To be kept from falling
“Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.” (Jude 24)
Is this possible? To be kept from falling from grace and into sin, is this really possible? Unfortunately, it is the most recurring scenario known to man. How many earnest folks, even giants of faith and leadership, have fallen from grace and immediately into the deepest depths of sin! Moses between the Rock and the hard-hearted people; David before the bathing beauty Bathsheba; Elijah before vengeful and fuming Jezebel; modern popular pastors in the face of all their successes.
I’ve heard some reasons (or rationalizations) for this. “Nobody’s perfect!” –not that I’m perfect, but I think this statement is the biggest excuse for sin. “The devil made him do it!” A half-truth that ultimately turns into a whole lie. “He took his eyes off Jesus.” Now this one sounds closer to the truth; yet, so very often it is just left as that statement, with no further research into how the eyes came off Jesus and how ours eyes can come off Him, and the cliché inherits an aura of theory and fantasy. Way too much gimmick passes for true spirituality, and it all ends up as just religious talk, with no power to keep anyone from falling. And the devil has a hay day with it.
What exactly does it mean to take the eyes off Jesus? What are the nuts and bolts of it all? It was here that got the Wesleys into so much trouble. They dared to expose the pathway to sin and thus to reveal the opposite way back to holiness, the steps to Christ, the science, the method of salvation. Hence the despiteful brand, “Methodist!”
Is it possible to fall from grace? Yes, the Bible says it is very possible. “Ye are fallen from grace.” (Gal. 5:4). “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and He delighteth in his way. Though he fall....” (Ps. 37:23,24). “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” (1 Cor. 9:27).
But just how is it that we fall? Because if we knew that, we would know the return route from backsliding; or if we feel we’ve really never surrendered to Jesus, we can pick out the clues to the pathway to conversion.
“Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled.” (Heb. 12:15). “Every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” (James 1:14,15).
We leave God when we first loose sight of His grace and the awe-filled grandeur of His righteousness. His grace and power are our keeping power, “the power of God to everyone who believes.”
But having let go of God, our free-fall isn’t always immediately apparent, though nonetheless real. Sometimes we detect it, sometimes we don’t. Hezekiah, who had seen the near destruction of his people and the mighty miracle that saved them, later came to such a backslidden state that the sacred record says that he “rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him; for his heart was lifted up: therefore there was wrath upon him, and upon Judah and Jerusalem…. In the business of the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sent unto him to enquire of the wonder that was done in the land, God left him, to try him, that He might know all that was in his heart.” (2Chron. 32:25,31). But then when confronted, he humbled himself again, and was rescued from the fallout of his personal rebellion, but not the consequences to his sin. He regained his title to eternal life, but his eldest son, the next to sit on the throne, imbibed the same spirit of rebellion in an intensified form, reigned longer than any other king, and led the people very deeply into sin
When we leave God, our old nature begins to raise again its ugly head, the one God saved us from, as we travel along getting more distant from grace and feeling less of the need for it. The sad fact is that we never lose our fallen natures when we come to Christ; they are only anesthetized by the better and more potent force of Jesus’ love and holiness. No sooner do we lose our need of grace, than we lose our hold onto His righteousness, and we slip under the raging billows of our inherent tendency to pride and self-indulgence. And yes, the devil moves right in to facilitate and celebrate the welcome home again.
At any time that we detect our mistake and turn to God for help, like Peter calling out as he quickly sunk into the black and stormy depths of the sea, Jesus just as quickly reaches out His hand to us also, and pulls us back up above the gale and thunder.
Otherwise, if we don’t cry out, but continue our willful way, we continue to sink out of sight. No one can expect anything different. God is no respecter of persons; no one is exempt from the consequences of sin. God’s hands are tied by the law of free choice; we chose a new master who fearlessly dares God to trespass on his domain. Thus the deeper we go, the stronger the enticements of the old nature. Finally when completely overcome by sin, we are dead to all things holy, and in a very sad state of affairs.
The slide into sin can be quick or slow. Often we don’t see it happening. Our vision is obscured; for we have one thing in mind: the pleasing of self. It may be through a chemical-laden drug, it may be something as innocent-looking as gluttony. That ice-cream, that soda, that vegan-lovers’ sprouted whole-wheat raisin bread—if it takes the first place service away from God and communion with Him, if we don’t need him because this substance now fills our every need—it is sin. Through that innocent looking dependency we have chosen the tutelage of another master, as the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, determined the loyalties of Adam and Eve.
Other tests come to judge our state of spirituality. Work, as much a blessing as it is, can be a form of the sleight of hand that often takes away our faith. Great achievements and busyness can quickly leave God completely in the dust. Another slick maneuver comes from the gain of great wealth. How quickly does prosperity change our allegiance to God! It was the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches, in Christ’s parable, that choked the seed of truth and caused it to lose its ability to make us fruitful to God.
Praise and recognition, even in the church setting, often subtly lead to self-exaltation and disconnection from the source of our strength. This was Hezekiah’s dilemma. “And many brought gifts unto the Lord to Jerusalem, and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah: so that he was magnified in the sight of all nations from thenceforth.” (2Chron. 32:23).
Solomon found the same point of weakness. So exalted by men for his amazing wisdom and great achievements that he grew dizzy with the heights of this world’s glory and toppled down from his high perch. And after living many years in the mire of his own making, he finally “came to himself.” (Lk. 15:17) He came to the end of his rope; he gave up on himself.
Very late in life, turning from the “the weak and beggarly elements” of the world, (Gal. 4:9) to which the king desired to be in bondage, he once again determined to drink of the pure water of life. Step by step, he retraced his way back to God’s acceptance and to repentance for all that he had done against heaven.
Finally back and safe in the arms of Jesus, the wreck of his life Jesus began again to remake. Doing all that he could to reverse the effects of years of rebellion on his children and citizens, Solomon found he could not undo it all. He was safe, but the people and his family were not. His kingdom had fallen from its crest as a wonder of the world and would never again regain the same stature among the nations that it had during Solomon’s early years. In 200 years the ten northern tribes would cease to exist, and in 300, Judah and Benjamin would be in captivity for their continued idolatry, and in 900 even they would be cut off as the honored people of God.
Let us steadily speed our way to heaven. “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, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb. 12:1,2).
Is this possible? To be kept from falling from grace and into sin, is this really possible? Unfortunately, it is the most recurring scenario known to man. How many earnest folks, even giants of faith and leadership, have fallen from grace and immediately into the deepest depths of sin! Moses between the Rock and the hard-hearted people; David before the bathing beauty Bathsheba; Elijah before vengeful and fuming Jezebel; modern popular pastors in the face of all their successes.
I’ve heard some reasons (or rationalizations) for this. “Nobody’s perfect!” –not that I’m perfect, but I think this statement is the biggest excuse for sin. “The devil made him do it!” A half-truth that ultimately turns into a whole lie. “He took his eyes off Jesus.” Now this one sounds closer to the truth; yet, so very often it is just left as that statement, with no further research into how the eyes came off Jesus and how ours eyes can come off Him, and the cliché inherits an aura of theory and fantasy. Way too much gimmick passes for true spirituality, and it all ends up as just religious talk, with no power to keep anyone from falling. And the devil has a hay day with it.
What exactly does it mean to take the eyes off Jesus? What are the nuts and bolts of it all? It was here that got the Wesleys into so much trouble. They dared to expose the pathway to sin and thus to reveal the opposite way back to holiness, the steps to Christ, the science, the method of salvation. Hence the despiteful brand, “Methodist!”
Is it possible to fall from grace? Yes, the Bible says it is very possible. “Ye are fallen from grace.” (Gal. 5:4). “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and He delighteth in his way. Though he fall....” (Ps. 37:23,24). “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” (1 Cor. 9:27).
But just how is it that we fall? Because if we knew that, we would know the return route from backsliding; or if we feel we’ve really never surrendered to Jesus, we can pick out the clues to the pathway to conversion.
“Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled.” (Heb. 12:15). “Every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” (James 1:14,15).
We leave God when we first loose sight of His grace and the awe-filled grandeur of His righteousness. His grace and power are our keeping power, “the power of God to everyone who believes.”
But having let go of God, our free-fall isn’t always immediately apparent, though nonetheless real. Sometimes we detect it, sometimes we don’t. Hezekiah, who had seen the near destruction of his people and the mighty miracle that saved them, later came to such a backslidden state that the sacred record says that he “rendered not again according to the benefit done unto him; for his heart was lifted up: therefore there was wrath upon him, and upon Judah and Jerusalem…. In the business of the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, who sent unto him to enquire of the wonder that was done in the land, God left him, to try him, that He might know all that was in his heart.” (2Chron. 32:25,31). But then when confronted, he humbled himself again, and was rescued from the fallout of his personal rebellion, but not the consequences to his sin. He regained his title to eternal life, but his eldest son, the next to sit on the throne, imbibed the same spirit of rebellion in an intensified form, reigned longer than any other king, and led the people very deeply into sin
When we leave God, our old nature begins to raise again its ugly head, the one God saved us from, as we travel along getting more distant from grace and feeling less of the need for it. The sad fact is that we never lose our fallen natures when we come to Christ; they are only anesthetized by the better and more potent force of Jesus’ love and holiness. No sooner do we lose our need of grace, than we lose our hold onto His righteousness, and we slip under the raging billows of our inherent tendency to pride and self-indulgence. And yes, the devil moves right in to facilitate and celebrate the welcome home again.
At any time that we detect our mistake and turn to God for help, like Peter calling out as he quickly sunk into the black and stormy depths of the sea, Jesus just as quickly reaches out His hand to us also, and pulls us back up above the gale and thunder.
Otherwise, if we don’t cry out, but continue our willful way, we continue to sink out of sight. No one can expect anything different. God is no respecter of persons; no one is exempt from the consequences of sin. God’s hands are tied by the law of free choice; we chose a new master who fearlessly dares God to trespass on his domain. Thus the deeper we go, the stronger the enticements of the old nature. Finally when completely overcome by sin, we are dead to all things holy, and in a very sad state of affairs.
The slide into sin can be quick or slow. Often we don’t see it happening. Our vision is obscured; for we have one thing in mind: the pleasing of self. It may be through a chemical-laden drug, it may be something as innocent-looking as gluttony. That ice-cream, that soda, that vegan-lovers’ sprouted whole-wheat raisin bread—if it takes the first place service away from God and communion with Him, if we don’t need him because this substance now fills our every need—it is sin. Through that innocent looking dependency we have chosen the tutelage of another master, as the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, determined the loyalties of Adam and Eve.
Other tests come to judge our state of spirituality. Work, as much a blessing as it is, can be a form of the sleight of hand that often takes away our faith. Great achievements and busyness can quickly leave God completely in the dust. Another slick maneuver comes from the gain of great wealth. How quickly does prosperity change our allegiance to God! It was the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches, in Christ’s parable, that choked the seed of truth and caused it to lose its ability to make us fruitful to God.
Praise and recognition, even in the church setting, often subtly lead to self-exaltation and disconnection from the source of our strength. This was Hezekiah’s dilemma. “And many brought gifts unto the Lord to Jerusalem, and presents to Hezekiah king of Judah: so that he was magnified in the sight of all nations from thenceforth.” (2Chron. 32:23).
Solomon found the same point of weakness. So exalted by men for his amazing wisdom and great achievements that he grew dizzy with the heights of this world’s glory and toppled down from his high perch. And after living many years in the mire of his own making, he finally “came to himself.” (Lk. 15:17) He came to the end of his rope; he gave up on himself.
Very late in life, turning from the “the weak and beggarly elements” of the world, (Gal. 4:9) to which the king desired to be in bondage, he once again determined to drink of the pure water of life. Step by step, he retraced his way back to God’s acceptance and to repentance for all that he had done against heaven.
Finally back and safe in the arms of Jesus, the wreck of his life Jesus began again to remake. Doing all that he could to reverse the effects of years of rebellion on his children and citizens, Solomon found he could not undo it all. He was safe, but the people and his family were not. His kingdom had fallen from its crest as a wonder of the world and would never again regain the same stature among the nations that it had during Solomon’s early years. In 200 years the ten northern tribes would cease to exist, and in 300, Judah and Benjamin would be in captivity for their continued idolatry, and in 900 even they would be cut off as the honored people of God.
Let us steadily speed our way to heaven. “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, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb. 12:1,2).
posted by David | 12:04 PM
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