What Is The Unbelief That Excludes Access?

Mr. M

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Hebrews 3:19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.

Here is one description.
Psalm 78:
17
But they sinned even more against Him
By rebelling against the Most High in the wilderness.
18 And they tested God in their heart
By asking for the food of their fancy.
19 Yes, they spoke against God:
They said, Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?
20 Behold, He struck the rock,
So that the waters gushed out,
And the streams overflowed.
Can He give bread also?
Can He provide meat for His people?
21 Therefore the Lord heard this and was furious;
So a fire was kindled against Jacob,
And anger also came up against Israel,
22 Because they did not believe in God,
And did not trust in His salvation.

How about failure to trust in difficult circumstances?
 

Rene Loup

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Define "Difficult Circumstances."

An estimated 70,000,000 Christians throughout history were martyred for their faith in the form of burning at the stake, crucifixion, getting eaten alive by lions in front of live audiences, among other things.[1][2][3]

To the Church in Smyrna
8 “Write this to the angel of the church in Smyrna:

“The One who is the First and the Last says this to you. He is the One who died and came to life again. 9 I know your troubles. I know that you are poor, but really you are rich! I know the bad things that some people say about you. They say they are Jews, but they are not true Jews. They are a synagogue that belongs to Satan. 10 Do not be afraid of what will happen to you. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you. You will suffer for ten days. But be faithful, even if you have to die. If you are faithful, I will give you the crown of life.

11 “Everyone who has ears should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. He who wins the victory will not be hurt by the second death.
~Revelation 2:8-11 (ICB)

Bible Gateway passage: Revelation 2 - King James Version
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  1. List of Christian martyrs - Wikipedia
  2. https://www.christiantoday.com/arti...yred-faith-since-jesus-walked-earth/38403.htm
  3. https://mcgrath.nd.edu/assets/84231/the_demographics_of_christian_martyrdom_todd_johnson.pdf
 
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Mr. M

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Asked and answered in post #1. The unbelief spoken of in Hebrews 3 and described in Psalm 78
as in the OP, is not about martyrdom, it is about grumbling and complaining against the Lord.
 
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Rene Loup

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Asked and answered in post #1. The unbelief spoken of in Hebrews 3 and described in Psalm 78
as in the OP, is not about martyrdom, it is about grumbling and complaining against the Lord.

So complaining is enough to send someone to Hell, in spite of what the Lord Jesus Christ did on the cross?
 
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Mr. M

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So complaining is enough to send someone to Hell, in spite of what the Lord Jesus Christ did on the cross?
It kept them from entering the promised land, as the scriptures state. You can decide for
yourself the implications of that turn of events. Moses was denied entry. Thread is not going
to be derailed into a discussion "about sending someone to hell", it's about how the Lord
feels about rebellion, when the complaining suggests that God can't do what he promised.
 
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Rene Loup

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It kept them from entering the promised land, as the scriptures state. You can decide for
yourself the implications of that turn of events. Moses was denied entry. Thread is not going
to be derailed into a discussion "about sending someone to hell", it's about how the Lord
feels about rebellion, when the complaining suggests that God can't do what he promised.

I think you're on to something!

Jesus Is Greater Than Moses
3 So all of you, holy brothers, should think about Jesus. You were all called by God. God sent Jesus to us, and he is the high priest of our faith. 2 And Jesus was faithful to God as Moses was. Moses did everything God wanted him to do in God’s family. 3 A man who is the head of a family receives more honor than others in the family. It is the same with Jesus. Jesus should have more honor than Moses. 4 Every family has its head, but God is the head of everything. 5 Moses was faithful in God’s family as a servant. He told what God would say in the future. 6 But Christ is faithful as a Son who is the head of God’s family. And we are God’s family if we hold on to our faith and are proud of the great hope we have.

We Must Continue to Follow God
7 So it is as the Holy Spirit says:

“Today listen to what he says.
8 Do not be stubborn as in the past
when you turned against God.
There you tested God in the desert.
9 For 40 years in the desert your ancestors saw the things I did.
But they tested me and my patience.
10 I was angry with them.
I said, ‘They are not loyal to me.
They have not understood my ways.’
11 So I was angry and made a promise.
‘They will never enter my land of rest.’” Psalm 95:7-11


12 So brothers, be careful that none of you has an evil, unbelieving heart. This will stop you from following the living God.
13 But encourage each other every day. Do this while it is “today.” Help each other so that none of you will become hardened because of sin and its tricks. 14 We all share in Christ. This is true if we keep till the end the sure faith we had in the beginning. 15 This is what the Scripture says:

“Today listen to what he says.
Do not be stubborn as in the past
when you turned against God.” Psalm 95:7-8

16 Who heard God’s voice and was against him? It was all those people Moses led out of Egypt. 17 And whom was God angry with for 40 years? He was angry with those who sinned, who died in the desert. 18 And whom was God talking to when he promised that they would never enter and have his rest? He was talking to those who did not obey him. 19 So we see that they were not allowed to enter and have God’s rest because they did not believe.
~Hebrews 3:1-19 (ICB)

Bible Gateway passage: Hebrews 3 - King James Version
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From the looks of it, they lost faith in the Lord Jesus Christ because they chose sin rather than faith.

13 My brothers, God called you to be free. But do not use your freedom as an excuse to do the things that please your sinful self. Serve each other with love. 14 The whole law is made complete in this one command: “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” 15 If you go on hurting each other and tearing each other apart, be careful! You will completely destroy each other.

The Spirit and Human Nature
16 So I tell you: Live by following the Spirit. Then you will not do what your sinful selves want. 17 Our sinful selves want what is against the Spirit. The Spirit wants what is against our sinful selves. The two are against each other. So you must not do just what you please. 18 But if you let the Spirit lead you, you are not under the law.

19 The result of sin’s control in our lives is clear. It includes sexual immorality, impurity and wild living, 20 worshiping false gods, doing witchcraft, hating, making trouble, being jealous, being angry, being selfish, making people angry with each other, causing divisions among people, 21 having envy, being drunk, having wild and wasteful parties, and doing other things like this. I warn you now as I warned you before: Those who do these things will not be in God’s kingdom. 22 But the Spirit gives love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. There is no law that says these things are wrong. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their own sinful selves. They have given up their old selfish feelings and the evil things they wanted to do. 25 We get our new life from the Spirit. So we should follow the Spirit. 26 We must not be proud. We must not make trouble with each other. And we must not be jealous of each other.
~Galatians 5:13-26 (ICB)

Bible Gateway passage: Galatians 5 - King James Version
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The Promise of the Holy Spirit
15 “If you love me, you will do the things I command. 16 I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper. He will give you this Helper to be with you forever. 17 The Helper is the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him because it does not see him or know him. But you know him. He lives with you and he will be in you.

18 “I will not leave you all alone like orphans. I will come back to you. 19 In a little while the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you will live, too. 20 On that day you will know that I am in my Father. You will know that you are in me and I am in you. 21 He who knows my commands and obeys them is the one who loves me. And my Father will love him who loves me. I will love him and will show myself to him.”

22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you plan to show yourself to us, but not to the world?”

23 Jesus answered, “If anyone loves me, then he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 He who does not love me does not obey my teaching. This teaching that you hear is not really mine. It is from my Father, who sent me.

25 “I have told you all these things while I am with you. 26 But the Helper will teach you everything. He will cause you to remember all the things I told you. This Helper is the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name.

27 “I leave you peace. My peace I give you. I do not give it to you as the world does. So don’t let your hearts be troubled. Don’t be afraid. 28 You heard me say to you, ‘I am going, but I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you should be happy that I am going back to the Father because he is greater than I am. 29 I have told you this now, before it happens. Then when it happens, you will believe. 30 I will not talk with you much longer. The ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me. 31 But the world must know that I love the Father. So I do exactly what the Father told me to do.

“Come now, let us go.

Bible Gateway passage: John 14 - King James Version
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How many people have turned away from Christianity because they chose to serve Mammon rather than God?

God Is More Important Than Money
19 “Don’t store treasures for yourselves here on earth. Moths and rust will destroy treasures here on earth. And thieves can break into your house and steal the things you have. 20 So store your treasure in heaven. The treasures in heaven cannot be destroyed by moths or rust. And thieves cannot break in and steal that treasure. 21 Your heart will be where your treasure is.

22 “The eye is a light for the body. If your eyes are good, then your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are evil, then your whole body will be full of darkness. And if the only light you have is really darkness, then you have the worst darkness.

24 “No one can be a slave to two masters. He will hate one master and love the other. Or he will follow one master and refuse to follow the other. So you cannot serve God and money at the same time.
~Matthew 6:19-24 (ICB)

Bible Gateway passage: Matthew 6 - King James Version
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3 If anyone has a different teaching, he does not accept the true teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ. And that teaching shows him the true way to serve God. 4 The person who teaches falsely is full of pride and understands nothing. He is sick with a love for arguing and fighting about words. And that brings jealousy, making trouble, insults, and evil mistrust. 5 And that also brings arguments from men who have evil minds. They have lost the truth. They think that serving God is a way to get rich.

6 It is true that serving God makes a person very rich, if he is satisfied with what he has. 7 When we came into the world, we brought nothing. And when we die, we can take nothing out. 8 So, if we have food and clothes, we will be satisfied with that. 9 Those who want to become rich bring temptation to themselves. They are caught in a trap. They begin to want many foolish things that will hurt them, things that ruin and destroy people. 10 The love of money causes all kinds of evil. Some people have left the true faith because they want to get more and more money. But they have caused themselves much sorrow.
~1 Timothy 6:3-10 (ICB)

Bible Gateway passage: 1 Timothy 6 - King James Version
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Mr. M

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Well, this is actually giving me food for thought after a rough few weeks in my walk with God!

Thank you, Father God, for this topic!

God bless!
Amen. The thread is about living in the Kingdom. I see that you got it now. Don't get
lost in this wilderness we call the "modern world"!
 
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com7fy8

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How about failure to trust in difficult circumstances?
. . . and neglecting to trust Him while things are going nicely.

when the complaining suggests that God can't do what he promised.
The people of Israel were directly criticizing God's provision, in their complaining.

They were not complaining that they forgot to bring an umbrella, on a rainy day.

Every time I admit I have done something wrong, I am complaining about myself, by the way > I just thought of this.

I would say the real problem of complaining is if a person is committed against the LORD. For example, the Israelites were just plain spiteful, I would say . . . after how God had proven Himself to them.

"Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation" (in Philippians 2:13-16).

So, we need to believe we can "become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault" > right "in the midst of" this evil world's "crooked and perverse generation".

God is able to do this with us . . . easily. Because He is spiritual and powerful enough.

And there is arguing and complaining which is against how our Father wants us to relate with Him and love.

There is arguing which involves believing in our own ability to make things happen and get people to see things our way . . . instead of depending on how our Father makes is creative to love each and every person . . . not to merely control and use people.

There is complaining which is because we were trusting in something and it failed us . . . when we should have been depending on God.
 
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Mr. M

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Psalm 78:
17
But they sinned even more against Him
By rebelling
against the Most High in the wilderness.
18 And they tested God in their heart
By asking for the food of their fancy.
What should be a fairly well known and infamous quote:
1 Samuel 15:
22
So Samuel said: [to Saul]
Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
As in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
And to heed than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft,
And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
He also has rejected you from being king.

More on rebellion to come, but this is the unbelief that the anointing for church leaders
is meant to deal with at the root.
 
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Dkh587

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The unbelief is disobedience. The Israelites did not believe, thus they did not obey God. Belief and obedience are 2 sides of 1 coin. Unbelief and disobedience are 2 sides of another coin.

If you believe, you will obey.

if you don’t believe, you will not obey.

Ezekiel 20:5-18 KJV
Thus saith the Master Yahweh; In the day when I chose Israel, and lifted up mine hand unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and made myself known unto them in the land of Egypt, when I lifted up mine hand unto them, saying, I am Yahweh your God; In the day that I lifted up mine hand unto them, to bring them forth of the land of Egypt into a land that I had espied for them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands:

Then said I unto them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am Yahweh your God.

But they rebelled against me, and would not hearken unto me: they did not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt: then I said, I will pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt.

But I wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, among whom they were, in whose sight I made myself known unto them, in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt.

Wherefore I caused them to go forth out of the land of Egypt, and brought them into the wilderness.

And I gave them my statutes, and shewed them my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them.

Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am Yahweh that sanctify them.

But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the wilderness: they walked not in my statutes, and they despised my judgments, which if a man do, he shall even live in them; and my sabbaths they greatly polluted: then I said, I would pour out my fury upon them in the wilderness, to consume them.

But I wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, in whose sight I brought them out.

Yet also I lifted up my hand unto them in the wilderness, that I would not bring them into the land which I had given them, flowing with milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands;

Because they despised my judgments, and walked not in my statutes, but polluted my sabbaths: for their heart went after their idols.

Nevertheless mine eye spared them from destroying them, neither did I make an end of them in the wilderness.

But I said unto their children in the wilderness, Walk ye not in the statutes of your fathers, neither observe their judgments, nor defile yourselves with their idols:
 
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Mr. M

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The unbelief is disobedience. The Israelites did not believe, thus they did not obey God.
Yes, unbelief that leads to disobedience is called rebellion!
Belief/unbelief is not a light switch, and to be cutoff goes beyond unbelief.

Mark 9:
23
Jesus said to him, If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.
24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!

All believers have points of struggle, such as Thomas, and the resurrection.
All the apostles had their moments...

Matthew 17:
19
Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, Why could we not cast it out?
20 So Jesus said to them, Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, Move from here to there,’and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.
21 However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.

Hebrews 3:19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
Out of context, this becomes a very generic and frightening statement about unbelief.
14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence
steadfast to the end,
15 while it is said:
Today, if you will hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.
16
For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt,
led by Moses?
17 Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose
corpses fell in the wilderness?
18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest,
but to those who did not obey?

I offered a link earlier for all the places in the OT where the words 'cut off' are used,
and the context states 'rebelliousness against God and His chosen leaders.
In the context of Romans 11, Paul is providing a very specific warning toward Gentiles
concerning becoming arrogant towards the Jews who had been cut off because of their
unbelief. They rejected the Messiah and put Him to an open shame and had Him put to
death by crucifixion! Therefore He warned them merely days before "all the righteous
blood will be accounted for upon this generation"!
As to the context of the thread, the reason for the threat to being cut off is arrogance toward
natural Israel.

Romans 11:
19 You will say then, Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.
20 Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith.
Do not be haughty, but fear.
21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either.
22 Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell,
severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise,
you also will be cut off.
23 And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able
to graft them in again.

When Paul says "continue" in His Goodness, he uses [G1961=epimeno] a strengthened
form of [G3306-meno] meaning to abide, remain, continue with steadfast perseverance.
[G3306-meno] is used repeatedly by John in his Gospel and first epistle.

John 15:
4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in
the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit;
for without Me you can do nothing.
6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they
gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. [i.e. cut off]
7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be
done for you.
8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

Those who are cut off and cast into the fire attain salvation, only by fire.
1 Corinthians 3:
14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward.
15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved,
yet so as through fire.
 
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Mr. M

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Amen. The thread is about living in the Kingdom. I see that you got it now. Don't get
lost in this wilderness we call the "modern world"!

2 Peter 2:
20
For if, after they have escaped the pollution of the world through the knowledge of the Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse
for them than the beginning
.
21 For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than
having known to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them.
22 But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: A dog returns to his own vomit,
and, a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.
 
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