"These [in Berea] were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so." - Acts 17:11

(35) Ye may not cast away, then, your boldness, which hath great recompense of reward, (36) for of patience ye have need, that the will of God having done, ye may receive the promise, (37) for yet a very very little, He who is coming will come, and will not tarry; (38) and `the righteous by faith shall live,' and `if he may draw back, My soul hath no pleasure in him,' (39) and we are not of those drawing back to destruction, but of those believing to a preserving of soul.


This is not the first time faith or its opposite, unbelief, is mentioned in Hebrews. The very purpose of the entire epistle is to recapture, build, and sustain in its recipients their faith in the superiority of Jesus Christ Himself and in His message, the gospel of the Kingdom of God.

Notice the strong, earlier statements Paul makes regarding unbelief:

» Hebrews 3:12, 19: Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God. . . . So we see that [the Israelites in the wilderness] could not enter in[to the Promised Land] because of unbelief.

» Hebrews 4:2: For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.

These are weighty statements. The Israelites failed to accomplish their responsibility of walking from Egypt to the Promised Land primarily because of one weak element in their character. They did not believe God or His messenger Moses. They did not listen thoughtfully or yieldingly.

Because of the warning contained within Hebrews 10:35-39, chapter 11 places the virtue of faith in direct contrast to the sin of unbelief by exposing what unbelief caused to occur. The Israelites drew back in fear rather than trusting God and boldly going forward. Thus, the main point of the epistle of Hebrews is that they will be destroyed who, by failing to put their trust in the living God, shrink back from this Christian war we have been called to fight, whereas those who believe will be saved.

— John W. Ritenbaugh

To learn more, see:
The Christian Fight (Part Three)



 

Topics:

Belief

Belief in Christ

Believing

Believing in Christ

Faith

Faith as Antidote to Fear

Faith as Belief

Faith as Trust

Fear

Unbelief




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