Purporting 30 years in Christian ministry a man in the community
publically renounced his faith in a newspaper article. My once-saved, always-saved
friends concluded that he was never saved in the first place, while a
mainstream liberal denomination member swung in the opposite direction by
tipping her hat to the Christian-turned-humanist for, “…reminding us that our country was founded on religious freedom,
freedom to practice any religion or no religion.” Obviously the liberal is more enamored with
freedom in religion than she is with freedom in Christ. Although the text is
specifically referring to Judas Iscariot, I’m convinced it is applicable to
anyone who accepts and then renounces the Lord.
Jesus said, “The one who has
dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. The Son of
Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays
the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.” (Matthew 26:23-24 NIV)
1 comment:
Gail;
-----I would still like to know what motive led Mr. Black to the Lord which also led him away. If I saw a cup of liquid, it could be coffee. Then again, it could be soda. Or maybe water. But, maybe I didn’t look carefully enough. Maybe it is a cup of stuff. That could be dirt. Wouldn’t it be nice if it were gold dust? Having expanded the criteria for what is in the cup from liquid to just stuff means I must know more generally and less particularly. Motivation is also like that. In as much as I can say with assured certainty that my cup is full of something, be it even air, I can only say Mr. Black’s motivation was self-orientation, the antithesis of Christ-orientation. But that says enough.
-----Micah wanted to worship. That was good. But his ambition gravitated by self-orientation to the silver image his mother had the local blacksmith make (Judges 17.) That was bad. Self-orientation is what makes good things go bad. It is why so many people so honestly thinking they are so right are so far opposite of so many other people so honestly thinking themselves to be right, too. Self is not the mark for orientation because everyone's is so different from everyone else’s, and all are indelibly limited. This isn’t to say everyone has to be like each other, either. It means everyone had better find out what reality set as the mark for orientation, and thusly orient, or go bad. I’ll be called cocky and self-oriented, but I’ll agree with the Word of God saying that it is that mark.
-----I like the once-saved always-saved idea. But I can’t be self-oriented in determining exactly how it is. I might wind up like Mr. Black or Micah. The beast risen from the sea will be worshipped by everyone “…whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb.” (Rev 13:8) Before the foundation of the world was long, long before anyone gave their life to Jesus. Yet, at that time are the names of everyone who will give their lives to Jesus written, right then and there, in the Lamb’s book of life. The Bible saying it makes me feel kind of always saved. But if I try to describe anything more about it than I do the stuff in a cup, I could get into the trouble of knowing what I want to think rather than what is. I want to know what God wants to think. Therefore, all I can know about once-saved always-saved so far is that it is kind of in Rev 13:8 like what’s in a cup is stuff. If I try to take my knowledge further than that without orienting my observations and conclusions to what God’s Word says, then I go beyond what is written (I Cor 4:6) unto self. I assure you though, I do have ideas and theories. Yet they are meager guesses of possibilities until one orients by God’s Word to what is.
-----So, I also think the lady from the mainstream church was right. God gave every man the ultimate freedom to choose whatever he desires - anything and everything. But doing is different from choosing. There are two things every person to the last one must inescapably do: die, and receive what he desired. By their own volition those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life choose "self and now" as their place to die and desire Christ as their place to live. Self lives by orienting to reality, to the Truth, that is, to the Word of God.
Love you all,
Steve Corey
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