For If We Go On Sinning Deliberately

“For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, ‘Vengeance is mine; I will repay.’ And again, ‘The Lord will judge his people.’ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10:26-31 ESV)

When we believe in Jesus Christ with God-honoring faith in him, which comes from him, which is persuaded of God, and which is gifted to us by God, and is not of our own doing, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin. We are then buried with Christ in baptism (a spiritual baptism) into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. Our old self is, thus, crucified with Christ in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin, but to God and to his righteousness. 

Therefore, we are not to let sin reign (have control) any longer in our mortal bodies, to make us obey its passions. For if sin is what we obey, it leads to death. But if obedience to our Lord and to his commands are what we obey, that leads to righteousness and to sanctification, and its end is eternal life with Christ, our Lord. For the righteous requirement of the law is fulfilled in us who walk (in conduct, in practice) not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For if we walk according to the flesh, its end is death, not life eternal, regardless of what our lips profess.

Jesus Christ and his NT apostles did not teach the gospel of salvation in the way that is most popularized within the gatherings of the church (or in the false church) in America today. They did not teach “Once Saved Always Saved” which is the message largely permeating the church here in America. They did not teach that you can pray a prayer and invite Jesus into your heart and now all your sins are forgiven, and heaven is guaranteed you when you die, but with no mention of us dying with Christ to sin, and with no mention of the critical importance that we now obey his commands.

For Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin) and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to our old lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if for the sake of Jesus we deny self, die daily to sin, and follow him in obedience, in practice, then we have the hope of eternal life. For he also said that not everyone who says, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING his will. And many will hear him say, “I never knew you. Depart from me you workers of lawlessness,” for they did not obey God.

So, Jesus Christ, Paul, and the other apostles all taught progressive salvation. If our faith in our Lord is of God, and if it is persuaded of God, and gifted to us by God, then it is going to submit to God’s will and purpose for our lives. God will have persuaded us as to his righteousness and holiness, and of our sinfulness, and of our need to repent of our sins, i.e. to die with him to sin and to now follow him in walks of obedience to his commands. Thus, we are saved (past), we are being saved (present), and we will be saved (future) when Jesus returns and our salvation is now complete.

[Ephesians 2:8-10; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14,24; Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23; Romans 1:18-32; Romans 3:23; Acts 26:18; John 6:44; Titus 2:11-14; Matthew 24:9-14; Romans 13:11; 1 Corinthians 1:18; 1 Corinthians 15:1-2; 2 Timothy 1:8-9; Hebrews 9:28; 1 Peter 1:5]

All throughout the New Testament, not only are we taught what Jesus Christ did for us in putting our sins to death with him on that cross so that we can be forgiven our sins and have eternal life with God, but we are taught that Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to his righteousness. We are taught that he shed his blood for us to buy us back for God (to redeem us) out of our lives of slavery to sin so that we will now surrender our lives to Christ to do his will and to walk in obedience to his commands in holy living. But if we continue living in sin, and not obedience, we will die in our sins.

The apostle John made that quite clear in what he wrote. For he said that if we claim that we are in fellowship with God, but while we walk (in conduct, in practice) in darkness (sin), we are liars. If we say that we know God, but we do not obey his (New Covenant) commands, in practice, we are liars. The truth is not in us. For whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, but whoever makes righteousness his practice is righteous, as God is righteous. So, if sin is what we practice, and not righteousness, we are not born of God, we don’t know God, and thus we will not have eternal life with God.

[1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; cf. Galatians 5:16-21]

Therefore, we cannot write off Hebrews 10:26-31 as though what it teaches is not taught elsewhere in the Scriptures. For Jesus definitely taught that genuine faith in him results in us denying self, dying with him to sin daily, and following him in obedience to his commands. And he taught that if we do not die to sin and follow him in obedience that we will not have eternal life in him. Paul and the other apostles taught the same. But somewhere along the line some people began to distort the gospel message, so those who are still teaching what Jesus fully taught appear to be in the minority.

[Matthew 7:21-23; Matthew 24:9-14; Matthew 28:19-20; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:35-58; John 8:31-32; John 10:27-30; John 14:15,21,23-24; John 15:1-11; Acts 26:18]

The Prayer

Written by David Foster, Carole Bayer Sager, 

Alberto Testa and Tony Renis

I pray you'll be our eyes

And watch us where we go

And help us to be wise

In times when we don't know

I pray we'll find your light

And hold it in our hearts

When the stars go out each night

Remind us where you are.

Let this be our prayer

When shadows fill our day

Lead us to a place

Guide us with your grace

To a place where we'll be safe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqFCbtRz1Z0

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