Sobriety Check Point

Hebrews 10:26-31 (NKJV)

²⁶ For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,

²⁷ but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.

²⁸ Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimonyof two or three witnesses.

²⁹ Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?

³⁰ For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,”^[e] says the Lord.^[f] And again, “The LORD will judge His people.”<sup>[g]

31</sup> It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Wow, this is quite a sobering truth!

When I read the two passages in Hebrews dealing with the problem of a believer living in sin, I felt like all I ever did for Jesus in return for His sacrifice on the cross was send him a “Thank You” card. I accepted His priceless sacrifice, His love, His mercy, His grace, and all I gave Him back in return was” “Thank you!”, now I am saved but I`d like to keep on living however I want; I have really “trampled the Son of God underfoot” with my lifestyle.  

I have to be honest with you that for someone like me who`s been an expert in backsliding throughout my life, this passage comes as something of a harsh sobriety check point. I keep asking myself: “Did I truly get myself to the point of a complete surrender to God allowing me to appreciate Jesus` sacrifice at its fullest?”

Frankly, I didn`t even remember this scripture until I came around it in my devotions a few days ago, and I had to do some digging to understand the full picture of the context. This is one of the topics that`s been of an interest to me for a while especially since I`ve been a backslider more than once in my life, and I wanted to find some answers to what Jesus said in the passage of Matthew 7:21-23. I wanted to find out how is it that a saved person can still go to hell as Jesus clearly states it here:

²¹ “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²² Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ ²³ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you.  Away from me, you evildoers!’ (Matthew 7:21-23 NIV)

I knew of the scriptures in Romans (a whole book on righteousness and meaning of God), letters to Corinthians (where Paul reproves the carnal way of living for those who are already saved), and meaning of chastening by God in Hebrews, but this passage was always a big question mark for me. I think what it really comes down to is this: you can full others around you, but you can`t fool God. He knows what`s in one`s heart and whether one is close to Him, seeking Him and longing to live in Father`s will. If one just put up a show by going to the church, small groups, "praying" 15 min. here and there, God knows about that. He knows what`s in my heart and what`s in your heart, so examine it. Use these scriptures as sobriety check points.

Another scripture in Hebrews that I found interesting regarding this same question of whether one already saved could lose that privilege is here:

⁴ It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, ⁵ who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age ⁶ and who have fallen^[c] away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting Him to public disgrace. ⁷ Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it and that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God. ⁸ But land that produces thorns and thistles is worthless and is in danger of being cursed. In the end it will be burned (Hebrews 6:4-8 NIV).

When I read these two passages in Hebrews it kind of made sense to me regarding what Jesus said in Matthew. I think there are many people who would call themselves “Christians”, yet they don`t comply with God`s standards of living according to His word. There are those of us who like to live their lives according to their will and not according to the “will of the Father”. It is clear that Jesus said that it is not enough just to be a servant at the church, to be a pastor, a worship leader, a Sunday school teacher, a helper, etc., but unless one`s life is completely consecrated to Father`s will (subject to Father`s will, completely given up to do what He wants), it is a lifestyle for a true believer. Paul in the epistle to Ephesians writes a manual in the chapters 4-6 of what a life of a true believer should look like. The lifestyle that he describes there is only possible with Jesus being in the center of one`s heart.

I think it`s not that grace of God doesn`t work, but the consequences of our own actions when one`s life is not subjected to Father`s will after getting saved, that is what gets us in trouble. It is impossible to submit one`s heart to Jesus and continue to live for oneself. This is where Bible makes that blatant distinction and emphasis through the scriptures that if one is truly believes Jesus is God, Who died on the cross for one`s sins, and believes Jesus is Savior in one`s heart (Romans 10:9), than those truths would produce the change in one`s heart and true repentance leading to the changes the way one lives. Moreover, that repentance would hunger to live for God and not for oneself.

I like how Pastor Chuck Smith said in his commentaries regarding to whom we really serve in our hearts:

Now I've either made a god like me, or God is making me like Him. You're in one of the two. You're either on the path down or the path up. Every man has a god. Don't believe a man who says, "I'm an atheist," because a god is only a title, and it is the title of what is the master passion of that person's life. What's the guiding principle of his life? Watch him for a while and you can see. Maybe the guiding passion of his life is pleasure and his whole life is lived for pleasure. Molech is his god. Maybe his whole life is lived for power and he's trying to control things, money, possessions and all. And Mammon is his god. Maybe he's trying to develop his intellect and the expansion of his consciousness and his understanding and all and he's made this the chief goal of life. Then Baal is his god. Every man has a god. Some of them are rather worthless gods, but gods indeed. And how good it is to worship and serve the true and the living God. Not one that I've created in my own mind. Not a concept that I have created. But to take the revelation of God of Himself to us and to worship the true and the living God.

I think this explains the cause of backsliding and possibility of losing salvation: if we don`t really serve God in our hearts (which shows through our actions in everyday life), then these different idols take over and bring on the sinful actions. If for some reason, I reject the conviction of the Holy Spirit and choose to live in sin, I become deaf to His convictions because one`s heart gets hardened. It happened to me, it happened to a close person of mine, and I know of others as well who go through the same cycle. I think this hardness of heart prevents one from accepting the standards of Father`s will and living by them because it contradicts with the way one wants to live, and this particular actions lead one further and further astray. The further one goes and continues to live in sin, the further the lies of satan continue to bombard one`s mind and heart with the lie that there is no God. That is the most dangerous path that there is, yet it is the path that some choose after being saved. I think ones one gets to this point, this is where God just kind of let`s go of the person and “gives one up to the desires of one`s own heart`s lusts” (Psalm 81:11-12; 1 Corinthians 5:3-5).

I have to be honest that when I was “untouchable” (you can refer back to the earlier posting on “Untouchables”), I rebelled against God and got to the point of my anger with Him that I was telling Him: “Where are you, if You are so mighty and good, then where is Your hand in my life? Why did you allow all this horror to happen to me? If You are really The God, then where are you?” I was on the dangerous path, but deep in my heart I still had a fear of the Lord, and He knew it. That`s why He was able to bring me back to Him through the series of the afflictions and circumstances. I have to be honest with you that looking back, in a way I am grateful for them because I am closer to Him like never before, and I understand certain things better now as never before. I think that if there is even a hint of desire in one`s heart to turn one`s way and change the course of one`s life back to God, He would use the circumstances, certain people, scripture, events, etc., to fire up those diming coals. The reason for that is because only God knows the deepest parts of our hearts, and He knows that if He touches the “untouchables” through certain afflictions and trials, the brokenness would bring one back to repentance. In that case, the re-dedication would take place and the life of a Christian could be revived like never before bringing endless blessings and closeness to God. This is exactly what happened to me. I was falling deeper and deeper down further away from God, living in sin, but He knew that deep in my heart, if I was placed in circumstances beyond my own fixing, I would hearken back to Him and would crawl back in brokenness and humbleness and true repentance.

If one`s heart is so hardened through living in sin that one is unwilling to repent and turn one`s ways to God, He “gives one up to their own heart`s lusts”. Sometimes, it is the only way to make one see and understand the emptiness of having it all the way one wants; in order to see that vanity of life without God. God loves every single person that He created, and He waits very patiently for one to hearken to Him; however, when one continues to blatantly defile Jesus` sacrifice, His judgment takes place.

I think when it says that “we crucify the Son of God all over again even after knowing the truth” is if we don`t live up to the word of God—will of the Father. It is challenging for a true believer to live up to God`s standards. For those who know His truth, had Holy Spirit in their hearts, yet continued to live in sin, He gives them up to their own heart`s lusts and judges accordingly.

I also believe that to God there is no such thing as unpardonable sin, but it`s the attitude of one`s heart that matters. If you think like you committed the worse sin in the world, yet you desire to repent, all you need to do is come to God because He is waiting for you. He wants you back, just like He wanted me back. Don`t be one of those who hardened one`s heart to the point of not returning back at all because I`ve met people like that; those who are not interested in returning to God; they want to live for the desires and lusts of their heart. Those are the “Christians” who are described in these scriptures in both passages in Hebrews and Matthew. Luke 15 is all about God`s patience, and mercy and love for us, and He does all He can to chasten us to come back, so don`t resist it if you are in the situation of afflictions. Treat it either as a reason of chastening to return to God or as a reason for trials that would make you into a stronger believer.

I love how David said in his Psalm 139:23 (NKJV)

²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties;

If you think that you fall into the category of “untouchables”/backslider or if you are not saved at all, and if you know that you live a carnal selfish life, I urge you to surrender to Father`s will once and for all because God is longsuffering, and longpatient with us, but He would not allow for His only Son to be crucified over, and over, and over again. If you know the truth, let it set you free—hearken to Him and turn your ways to seek Him like never before with your whole heart. It is a said picture to see someone being “given up to one`s heart`s lusts” because it brings ultimate destruction. In that destruction, it doesn`t always bring one back to God because we all have a free choice to live by. Make the right choice, the one that leads to His forgiveness and ultimate change in life.

  

Father, I thank you for Your goodness, Your love, Your patience, for Jesus` sacrifice on the cross, and I pray that you touch the “untouchables” before it`s too late, and you bring them back to You. Lord, touch the hearts of those who know the truth, yet they continue to live in sin because they hardened their hearts to hear Holy Spirit convicting them. Please, Lord, give them another chance in life, just like you did it with me. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.