The Deceitfulness of Sin
The more I’ve grown in my faith, the more I’ve seen how much living in sin is bondage. Today, our culture tells us freedom is being able to do whatever we want, with whom we want, when we want, but this distorted view of freedom often leads us to be ensnared in the very sins we claim liberate us.
Walking with God doesn’t remove all the issues of living in a world full of sin, not yet at least—nor does it completely eradicate our struggles with sin. However, as my Pastor recently put it:
‘In Christ, we are now free from the penalty and power of sin. He canceled our sins so we can conquer our sins.’
While this is the truth and reality of every believer who has repented, placed their faith in Jesus, and therefore received the Holy Spirit. How do we as believers actively live this out?
Consider Hebrews 3:12-15:
Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. As it is said, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.
1. Take Care
2. Exhort One Another Every Day
3. Do Not Harden Your Heart to His Voice
Take Care
At the root of every sin lies unbelief. We are told in these verses to take care, heed, or beware, because an unbelieving heart leads us to fall away from God. Go back to the garden, “did God really say?” This temptation from Satan led Eve to question what God said. To question the boundaries God set in place and His heart behind them. The liar and accuser, in his craftiness, succeeded in making God seem to take his place. The same God who is truth was no longer telling the truth. The same God who is love was no longer loving. And the same God who is good was withholding good. Or so it seemed.
An unbelieving heart would have us read verses like Galatians 5:19-21, which says,
Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
And deceive us into believing that God is withholding from us instead of protecting us. Sin or the works of the flesh separates us, leads us to fall away, and keeps us from the Kingdom of God. So God warns us, again and again and again.
This is why we need to take care to guard our hearts from this deceit.
Exhort One Another Every Day
When I read these verses, I see a call to community. You have not been called to fight the deceitfulness of sin on your own. First of all, you can’t. Without trusting in the saving work of Christ and the Holy Spirit, it is impossible. Second, God didn’t just save us as individuals. He saved us and made us members of His body, His church. We need each other and are called to one another. Hebrews 10:24-25,
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
Not only that, notice how the writer of Hebrews doesn’t just say to exhort one another once a week or on Easter, but EVERY DAY. We need to encourage each other today, so we aren’t discouraged and led astray.
Do Not Harden Your Heart to His Voice
Last but certainly not least, we are commanded not to harden our hearts. But to what?
To the voice of God—the Word of God.
To do so is in direct rebellion against God. Whether or not we acknowledge it as such.
So, how do we not do this? Hebrews 4:12-16 says,
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Contrary to what Satan and our sin would have us believe, the Word of God is not only true, it’s powerful. His Word can discern and pierce even the most evil, unbelieving, and hardened hearts. His Word is meant to pierce us, to expose the things in us, so that we may draw near to Him to help us.
May we not be deceived by sin; instead, take care to draw near to Christ to turn from it, encourage one another today through it, and have hearts pierced by God’s word, not hardened towards it.
