In this daily Bible reading the writer speaks of the Church’s role in encouraging other believers to remain faithful to Jesus Christ. A person must remain faithful to Jesus in order to be saved to Eternal Life in Heaven. The Bible says that we must endure to the end to be saved. The pathway to Heaven is difficult and arduous, and believers can sometimes be discouraged along the way. The Church or the collective body of believers can help each other to remain faithful during those difficult times. I believe the primary function of the Church is to provide an atmosphere of encouragement.
The Church also keeps people aware of the absolute need to persevere in their faithfulness and resist the temptation to sin. The writer tells the Church, “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain terrifying expectation of judgment, and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversary.” Turning away from true belief and Faith in Jesus is serious business. The Bible says that it would be better to have not believed then to believe and turn away from that belief.
Believing in Jesus is a wonderful thing that will lead to many blessings in a person’s life. However, it will also provide the believer with trials to test their Faith. We must be aware of this and prepare ourselves to continue to be faithful. It is helpful to find other true believers to encourage and sustain us. I have discovered that God will help us to find those true believers if we ask Him to do so.
