Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.
Hebrews 3:12
To sin is to fundamentally have some form of unbelief. It is a staggering realization for me to see how much unbelief is still in me. It is profoundly true that there simply is no room for complacency in the faith. We must be vigilant.
Unbelief is a state of heart that disregards the Lord. Isaiah 1:3 says,
“An ox knows its owner,
And a donkey its master’s manger,
But Israel does not know,
My people do not understand.”
What falls under the category of unbelief is a hardened and disobedient heart (Hebrews 3:13b, 18). In this world, there are plenty of moving literature depicting human pursuit after freedom. Perhaps, in many ways, we find discipline as the opposite of freedom but the two are not incongruent but complementary.
A guitar virtuoso is “free” to play a difficult arrangement by Segovia while I am not. Why? Because of his years of disciplined practice. Similarly, those who are “free” to quote Scripture are those who have disciplined themselves to memorize God’s Word. [Donald S. Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 1991), 24.]
Obedience is often thought of as restrictive, unappealing, and controlling but we are creatures bound to one another. We define our roles and relationships—such as, we are mother, father, sister, brother, friend, teacher, lover, etc—and our roles prompt us to be something; How should a mother be a mother to her child? Or how should a lover be a lover to his spouse? A mother will not be a mother to her child if she abandons them. A lover will not be a lover to his spouse is he loves another. Or perhaps one perhaps had been mother and lover in name only. We are bound to one another and we find enjoyment in these things, not restrictions.
If we are to consider ourselves as God’s people, friends, sons, daughters, and servants, we must fulfill those roles accordingly. And the way to do it is to obey knowing that He desires our ultimate good. Romans 8:28-39.
What unbelief does is to entice us to believe the deceitfulness of sin, to believe its appeal. But while something may be a delight to the eyes (Genesis 3:6), it can be a rotten thing inside—this is what counterfeit things are like. Indeed deceiving.
In the past, I didn’t really think of sin as something deceitful but it is. I had thought that I just had to change my desires and align my heart with the Lord (by His help of course)—it was a rather simplistic view of things. I realize now how important it is to be discerning. Sin is deceitful. For instance, to desire bread when hungry is not a bad thing but it becomes sinful when it is not the right time nor according to God’s will (Matthew 4.2-4). Indeed, Jesus’ reply to the tempter is so fundamental.
‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.’
We must live on every word that proceeds from God. Let us then keep our eyes, minds, hearts, our entire being on the Lord God. Study Scripture diligently. Confess whenever we fall short (1 Jn 1:9). Pray without ceasing (1 Th 5:17). Let us not give an inch to the devil (Eph 4:27) nor allow any insidious and subtle unbelief to creep in on us (Mk 9:24). To believe the Lord is to obey the Lord. Belief and obedience cannot be distinct from one another. May the Lord sanctify us by the power of His Spirt! Amen!