From Hebrews: The Profession of Faith and the Danger of Unbelief
Orientation
The fear that our salvation depends on our own ability to hold on, rather than on Christ's finished work, creates anxiety and undermines assurance.
- The chapter begins with 'therefore,' anchoring us in the finished work of Christ already established.
- Our calling is heavenly, meaning it is secured by Christ's position, not our earthly performance.
- The warning against unbelief is given to those who already have a profession, to protect them from shifting ground.
Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; (Hebrews 3:1)
— Hebrews 3:1
Clarification
The warning against falling away is not about losing salvation through personal failure, but about the fatal consequence of rejecting Christ's profession for a works-based alternative.
- Unbelief, as depicted in the wilderness generation, is a heart condition that rejects God's provision and provokes Him.
- Sin's deceitfulness hardens the heart by offering an alternative to Christ's finished work, such as law-keeping or self-righteousness.
- The 'evil heart of unbelief' departs from the living God by seeking justification elsewhere.
Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. (Hebrews 3:12)
— Hebrews 3:12
Structure
Christ, as the faithful Son over God's house, actively sustains our profession through His intercession, contrasting with Moses who was a servant in the house.
- Christ's role as Apostle means He represents us before God with His own perfect work.
- Christ's role as High Priest means He continually maintains our standing and intercedes for us.
- We are God's house if we hold fast, which is the evidence of Christ's faithful sustaining power, not our own.
And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. (Hebrews 3:5-6)
— Hebrews 3:5-6
Weight-Bearing Prose
The core argument of Hebrews 3 is covenantal and Christocentric. Our profession is not a statement we muster, but the revealed truth concerning Christ as the divine-human Apostle and High Priest. This profession is the content of the Pauline gospel: identification with the enthroned Christ, who purged sins and sat down. The house of God is the Church, a distinct heavenly entity. Being in this house depends on holding fast to this profession. This ‘holding fast’ is the sustained evidence of genuine faith, which is itself sustained by Christ’s faithfulness as Son over the house. The negative counterpart is unbelief, which is not mere doubt but a heart posture that rejects God’s way in Christ. It is deceitful, leading to a departure from the living God—a definitive rejection of the gospel. The wilderness generation exemplifies this: they experienced God’s works but hardened their hearts through unbelief, failing to enter the typological rest. The rest offered now is in Christ. Therefore, the battle is between faith in Christ’s sustaining intercession and the deceit of sin that offers an alternative ground of standing before God.
Integration
Your confidence is not in your grip, but in His. Christ is the Apostle and High Priest of your profession. He represents you before the Father with His own finished work. He intercedes for you, maintaining your standing when you feel weak or waver. The exhortation to ‘consider’ Him is an invitation to rest in His active, faithful sustaining. The warnings are real, but they exist to drive you away from any other ground and back to Christ alone. Your assurance is anchored in His faithfulness over God’s house, not your performance within it. Look away from your own heart to the heart of Christ, who is faithful. He will bring you into God’s rest.