Unbelief
[Page 14] |
Were they atheists or idolaters? No! They were believers in the one true and living God. Yet they were forbidden to enter the rest of Canaan (Heb. 3:18) because of unbelief. Why? They lacked faith to complete their journey. Israel had been "saved." They had left Egypt with Moses and had been baptized unto him in the cloud and in the sea (1 Cor. 10:1, 2). They are a comparison with baptized believers today.
Israel did not fail to enter Canaan because they were idolaters, murderers, adulterers, liars, or because they had married into foreign nations. They had not disobeyed the law of Moses. Why did Paul accuse them of unbelief? Consider another Jew, the rich young ruler (Matt. 19:16-30). He did not depart from Christ by vileness, immorality or breaking the law, but because he lacked faith to go farther.
Will we lose our "Canaan of rest" because of unbelief? It is not enough to say, "I do not smoke, drink, commit adultery, lie, or steal." We must obey the command to go forward. Too long we have been a "We don't" people; we must be doing! Are we guilty of the sins of omission, because we are filled with unbelief?
We cry against other institutions, but do we fail to do without them, the things that are done by them? Do we plead against missionary societies, then fail to carry the gospel to others? Do we speak against the wrong of "church schools" and "church homes" then fail to teach the Bible to our young people, and forget to care for the needy? Do we cry out against the "located minister" system, then fail to preach to our neighbors? Do we oppose the "regular salary" and then force men out of the field for lack of support? Do the elders speak against the preacher "taking over" and then do nothing to feed and care for the flock? Are preachers so busy succouring the needs of "Thou shalt not" brethren, that they have no time to see and do the work that really needs to be done?
We must teach "Thou shalt not" but Jesus said the two greatest commands were "Thou shalt." Let us awaken, lest we be like Israel, and enter not in because of unbelief. --Wilford Landes.