“They could not enter in because of unbelief” (Heb. 3:19). We find this sad commentary regarding the Israelites in the book of Hebrews. God promised to take them to and give them a land to call home. But when they heard the report of the size of the people already living there, they became gripped with fear. Essentially, they failed to believe God could deliver on His promise.
According to the Scriptures, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17). The Israelites heard the Word of God while in the wilderness. But it’s possible to regularly hear the Word preached and taught to you and yet choose to not believe. If you don’t believe, you won’t be a doer of the Word. That’s what happened to the Israelites.
What does Israel’s experience have to do with us, you may ask? “Unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them,” the writer says (Hebrews 4:2). “But the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it” (KJV).
The point is that if it happened to them, it could happen to us as well.
Your Faith Makes the Difference
It’s a good thing to regularly attend a local church, but that’s not enough. It’s even better to attend a local church that teaches sound biblical doctrine weekly, but still it’s not enough. Additionally, you must have faith in God. If you don’t, you won’t be a doer of the Word.
You may learn lots of biblical truths and facts through what you hear. But that won’t have any relevant bearing on how you live. This is one reason some Christians grow in a local church and others in the same assembly don’t. It’s not the only reason, but it’s one of them.
God often calls us to something that’s bigger than we are. That’s what happened to the Israelites. When the spies returned from assessing the land, they said the people living there were giants and they felt like grasshoppers compared to the inhabitants (Numbers 13:33).
Under these conditions, faith in God was the only means by which the Israelites could take the land that God promised to give them. But all the men 20 years old and above, except Joshua and Caleb, failed to enter because of unbelief.
You can’t experience God beyond the level of faith that you have in Him. You may know many of the Scriptures that talk about God’s power and ability to do great things in and through you. You may claim for yourself a lot of the promises you find in His Word. But if you lack faith, you can’t be a doer of the Word. And that means you can’t go to that higher place God wants to take you.
Copyright © 2022 by Frank King. All rights reserved.