its Ruler are certainly worth it.
In Hebrews 3, after the author compares Christ to Moses, he issued an exhortation regarding those who follow this One greater than Moses.
In Moses’ day, many fell away during the wilderness escapade because of unbelief (Heb. 3:19). They made it to Canaan’s borders, but they still had to take the land. God had described Canaan as the land, “which I am giving to the people of Israel” (Num. 13:1, emphasis added) but it still required faith-filled conquest.
However, most of the spies did not believe. They saw giant problems and not their giant God and their testimony won out against the two spies who believed.
The apostle Paul in another place points out that all these things happened for our example and were written down for our instruction (see 1 Cor. 10:11).
The Bible does not merely contain historical records of no consequence, but it is the very Word of God! Every story preserved, that we might have even learned as children, is intended to teach us something about God and about how we ought to live before Him.
With this, in Hebrews 3, comes a call to perseverance. Now, while perseverance is necessary, I do not believe that this means that genuine believers can fall away. I think it was scholar Tom Schreiner who once wrote concerning faith, “Perseverance is the mark of genuineness.”
I think the consistent testimony of the New Testament is that those who are born again will persevere until the end. However, this does not negate the need to do so. As such, the warning passages are means of grace whereby God stirs us towards continued obedience and steadfastness.
The author warned his first-century audience and warns us today:
“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” (Heb. 2:12-13).
Firstly, as believers we are to take care to monitor our hearts that they be not unbelieving. As Solomon once concluded, “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life” (Pro. 4:23). The wilderness generation doubted the promises of God. God said He would give them the land, but they did not trust Him.
With these stories in mind, the believer ought to regularly remind themselves of the faithfulness of God.
God is a God who does not lie (Titus 1:2). The consistent testimony of Scripture is that God is both a promise-making and promise-keeping God. This same God has promised eternal life to all those who are in Christ, a life that begins even today! (see 1 Jn. 5:11-12).
Secondly, the believers are to exhort one another.
While there are certainly times the Christian will depend solely on the Lord’s help, believers ought to likewise lean upon and offer to support to their fellow Christians. We need to be connected in community and exhort one another to keep on the straight and narrow and to be wary of the deceitfulness of sin.
I once heard the warning: sin will take you farther than you wanted to go, cost you more than you were willing to pay, and keep you longer than you wanted to stay. Sin is deceitful. Temptation makes it seem good, but it is a poison that leads to death (see Rm. 6:23; Jas. 1:14-15).
Christ has been so faithful to us, now we must remain faithful to Him. We must guard our hearts, and we must be committed to Christian community whereby we can be both encouraged with the promises of God and warned concerning sin.
By these means God will keep us as we move along our journey to the heavenly Promised Land.