Reasons To Remain Faithful To Christ

Christ was faithful as a Son over His house–whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end.
–Hebrews 3:6

Hebrews 3:6 says, “Christ was faithful as a Son over His house–whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end.” God is building a temple unto himself stone by stone, life by life. What a marvelous thing it is to be a part of God’s house! The writer of Hebrews said you and I are members of this house “if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end.”

The writer of Hebrews said you are a part of God’s house if you remain firm in your faith until the end. Was he saying we can lose our salvation? No. Romans 11:29 says, “The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” Was he saying we earn our salvation by persevering until the end? No, he was not saying that either. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Then what was the writer saying? Perseverance is not the condition of your salvation, but it is the proof of your salvation. If you let go of your faith, it is not that you lose your salvation; it is evidence that you were never saved to begin with, because those who are really a part of God’s household will persevere until the end. It does not mean you will not stumble here and there. It does not mean you will not have a few doubts. It means you are not going to abandon your faith. You are going to persevere until the very end. John said, “They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us” (1 John 2:19). And Jesus said, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine” (John 8:31).

The best reason for remaining faithful to Christ in seasons of suffering is that it authenticates the reality of your faith. But there is another practical reason for holding on to your faith in Christ during seasons of suffering. If you let go of Jesus, then what are you going to grab hold of to see you through that storm? Some of you right now are in a dark tunnel. You cannot see God. You wonder if He is even there. What are you supposed to do? The writer of Hebrews said, “Consider Jesus” (3:1). If you are overwhelmed by guilt, consider what Jesus did on the cross for you, the only reliable payment for your sins. If you are drowning in heartache and sorrow, look to Jesus, our High Priest, who was “tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin” (4:15). If you feel bombarded with so many problems you are not sure how you are going to make it through the next month or even the next week, look to Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith who ran with endurance the race God set before Him and completed it victoriously (12:1-2). Jesus says to us, “In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). And so shall you. That is why Jesus Christ is truly a Savior for all seasons of life.

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Today’s devotion is excerpted from “A Savior For All Seasons” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2018.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.