There’s Only One Jesus
Labor to Enter Into Rest
We read certain Bible passages, or articles from reputable Christian organizations like The Gospel Coalition, telling us how we ought to pursue holiness. And it sounds good in theory. But the question is: Does it work in practice? Is working, striving and pursuing holiness the way to actually become holy?
I’ll let you in on a secret: It isn’t. And I’m not alone in that feeling. The writer of Hebrews also agrees. Listen to what Hebrews 4:10-12 says:
“There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.”
One interesting thing about this passage is that, when you really dig into it exegetically, the concept of “disobedience” here actually means “unbelief.” Disobedience in this context is rejecting the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, by going back to the Mosaic sacrifices of bulls and goats. Disobedience here does not refer to a specific act; it refers to a belief problem, not a conduct problem. The writer of Hebrews is admonishing the Jewish Christian audience to keep the right belief in Jesus so that they won’t be tempted to return to sacrificing bulls and goats.
This is why Pastor Mike and I stress so often: Holiness comes from rest, not work. The rest we’re talking about here is resting by faith in Christ’s finished work. Hebrews tells us to “labor to enter into that rest.” Oh yes, there is an effort involved; but, it’s not the effort you think. It’s not the effort of doing more work for God. Rather, it’s the effort of doing less for God and holding to faith in God. You as a disciple of Christ do not become holy by works—just like you didn’t become a Christian by works, did you? In fact, nothing in your Christian life manifests as the result of work.
In chapter 3 of Hebrews, the writer tells us this:
“Take care, brothers and sisters, that there will not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God” (Hebrews 3:12).
One day, Pastor Mike and I were discussing this verse. He had done some in-depth word-study on this passage. What he found was enlightening. The Greek phrase translated as, “evil, unbelieving heart” carries the idea of “a heart that tends towards labor.” And it makes sense why, doesn’t it? Because a heart that tends towards working for God can’t be a heart that rests in God. Everything we receive from God is by grace through faith. When you really dive deep into the theology of the Book of Hebrews, you will see that unbelief is the main culprit, not acts of disobedience. And for the writer of Hebrews, unbelief is directly related to working.
Perhaps Jesus said it best: “The work of God is this: to believe in Him Whom He has sent” (John 6:29).
During that conversation, the Spirit revealed an important truth to Pastor Mike and me: The more work we do, the less faith we actually have. The more we work, the less we rest. The less we rest, the less holiness we actually manifest. Working so hard to “please God” is a symptom of a lack of faith that God, in Christ Jesus, has already finished His work.
Isn’t this what Jesus said on the cross, just before He died? He said, “It is finished,” didn’t He? So, if our Lord finished the work, why are we always trying to add to His work? When we work to obey God, what we’re really saying to God is: “The sacrifice of Your Son isn’t enough; I need to help Him along. I need to do my part.”
