Hebrews 3:1-19
1 Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus,
2 who was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was faithful in all His house.
3 For this One has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as He who built the house has more honor than the house.
4 For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God.
5 And Moses indeed was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which would be spoken afterward,
6 but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.
7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says: “TODAY, IF YOU WILL HEAR HIS VOICE,
8 DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS AS IN THE REBELLION, IN THE DAY OF TRIAL IN THE WILDERNESS,
9 WHERE YOUR FATHERS TESTED ME, TRIED ME, AND SAW MY WORKS FORTY YEARS.
10 THEREFORE I WAS ANGRY WITH THAT GENERATION, AND SAID, ‘THEY ALWAYS GO ASTRAY IN THEIR HEART, AND THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN MY WAYS.’
11 SO I SWORE IN MY WRATH, ‘THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST.’ “
12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God;
13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called “TODAY,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end,
15 while it is said: “TODAY, IF YOU WILL HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS AS IN THE REBELLION.”
16 For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses?
17 Now with whom was He angry 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 did not obey?
19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
Just as Moses and Christ were faithful in the house built for their service, we also have a requirement of faithfulness as the temple in which Jesus has become the high priest. This occupation of the Spirit is not something we are secured in no matter where our beliefs take our actions. Just as the children of Israel failed to experience the promise of God made directly to them because of unbelief demonstrated in their inability to obey His voice, so we will not remain His temple if our belief does not affect our holiness. A soldier will not remain in the army, a player on the team, or a player in the band if the assigned role is abandoned for whatever strikes the fancy. There is certainly a place of rest in Him, where we abide as His words abide in us, but this is only ours when we do our part in faithfulness to what we find there in His Word. He remains faithful for those who don’t harden their heart by disregarding His garments of righteousness and putting on the unrighteous garments of sin in direct rebellion to His will. Paul indicates that sin is us intentionally hardening our hearts against our relationship with Him by choosing to believe more in the reward of sin than that of His promise.
Belief will result in obedience. Where there is a challenge with transgression, rest from struggling with it will come in simple running to the One we believe in with hearts that are softened in His presence and made ready for righteousness that is our faithfulness to His house. As our priest, He is our peace as our belief in Him is evident from our choice of obedience to His holiness. The battle is won and the feast is enjoyed even in the presence of the enemy, when the heart is secured by belief in the One who was so faithful in obedience to do His part in redeeming us. The greater His faithfulness is seen, so will be the reality of ours.