How to Guard Against Sin’s Deceit – Hebrews 3:12–13
Sep 3, 2025 174
[12] Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. [13] 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. (ESV)
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The Danger Within
The writer of Hebrews doesn’t warn his readers about a distant enemy. The danger is much closer to home: “an evil, unbelieving heart.” It is possible to enjoy the privileges of the Christian community and still turn away from the living God. That’s a sobering thought.
The real threat isn’t always persecution, cultural pressure, or hardship. The real threat is unbelief in our own hearts. Sin is tricky like that. It rarely appears with flashing lights. Instead, it whispers, deceives, and makes rebellion against God seem reasonable. David Peterson comments: “Sin is personified as a power that leads people to doubt God’s word and resist his will. Persistence in such behaviour leads to an insensitivity towards God and the possibility of missing out on his rest.” (TNTC, p. 115)
We should never underestimate sin’s deceitful pull. It lures us into thinking we can manage without God, delay obedience, or take shortcuts around His Word. But left unchecked, sin hardens the heart until God’s voice no longer stirs us.
The Gift of One Another
What’s God’s answer to this danger? He gives us the gift of each other. “Exhort one another every day,” the writer urges. That word “exhort” means more than encouragement in the casual sense. It’s a gospel-shaped urging, speaking God’s truth with warmth and urgency so that others are strengthened to keep trusting Jesus.
The Christian life is not a solo adventure. We need brothers and sisters walking alongside us, helping us see through the lies of sin. A text message, a coffee catch-up, a conversation in a small group – these ordinary moments become extraordinary means of God’s grace when they point someone back to Christ.
John Owen puts it bluntly: “The root of all backsliding, whether it is gradual or total, lies in unbelief.” (Commentary on Hebrews, p. 67) That’s why daily mutual exhortation matters. We guard each other’s faith when we speak the gospel into one another’s lives.
Christ, Our Anchor
Thankfully, our security doesn’t rest on our ability to perfectly guard ourselves. Jesus has already walked into the wilderness of temptation and triumphed. Where Israel hardened their hearts, He trusted His Father. Where we fail, He has succeeded. By His perfect obedience, sacrificial death, and triumphant resurrection, Jesus has opened the way back into God’s true rest.
And now He sustains His people, not only through His Word and Spirit but also through His people – the church. Every time you point a fellow believer back to Christ, you participate in His work of keeping them.
So, Hebrews 3:12-13 gives both a warning and a gift. Guard your heart against unbelief. And don’t try to do it alone. What a privilege it is each day to help one another and be helped by one another, in persevering in Christ.
Reflection:
Who could you exhort or encourage today so that together you keep trusting Jesus?
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