“Whose House We Are, If…”

But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.) They...: Gr. if they shall enter Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end; - Hebrews 3:6-14

    The children of Israel were led out of the darkness and bondage of Egypt by the hand of Moses. The Lord God did many miraculous things before their eyes. Time and again he performed mighty works on their behalf. He defeated their enemies. He fed them with manna. He gave them water out of the rock. By day and by night he led them, comforted them, and protected them. For forty years the Israelites had seen the hand of the Lord in all their affairs. They murmured and complained. But God was merciful and long suffering.

    At last the nation stood within sight of Canaan. Many had fallen already in unbelief. But these people had persevered up to the very brink of victory and rest. Yet, at the last, with the promise in sight, we are told that their “carcasses fell in the wilderness”. At the last, “They could not enter in because of unbelief.”

    In another place, Paul tells us that “All these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.”

    Perseverance

    In other words he says to us, “Be not high-minded, but fear: for if God spared not the natural branches, take heed, lest he also spare not thee.” Paul is telling us that it is necessary that we persevere in the faith. It is not the person who begins and lives for a long while in faith who is saved and enters into glory. It is the person who begins, and lives, and dies in faith who enters into eternal rest. Not everyone who says to Christ, “Lord, Lord,” is saved; but those who do the will of God, believing on Christ, and enduring in that faith to the end.

    The purpose of God the Holy Spirit in this third chapter of Hebrews is to show us the necessity of persevering faith. He is telling us that we must go on, steadfast in the faith. If we do not, if we forsake Christ, like those Jews who fell in the wilderness, we will perish and miss eternal glory.

    Eternal Security

    I know that all true believers are eternally saved. Not one of God's elect shall ever perish. No true believer will ever cease to believe. No true follower of Christ will ever cease to follow Christ (Ecc. 3:14; John 10:28).

    False Faith

    Still, all is not gold that glitters; and all who profess faith do not have real faith. Therefore, I am compelled to constantly examine myself; and in faithfulness to you, I must warn you that there is such a thing as false faith, by which multitudes are deceived.

    Many people have a temporary faith which seems, to all outward appearance, real. But in the end they are found among the damned (Matt. 13:18-23). Nothing is more dangerous than a false faith which produces carnal, presumptuous security. True peace is most blessed; but false peace is most deadly.

    Let me be very clear. The Word of God emphatically teaches the eternal security of God’s elect and the final perseverance of the saints. True believers shall never cease to be true believers. But I do not know, nor can any man know, how near a person may come to the character of a true believer and yet perish.

    I take the warnings of Holy Scripture seriously (Heb. 6:4-6; 10:26, 29, 38; 2 Pet. 2:20-22; John 15:1-7; 2 Pet. 3:17; Heb. 3:12). I know that many who once appeared strong in the faith have, in the end, left the faith (1 Tim. 1:18-20). Therefore, I am compelled to be honest, sincere, and diligent to make my calling and election sure (1 Cor. 9:27). Let us consider these things seriously.

    A Question

    Are we truly born of God? Are we true believers? Do we have the faith of God’s elect? Or, are we simply deceiving ourselves with carnal security? I would do nothing to shake the true assurance of any child of God. But, somehow, if you are deceived, if I am deceived, I pray that God will make us to know it and cause us to seek the faith of God’s elect. I am quite certain that the man is much more likely to seek God's salvation who knows that he is naked, and poor, and miserable, than the man who says, “I am rich and increased with goods.”

    There is a difference between faith and assurance. I know that many say, "If you doubt, you're damned." Others tell us, "If you don't doubt you're damned." For my own part, I would rather go to heaven doubting the sincerity and truthfulness of my own heart and my faith in Christ, than go to hell presuming.

    The Thing to Examine

    The thing to be examined is not “What have I experienced?” or “What have I done?” or “What do I feel?” or “How do I live?” This issue is “whether ye are in the faith” (2 Cor. 13:5). The one issue to be determined is this – Do I, or do I not, trust Christ alone for my acceptance with God? Do I trust Christ’s blood alone to atone for my sins, or am I yet trying to atone for my own sins. Do I trust Christ’s obedience alone for my righteousness before God, or am I yet trying to establish a righteousness of my own? If Christ is not all in all as the solitary object of our faith, as the solitary object of our trust, we are not yet in the faith.