Hebrews 3:19 - Printer Friendly

ESV: So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

NIV: So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.

NASB: And so we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.

CSB: So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

NLT: So we see that because of their unbelief they were not able to enter his rest.

KJV: So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

NKJV: So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

This is the last of the four ways in which spiritual failure can cause us to miss out on blessings from God. The context is that of Israel and her wandering in the desert. Despite common use, the Promised Land is not meant to be a symbol of heaven in the Bible—there was still war, work, and strife in Canaan. Salvation, in the story of Israel, was her liberation from Egypt. God did not send the rebellious people back to slavery. He will not let a saved Christian fall into eternal damnation. However, He will discipline a Christian who exhibits spiritual failures with a loss of their spiritual inheritance.

Prior verses used the example of Israel to point out the errors of rebellion, sin, and defiance. Here, "faithlessness" is mentioned. This is from the Greek term apistian. As used in the Bible, it is applied to those who lack faith entirely, those who have a weak trust in God, and those who fail to maintain trust. When Israel saw the "giants" of Canaan, they "chickened out" on God, and demonstrated this kind of "unbelief."

Hebrews was originally written to Jewish Christians suffering under persecution. There would have been a strong temptation to "chicken out" and revert back to Judaism, or otherwise compromise their faith. However, this apistian risks discipline from God. The spiritual inheritance we are promised—something separate from our eternally secure salvation—is contingent on our being willing to "hold fast" to our faith (Hebrews 3:6). Faithlessness makes pleasing God impossible (Hebrews 11:6).

Hebrews 3:15–19 ties several of the previous sections together. Using four primary forms of spiritual error, the author shows why Israel was disciplined by God. This discipline meant a loss of the Promised Land—not a parallel to salvation, but to spiritual rewards. Rebellion, sin, defiance, and faithlessness were all present in the nation of Israel, and that generation was denied their potential victory. Christians are warned, in this chapter, to avoid these mistakes so they don't forfeit their own spiritual inheritance.

Hebrews chapter 3 uses a reference to Israel's wandering in the desert from the story of the Exodus. In this incident, the nation of Israel came to the border of the Promised Land and then lost confidence in God. Rather than trusting Him, most of the people gave up hope. As a result, only a tiny remnant of the nation was allowed to enter into Canaan. This chapter explains that Jesus Christ is superior to Moses and all of Moses' accomplishments. Christians, therefore, need to encourage each other to fully trust in God, in order to see fulfillment of His promises.

In chapters 1 and 2, the author of Hebrews showed that Jesus was not an angel. In fact, Jesus' role as Messiah required Him to be fully human. Starting in chapter 3, the author will explain how Jesus is also superior to various Old Testament characters such as Moses. This will help to set the stage for later references to Christ's superiority. Part of the warning in this chapter extends into chapter 4. Namely, that Christians who doubt God's promises risk missing out on the victories He has in store for us.

The book of Hebrews is meant to challenge, encourage, and empower Christian believers. According to this letter, Jesus Christ is superior to all other prophets and all other claims to truth. Since God has given us Christ, we ought to listen to what He says and not move backwards. The consequences of ignoring God are dire. Hebrews is important for drawing on many portions of the Old Testament in making a case that Christ is the ultimate and perfect expression of God's plan for mankind. This book presents some tough ideas about the Christian faith, a fact the author makes specific note of.