13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.
The deceitfulness of sin. The Greek word apatē can have two different meanings, either of which could work here. First and maybe more commonly is “deceitfulness,” as in Mark 4:19 (“the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things”), but there is also “pleasure,” especially “sinful pleasure” or the pleasure that comes to some with sinning, as in 2 Peter 2:13 (“They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you”). Christians keep in contact, encouraging one another with the gracious gospel so that sin never becomes a pleasure, and so that we constantly keep the grace of God before our eyes.
14 We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first. 15 As has just been said:
“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts
as you did in the rebellion.” (NIV)
Once again we hear the words of Psalm 95. The day that is “Today” will not last forever. While we are still here on the earth we have the moment to put our faith and trust in Christ. And by doing that we share in Christ.
What does it mean to share in Christ? It means to share in every one of his benefits: Eternal life, forgiveness, peace—all of these come to us because he has shared his holiness with us, he shared his life with us; he shared everything with us. He became a servant to serve us, and we give our service in return. We don’t do it to earn salvation, but we do it to thank him.
Thank him with your life.
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in New Ulm, Minnesota. His wife, Kathryn, attended Chapel from 1987-1990 while studying Secondary Education (Theater and Math) at UW-Madison. Kathryn’s father, John Meyer, was also the first man to serve as a Vicar at Chapel.
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