Believing and Entering

“For we who have believed do enter that rest [or are entering into the rest], as He has said [quoting from Psalm 95]: ‘So I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest;’’ although [God’s] works were finished from the foundation of the world. For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: ‘And God rested on the seventh day from all His works’; and again in this place: ‘They shall not enter My rest.’” (Hebrews 4:3–5)

In that passage, “believed” is in the past tense; “enter” is in the present tense. Before we can enter into God’s rest, we must have already believed. We do not keep believing again; it is something that is done once. We have made the decision, and, on that basis, we can proceed to enter into rest. Those who must continually decide to believe anew do not qualify to enter into the rest. Only we who have believed enter into rest.

Following up on this theme of rest, let’s turn to the Old Testament for a moment. Genesis 2:2 reads:

“And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.”

God’s rest is a ceasing from all the work He did. I believe that God did not rest because He was tired. Instead, He took pleasure in relaxation. He sat back, looked at everything He had made, and took time to enjoy it.

How many of us ever take the time to enjoy the things that we have done or made? Today, by the time they have done something, most people are busy starting the next thing. The pattern that God established, though, is taking time to enjoy whatever you do after you have finished it. Whatever it may be that you have done, it is godly to relax and enjoy it. In fact, the ability to relax is a divine ability.