A thought for Easter Monday:
A thought for Good Friday:
‘When you reflect upon Jesus Christ hanging on the cross of shame, you understand the depth and weight of human sin. How do we measure the size of a fire? By the number of firefighters and fire engines sent to fight against it. How do we measure the seriousness of a medical condition? By the amount of risk the doctors take in prescribing dangerous antibiotics or surgical procedures. How do we measure the gravity of sin and the incomparable vastness of God’s love for us? By looking at the magnitude of what God has done for us in Jesus, who became like a common criminal for our sake and in our place.’ Fleming Rutledge
Do not boast about tomorrow,
for you do not know what a day may bring.
This is so self-evidently true. Life can turn on a dime.
‘One of Dale Carnegie’s principles for overcoming worry is to live in “day-tight compartments.” This term was first coined by Sir William Osler when he encountered this life-changing quote from Thomas Carlisle, “It is not our goal to see what lies dimly in the distance but to do what clearly lies at hand.” ‘
In the New Testament, James fills out the thought in today’s Proverb:
Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. 17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them. (James 4:13-17).
Like a coating of silver dross on earthenware
are fervent lips with an evil heart.
24 Enemies disguise themselves with their lips,
but in their hearts they harbor deceit.
25 Though their speech is charming, do not believe them,
for seven abominations fill their hearts.
26 Their malice may be concealed by deception,
but their wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.
27 Whoever digs a pit will fall into it;
if someone rolls a stone, it will roll back on them.
28 A lying tongue hates those it hurts,
and a flattering mouth works ruin.
“If you don’t like what you are reaping, you had better change what you have been sowing.” Jim Rohn
It is a Biblical principle, often repeated, that we reap what we sow. Verse 27 is another way of expressing this same truth. We surely will reap in eternity, but the reaping starts here and now. It can work positively or negatively. I picture it like this: it can be as if you throw a boomerang, marvel at its graceful flight, and catch it on the way back. Or, it can be like being hit on the head by the boomerang you hurled earlier, but perhaps lost sight of.
“You reap what you sow: Life is like a boomerang. Our thoughts, deeds and words return to us sooner or later, with astounding accuracy.” Grant M. Bright
Verse 27 appears in a section which is very much about our words, and their misuse. May God help us (see Jas.3:1-12).
Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. (Gal.6:10).
Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation. 10 God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. 11 We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized. 12 We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.
The call is to keep going – to be ‘diligent’ in loving God and loving people. Furthermore, the author is ”convinced” they will show staying power.
The life of discipleship makes robust demands. It is not for the ”lazy”. It also calls for ”faith and patience.” Elsewhere in the New Testament, our life in Christ is described as a ”walk.” As someone pointed out, there is nothing spectacular about walking. It’s just putting one foot in front of the other and keeping going. This is not a sprint; it’s a marathon. We will need perseverance, endurance, patience.
‘Diligence, faith and patience are required to live the Christian life. Maturity is not automatic.’ (Warren W. Wiersbe: ‘With the Word’, p.817).
Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are convinced of better things in your case—the things that have to do with salvation. 10 God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.
Although these Hebrew Christians were under great pressure to go back (to Judaism and the synagogue), the author was actually ”convinced” that they would keep going forward. They were producing good ‘fruit’ – the appetising fruit of love towards God shown in their love to their fellow-believers. God knew all about this and would not forget it. We too can be encouraged today as we sip the refreshing water from this deep and pure well of Scripture.
When you boil it all down, at heart Christian discipleship is about a life of loving God and loving people. These two realities belong together (as Jesus taught in a beautiful and profoundly challenging passage: Matthew 25:34-40). It is not ‘rocket science’! Neither is it easy. But by God’s grace we produce this fruit and give evidence of our salvation.
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 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.
The chapter opened with a call to move on. But it is possible to go back.
We probably all know people who ‘ran well’ for a time (perhaps for a long time), but then they dropped out of the Christian race, and left the track. Were they not genuinely converted in the first place? Was it only profession without possession? God alone knows. It takes time for ‘fruit’ to show, and it is by our fruit we are known (7,8; see also Mt.7:16-20).
But verses 4-6 seems to refer to people who have had genuine Christian experience. What are we to make of these quite frightening words?
‘The writer is obviously not talking here about committing small sins, or about wandering briefly out of God’s will – which all of us do from time to time. Rather, the writer is talking here about the greatest and most fearful sin of all. That sin is this: to reject God’s light after having seen it; to reject Christ after having received Christ’s gifts and blessings. Those who do this are crucifying the Son of God all over again (verse 6). Such people no longer have a mind to repent. Their hearts have become hardened. God’s grace cannot touch them…Those who reject the salvation offered by Christ will find salvation nowhere else.’ (Tom Hale: ‘Applied New Testament Commentary’, p.859).
I have italicised two sentences towards the end of the quote. They seem, to my mind, to get to the nub of the problem.
But although this chapter contains such a strong warning, the writer believes better things of his readers. We will see this next time.
PRAYER: Oh Lord, I know my own weakness. Strengthen me to keep putting one foot in front of another, so that I persevere to the end, and see you face to face.
Before moving on in this section, which is a warning against falling away, I want to quote Tom Hale. I found this in a general article taken from the opening pages of his ‘Applied New Testament Commentary.’ The piece is entitled: ‘Can we lose our salvation?’ (pp.41-45). I find his balanced approach extremely helpful:
‘Thus we see that some verses in the New Testament support the idea that a believer cannot lose his salvation, and other verses support the idea that he can lose it. Surely we must be seeing here two sides of a great truth, which our human minds cannot fully grasp. God’s wisdom is greater than ours.
Someone has said that believers need to hold in balance both of these truths. For the believer who is anxious about his salvation, one should emphasize the truth that his salvation is secure. Whereas for the believer who is overly confident that he cannot fall, one should emphasize the truth that he can indeed fall. Here again, we see the depth and richness of the Bible. The Bible meets the needs of every man and woman.’ (P.43).
‘…from New Testament times until now, Christians have had different opinions about whether or not a true believer can lose his salvation. The Bible does not give an unequivocal teaching on this subject. Therefore, whatever view we hold, we must not allow our opinion to separate us from our Christian brothers and sisters who may think differently on this question.’ (P.45).
Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, 2 instruction about cleansing rites, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And God permitting, we will do so.
It has been pointed out that in the Christian life we either go forward or backward. There is no standing still. Like a tree we will grow or die. We saw yesterday that grace is not opposed to effort (although it is opposed to works as a way of salvation). If we are going to grow as Christ’s disciples we have to try, trusting: make every effort to progress, but in God’s strength, not our own.
When you become a Christian, you start out at the ‘nurture group’ level, but you shouldn’t stay there. It is appropriate to see a two year old in the creche, but not a twenty two year old!
Based on your current levels of commitment, how likely are you to remain in the nursery?!
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