The Hardening Deceptiveness of Sin

Christian leader, be forewarned.

Hebrews 13:3 cautions,

“But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”

Recently, we have seen evidence of the deceitfulness of sin within evangelical individuals and institutions as they abandon orthodox beliefs and behavior.

In such instances, the offending actions resulted from unaddressed erosion over time.

Like leaking water, sin lies, deceives, and manipulates, leveraging every possible strategy and deception to make its incursion into the lives of individuals and institutions.

John Owen (1996) cautioned regarding the deceptive incremental incursion of sin, stating,

“And herein lies no small share of the deceitfulness of sin, by which it prevails to the hardening of men, and so to their ruin. It is modest, as it were, in its first motions and proposals, but having once got footing in the heart by them, it constantly makes good its ground, and presses on to some farther degrees in the same kind.”

Therefore, take heed that you are in fellowship, not obstinate isolation, which makes you highly susceptible to becoming hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

Spurgeon (1894) encouraged us to embrace such admonition lest we become, like Cain, a cautionary tale, stating,

“He who bids you take heed to yourself, would not have you settle down into a selfish care for yourself alone, lest you should become like Cain, who even dared to say to the Lord himself, ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’”

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References:

Owen, J. (1996). The mortification of sin. Christian Heritage.

Spurgeon, C. (1894). The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit. Volume. 34.

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