Evil Heart of Unbelief

Dear class,

Today's readings are taken from 2 Kings 23:31-34; 2 Chronicles 36:1-4; Jeremiah 22:1-12; 2 Kings 23:34-37; 2 Chronicles 36:4-5; Jeremiah 26 and Hebrews 3.

In the first 2 chapters, Paul began to establish the superiority of Christ. Wherefore, as joint-heirs with Christ (Rom 8:17), do we have a graver responsibility.
In Chapter 3, Paul alluded to backsliding Israel, even before the period of the judges and kings, when they were wandering in the wilderness. It must have left a stinging impact to the target recipients, being Jews themselves and all the more convincing coming from an ex-Pharisee!

Take heed! Is Paul's urgent warning. If it had happened to the Jews, who had always took pride in the fact that they were the people of "promise", it can too happen to anyone of us, if we allow ourselves to be exalted by our pride.
An "Evil heart of unbelief" is the culprit of it all (Heb 3:12). In the 4th Annual Four Seas Lectureships, bro Patrick Swayne spoke of unbelief as the main threat to the Church. Unbelief and hardened hearts, as Paul mentions and as we read of the Old Testament is not just a Gentile thing. It affects the very members of the Body. Wherefore came Paul's concerned plea to the Ephesian elders - "For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them." (Act 20:29,30; emphasis mine) The major threat that Paul was so concerned came from within! Unbelief manifests itself from the direct rejection of God's Word which can ALSO be in the form of twisting the Word and corrupting with man's doctrine. One who claims to believe in God, who claims to "accept" Christ as Saviour, who claims to be guided by the Holy Spirit, yet refuses to accept salvation through baptism, weekly partaking of the Lord's Supper, singing without mechanical instruments, the need for Christians to study the bible and evanglise and any other doctrine as given by God, constitutes unbelief! And unbelief is rejecting and departing from the living God. And as Paul would warn later in the book, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." (Heb 10:31)

Immediately after v.12, Paul gives the solution, or at least a big part of the equation. As quoted in my sign-off as a reminder to one and all - "But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." It is obvious from the context, if not even just for the fact that it is the Holy Writ, that this exhortation is based on the Word. The purpose is clear - to prevent sinful behaviour leading to hardened hearts. Bro Swayne gave some practical tips -
1) A Christian a Day
He suggests that we call a brother /sister everyday, to help us keep in touch with one another throughout the week, rather than just meeting twice a week (sometimes less!) and more often than not, with insufficient interaction time.

2) Brethren as closest friends
Seems a bit challenging, especially for members who had been converted later in their life. But when we think about it, there's really no other secular friend that we can truly call a brother or sister! Peers constitutes an undeniably strong influence, and when our closest friends are church friends, it naturally follows that the advice shared would be guided by biblical principles. That will go a long way to help one another guard against the devil!

3) Pray often and specifically
Do not just give "broad strokes" but actually take time to think about brethren we pray for. This will in turn help us to be in tune with the needs and condition of our brethren.

I would like to add that with the advent of social media like Facebook, it could serve as a useful platform for us to "exhort one another DAILY", not to mention, in the meantime spread the Word. Some of us might be in a message group that shares verses with one another. There are just so many other ways that we could keep in touch with one another, especially spiritually speaking. And when it becomes a habit, that is when it gets easier to deal with the wiles of the devil as we would have been so accustomed to the Lord's ways, and just as He as shown us the perfect example in resisting the devil.

Let us continue to walk circumspectly (Eph 5:15), be kind and tender-hearted to one another (Eph 4:32), exhort one another (Heb 3:13; 10:25), that we never fall into the state of unbelief.

The Lord bless our day ahead.

In Him
Paul

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But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. ~ Hebrews 3:13
This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true. And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen. ~ John 21:24,25