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XV.
Admonitions and Warnings
Chapter 169
:
Unbelief
1. WHAT warning is
given in the Bible concerning unbelief?
"Take heed, brethren, lest there be
in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in
departing from the living God." Heb. 3:12.
2. Without faith, what
is impossible?
"Without faith it is impossible to
please Him." Heb. 11:6.
3. How only can we be
justified?
"Being justified by faith, we
have peace with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ." Rom. 5:1.
4. By what do the just
live?
"Now the just shall live by
faith." Heb. 10:38.
NOTE.-If men are justified by faith,
and are to live by faith, it follows
that to be unbelieving is not to be
justified, and consequently not to live in
the sense here referred to.
5. In whom does the
Lord have no pleasure?
"But if any man draw back, My
soul shall have no pleasure in him." Same verse.
6. What kind of report
did the ten spies bring back concerning the
promised land?
"They brought up an evil report
of the land which they had searched." Num.
13:32.
7. What did Caleb say
of the ability of Israel to take it?
"Let us go up at once, and possess
it; for we are well able to overcome it."
Verse 30.
8. What did the ten
spies say?
"But the men that went up with him
said, We be not able to go up against the
people; for they are stronger than we."
Verse 31.
9. Why did not Israel
attain to the standard of righteousness?
"But Israel, which followed after the
law of righteousness, hath not attained to the
law of righteousness. Wherefore? Because they
sought it not by faith." Rom. 9:31,32.
10. When told of the
disciples' failure to heal an afflicted son,
what did Christ say of that generation?
"He answereth him, and saith, O
faithless generation, how long shall I be
with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him
unto Me." Mark 9:19.
11. What did Christ say
to Thomas because he did not believe the
testimony of his brethren concerning His
resurrection?
"Reach hither thy finger, and behold My hands;
and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into My
side: and be not faithless, but believing."
John 20:27.
NOTE.-The Lord rebuked Thomas for his
unbelief, because he would not accept the
testimony of so many credible witnesses who
had seen Him. How much more reprehensible is
that unbelief which holds out against the
present "cloud of witnesses" of prophecy
fulfilled and fulfilling!
12. After speaking of
the numerous examples of faith presented in
Hebrews 11, what does Paul exhort us to do?
"Wherefore seeing we also are
compassed about with so great a cloud of
witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and
the sin which doth so easily beset us, and
let us run with patience the race that is set
before us." Heb. 12:1.
NOTE.-The "every weight" here spoken of
includes those traits of character and
habits of life that retard or hinder our
running successfully the Christian race.
These are to be laid aside. But there is one
thing referred to here that is more than a
weight; it is a sin, and one that
easily besets us all,- the sin of
unbelief. To be unbelieving, therefore,
is sinful.
13. Why did many fail
to enter into God's rest anciently?
"And to whom sware He that they
should not enter into His rest, but to them that
believed not? So we see that they
could not enter in because of unbelief."
Heb. 3:18,19.
14. How are these
unbelieving ones spoken of?
"But with whom was He grieved forty
years? was it not with them that had sinned,
whose carcasses fell in the wilderness?" Verse
17.
15. What lesson should
we learn from their course?
"Let us therefore fear, lest,
a promise being left us of entering into His
rest, any of you should seem to come short of
it." Heb. 4:1.
NOTE.-God does not change. If He was grieved
at the unbelief of the Israelites, and
refused them admittance to Canaan in
consequence, He cannot permit us to enter
the heavenly rest as long as we indulge in
unbelief.
16. What should all
labor to do?
"Let us labor therefore to enter
into that rest, lest any man fall after the
same example of unbelief." Verse 11.
17. Against what are we
warned when rebuked of God?
"My son, despise not thou the
chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou
art rebuked of Him." Heb. 12:5.
18. Whom does the Lord
chasten?
"For whom the Lord loveth He
chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He
receiveth." Verse 6.
19. When God made a
promise to Abraham that seemed impossible of
fulfillment, how did the patriarch receive it?
"He staggered not at the promise of
God through unbelief; but was strong in
faith, giving glory to God." Rom. 4:20.
20. For what was
Abraham's faith counted?
"For what saith the scripture?
Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto
him for righteousness." Verse 3.
21. When troubled with
doubts, how should we pray? "Lord, I
believe; help Thou mine unbelief." Mark
9:24.
22. What is promised
those who believe when they pray?
"Therefore I say unto you, What
things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe
that ye receive them, and ye shall have
them." Mark 11:24. |
