Gleanings of Grace

12 See to it brothers, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end, 15 while it is said, “Today if you hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts, as when they provoked Me.” 16 For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses? 17 And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? 19 So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.

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“What would make you turn away from Christ?”

Pastor Carlos (Caloy) Figueras opened his sermon with this question. Amid the crowd’s silence, I recalled the apostle Peter’s human resolve–seemingly bold and sincere. Yet he eventually denied Jesus three times in the thick of tension. 

We were then led to Hebrews 3:12-19–which were the key passages of the sermon. Pastor Caloy gave us a macro view of the book first to appreciate the passages better. These were fresh insights for me despite having studied Hebrews in 2023.  

Hebrews contains some of the strongest warnings in all of Scripture. Though the writer remains unknown, its intended audience has clearly been the Jews. The book holds five warnings, namely:

1. Warning against drifting away (Hebrews 2:1-4)
2. Warning against unbelief (Hebrews 3:12-19) – the current sermon passage
3. Warning against apostasy (Hebrews 6:4-8)
4. Warning against willful rejection of Christ (Hebrews 10:26-31)
5. Warning against refusing God’s voice and rejecting Him (Hebrews 12)

These warnings constitute a fourth of the book’s space, while the rest are explanations and affirmations. And between all these five warnings, one thread connects them all: the sin of unbelief. 

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Recognize the Danger of Unbelief

12 See to it brothers, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. 

The phrase “see to it” (Greek: βλέπω blépō) carries the idea of looking in with utmost care. Other English translations use the phrases – “take care” (NASB, ESV), “be careful” (NLT), and “beware” (NKJV). In essence, the writer was warning believers then and now to be vigilant against falling away in unbelief by keeping a watchful eye on our hearts. 

As Pastor Caloy said, 

“Unbelief is not a neutral intellectual stance. It is a decided position. It is not just being lukewarm. It’s being cold as a corpse.” 

Unbelief is a direct rebellion against Jesus’ call to “repent and believe in the Gospel” (Mark 1:15). As much as this applies to those who’ve yet to come to faith; this stays relevant even to Bible-believing Christians who profess faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. 

I know what seasons of unbelief can look like. 

It was pitch dark. It was quiet, not because it was peaceful. But because it was in secrecy. It was satisfying but it left me empty all the time. It was an ocean deep of doubt, a heart as hard as brick and a will that intentionally resisted God’s Word. It was exhausting. It was shameful. It was hopeless. 

Having shunned any ray of light, I thought I was content in the dark. But God moved mightily. Through years of pruning, He led me back to His flock. And by God’s grace I can truly say, 

“I never want to be in the same place ever again.”

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Recall Israel’s Ruin

Pastor Caloy’s way of presenting these passages’ structure was pretty insightful: three sets of questions, one answer.

• First Set: “For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses?” (v. 16)

• Second Set: “And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness?” (v. 17)

• Third Set: “And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient?” (v. 18)

And the single answer to all these questions? Israel. 

Despite all that Yahweh has done–delivering them mightily from slavery; separating the Red Sea waters; providing manna and quail in the wilderness–Israel continued to sin deeply against God. They fell into idolatry by worshiping the golden calf. They continued grumbling against Yahweh’s provision, having nostalgic cravings for the cucumbers, melons and leeks in Egypt. They did not like how Yahweh was leading them. Their steady stream of complaints stemmed from their unbelieving hearts that chose to distrust Yahweh. And so, an entire generation perished in the wilderness, never entering the Promised Land. Intensely sobering, right? 

But while this may be so, another sobering truth remains: I am no better than ancient Israel. I am just as prone to unbelief as they were. And just as unbelief is certain, so does its judgement.

God exercised His judgement towards Israel by eradicating an entire unbelieving generation barring them from entering rest in the Promised Land – “So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief” (v.19). 

And so these passages go,

“He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:18)

“And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,” (Hebrews 9:27)

Judgment is certain for all who persist in unbelief—whether openly rejecting Christ or merely professing faith while refusing to trust and obey Him.

Yet amid this sobering reality stands a glorious truth: there is salvation in Christ. 

No one is righteous, not even one (Romans 3:10). All have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). The punishment for sin is eternal wrath (Romans 6:23). No one is capable or good enough to save oneself from this impending judgement. And so the call remains, “Repent of unbelief, believe in Christ and submit one’s life to His Word.” Jesus is the only Hope we can count on. 

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Reinforce One Another In Christ

13 But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 

Recognizing that Christ is the only hope, there is a call to the church:

The duty to proclaim the Gospel remains urgent. The church is to be God’s salt and light, proclaiming Christ to a generation that desperately needs Him.

Likewise, the church is to gather, stirring one another toward Christ and guarding one another from the deceitfulness of sin.

14 For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end,

“Hold fast” or κατέχω (katéchō) means keeping something securely in firm possession. Through the hills and valleys of life, it’s easy to praise God on the mountain top–when our prayers are answered; when our business is profitable; or when the long-awaited promotion finally arrives. But amid the valleys and the wilderness, the temptation to doubt presses deep. 

“Would I still trust and follow God in the waiting, in the mourning, in sickness and in poverty?”

Perseverance is a mark of a genuine believer. Through the years, I’ve come to recognize that perseverance is not marked by dramatic heroism or loud proclamations. It’s simply continuing to trust God one day at a time. 

So long as it is called today,

“Am I sharing the Gospel faithfully?”

“Am I pointing brothers and sisters to Christ?”

“Am I continually trusting and obeying God day by day?”

Not just with my words, but more so – with my life?

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So back to the question, “What would make you turn away from Christ?”

Recognizing this, I told myself quietly, “But I certainly am no better than Peter..” I’m as frail as dust. I’m closer to falling back again to unbelief if not by the grace of God.

Yet recognizing that perseverance is a true mark of a believer, my hope remains in Christ. My confidence rests in the truth that He who called is faithful. Therefore, I can press on to the finish—not because of my own strength, but because of His preserving grace.