SIN’S GREAT DECEPTION
We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. As has just been said: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.” Hebrews 3:14-15
FAITHFUL ENDURANCE
But he who endures to the end shall be saved. Matthew 24:13
Perseverance in faith in Christ is the best evidence of the sincerity of our confession of faith. As we hold firmly to our belief that Jesus, the Son of God and Messiah, came to save us, we continue to share in the nature, graces, righteousness, and life of Christ.
SIN HARDENS THE HEART
Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt? And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness? And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to those who disobeyed? So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief. Hebrews 3:16-18
Faith in God is the fundamental element that enables us to acknowledge, revere, and embrace His absolute existence and divine presence. One’s confidence in God will lead to doing the will of God by faith and then receiving what is promised. Unbelief was the downfall of those Israelites who perished in the wilderness. Their lack of faith prevented them from doing His will and therefore they did not enter into the Promised Land. Each time the people sinned by complaining bitterly, their every act of disobedience, and their resisting the Holy Spirit progressively hardened their hearts until they provoked God to wrath.
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Hebrews 11:6
SIN’S GREAT DECEPTION
Many of us are familiar with the parable of the boiling frog. It describes a frog being slowly boiled alive. The premise is that if a frog is put suddenly into boiling water, it will jump out, but if the frog is put in tepid water which is then brought to a boil slowly, it will not perceive the danger and will be cooked to death. The story is often used as a metaphor for the inability or unwillingness of people to react to or be aware of threats that arise gradually.
Sin’s great deception is that each unrepentant sin gradually dulls a person’s conscience and incrementally hardens one’s heart. Sin progressively leads a person to rebel against God. May we all take to heart the writer of Hebrew’s admonition not to be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
If you missed the opportunity to read any of my first four posts on Hebrew Chapter 3, please use the links provided below:
JESUS IS OUR APOSTLE AND HIGH PRIEST
https://steemit.com/c/@lastdays/jesus-is-our-apostle-and-high-priest
JESUS WAS MORE FAITHFUL THAN MOSES
https://steemit.com/christianity/@lastdays/jesus-was-more-faithful-than-moses
DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS OR RESIST THE SPIRIT
https://steemit.com/christianity/@lastdays/do-not-harden-your-hearts-or-resist-the-spirit
LEARN THIS VITAL LESSON - DO NOT LET YOUR HEARTS GO ASTRAY!
https://steemit.com/christianity/@lastdays/learn-this-vital-lesson-do-not-let-your-hearts-go-astray