Tuesday, March 10, 2020

DO NOT INSULT THE SPIRIT OF GRACE



Image result for insulting the Spirit of God



According to the book of Hebrews, if we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, we are trampling the Son of God under foot, treating the blood of Christ as an unholy thing, and also insulting the Spirit of grace (see Hebrews 10:26-29). This sounds very serious, and so do the consequences. You might be wondering, “What is sin?” Sin as defined by the Word of God is, “Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4 NIV).

The argument the writer of Hebrews presents is: if those who rejected the Law of Moses (a mere man) died without mercy on the testimony of two or three, how severe should (would) the punishment be for those who trample the Son of God under foot? The answer is quite clear from the passage, judgment and consumption by the same fire that will consume the enemies of God.

That is why Paul admonishes Christians, “Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (see Philippians 2:12 NIV). Why with fear and trembling? Because God is holy and does not tolerate sin, and we shouldn’t either! Out of love and reverence for Him we need to be careful how we walk. Our hearts’ desire should be to be pleasing to Him in every way.

The apostle Paul warned the men of Athens in the book of Acts that in the past God overlooked ignorance, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent. And why?  Because He has set a day to judge the world with justice by Jesus (see Acts 17:30-31). If love and reverence for Him does not compel us to fear sin, His judgment should.

If we sin, we have an advocate to plead our case before the Father (see 1 John 2:1). John says, “No one who lives in Him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen Him or known Him” (1 John 3:6). He also says, “No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God” (1 John 3:9). The devil has been sinning from the beginning, so he who does what is sinful, John says, is of the devil (see 1 John 3:8).

. If you claim to be a Christian, but have been living comfortably in sin, please question your faith, and start all over. Repent, and ask God to forgive you through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. He will forgive you, and cleanse you from all sin, and fill you with His Spirit to enable you to walk according to His Word. Remember, God loves you, and does not want you to perish. If you continue on the path you are on, you’ll be guilty of treating the blood of Christ as an unholy thing, and also insulting the Spirit of grace, which of course comes with consequences—judgment and punishment.

Christian, let’s live godly in this life, so that when He appears, we won’t be ashamed, and we will live forever with Him!

1 comment: