Their Cunning is in Vain

“I hate the double-minded,

    but I love your law.

You are my hiding place and my shield;

    I hope in your word.

Depart from me, you evildoers,

    that I may keep the commandments of my God.

Uphold me according to your promise, that I may live,

    and let me not be put to shame in my hope!

Hold me up, that I may be safe

    and have regard for your statutes continually!

You spurn all who go astray from your statutes,

    for their cunning is in vain.

All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross,

    therefore I love your testimonies.

My flesh trembles for fear of you,

    and I am afraid of your judgments.” (Psalms 119:113-120 ESV)

We, as followers of Christ Jesus, are not to hate anyone. We are to love even our enemies and those who sin against us and who do evil against us. We are to pray for them, do good to them, forgive them, and bless them in the sense of sharing with them the truth of the gospel which can set them free from their slavery to sin via God-persuaded faith in our Lord Jesus. By faith in the Lord they can then die to sin and now walk in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in the power, wisdom, and strength of God.

[Matthew 5:43; Luke 6:27-28; 1 John 2:9-11; 1 John 3:15; 1 John 4:20]

We should hate the sin, though. We should hate sinful acts committed against other people. We should hate seeing people trapped in sin’s deceitfulness. It should grieve us greatly and bring us to tears to see so much evil in this world and within the gatherings of what are called “churches,” too. It should grieve us, too, that so many are being promised heaven when they die based on a false gospel message, and so they continue living in sin convinced that God will not judge them for their sin.

[John 12:25; Hebrews 1:9; Revelation 2:6; 1 Corinthians 5:1-13]

So, who are the double-minded? I think I just talked about this a few days ago. They are those who profess one thing with their lips but who live the opposite. They are those, too, who vacillate back and forth in opinion and in profession of faith. They ask God for help, but then they do what they want to do anyway. They are those who look at themselves in the mirror, and they see what they look like to God, but then they walk away and forget what they look like. And then they give in to the flesh, which leads to death.

[James 1:5-7,22-25; Matthew 7:21-23; Isaiah 29:13; Matthew 15:7-9]

And the Scriptures teach us that if we profess that we are in fellowship with God, but while we walk (in conduct, in practice) in darkness (sin), we are liars who do not live by the truth. And if we claim that we know God intimately, via faith in Jesus Christ, but while we do not make it our practice to keep (obey) his commandments (New Covenant), then we are liars. For if sin is what we obey, it leads to death. But if obedience to God is what we obey, it leads to sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God.

[1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6,15-17; 1 John 3:4-10; Romans 6:1-23]

So, if we are sincere in our walks of faith in the Lord Jesus, he should be our hiding place. He should be the one to whom we go for help, strength, and resistance against all evil, and for the courage and determination we need to flee all temptation to sin and to draw near to our Lord in obedience to his ways and to his commands. We should call on God to help us to remain faithful to him in all circumstances, but especially when tempted of the devil and when pressured to compromise by those who walk in sin’s dark ways.

But sadly, many who profess faith in Jesus Christ are not committed to following the Lord with their lives. And even if they call on him for help, they “hang up on him,” and they choose their own course, instead, sometimes even before they give the Lord a chance to speak truth to their hearts. For they are the double-minded, who live duplicitous (two-faced, unfaithful, and dishonest) lifestyles, and their hiding place is their place of secret sin, and it is a place of moral decline where they feel the freedom to live in idolatry. 

So, why do so many professers of faith in Jesus Christ live in continuous deliberate and habitual sin against God, against his commands, and against their fellow humans? They choose to, for one (see Romans 1:18-32). But so many of them are also being led to do so via belief in a false diluted and altered gospel message which is permeating the American church today. For they are being taught that they can just profess faith in Jesus and now all their sins are forgiven and heaven is guaranteed them when they die, but regardless of how they live their lives day in and day out, in practice.

So, we need to understand this truth. Jesus gave his life up for us on that cross, not so that we could be forgiven all our sins and promised heaven when we die but regardless of how we live. He died to deliver us out of our slavery (addiction) to sin so that we will now walk in obedience to his commands in holy living, by his grace, and so that we will now serve him with our lives as our only Lord (Owner-Master). And he commands that we deny self, die to sin daily, and follow him in obedience to his commands.

For if we don’t, and we go our own way instead, and we choose our sins and walks of disobedience over walks of holiness, godliness, moral purity, uprightness, and self-control, then we will not inherit eternal life with God. We will not enter into his eternal kingdom. But we will die in our sins, regardless of what faith we profess with our lips. For God will judge us all according to our works, and to some he is going to say, “I never knew you. Depart from me you workers of lawlessness.” We need to believe this!!

[Matt 7:13-14,21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 10:27-30; Ac 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Tit 2:11-14; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,15-17; 1 Jn 3:4-10]

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer 

Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897

Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,

This is my constant longing and prayer;

Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,

Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,

Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,

Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,

Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,

Holy and harmless, patient and brave;

Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,

Willing to suffer others to save.

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,

Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;

Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,

Fit me for life and Heaven above.

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,

Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrYhiK2nQBg 

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