"For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and 'the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries.' Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted 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 terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God."
Hebrews 10:26-31 (emphasizes added)
Yup.
The verses above explains themselves very well, and yet so many people reject what the Bible teaches and live in their sin instead. I'd like you to realize that I'm not talking about those you do not know Christ, I'm talking about those you claim to know God. I don't want to point fingers this post either, but I do want us to think about the above verses. Our modern church is so wrapped into 'getting people in' and 'excepting everybody' they seem to have forgotten what sin actually is, and that it is not supposed to even be in the church. Why do we go on 'sinning willfully' when God tells us to not to? Let's look at what 'sin' actually is in the famous Galatians chapter, but we will start back a little farther than most people do:
"Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."
It goes on the name to 'fruits of the Spirit' but I just wanted to look at the first part because it seems like we hardly ever do. I'm not going to explain it in detail, because it explains itself. Those who get drunk, those who have outbursts of anger, those who envy, and 'the like' will not go to heaven, they will 'fall into the hands of the living God'. Remember, I wrote a post earlier about this, if you do sin (which I pray we do not), pick yourself up, and keep moving forward. The above Bible passages are for those who continually are impure, continually get drunk, continually have outbursts of anger and so on and so forth. Often things which are sins, a lot of people don't realize are and keeping living in them, such as coveting (Romans 7:7). Here is the definition for covet: "yearn to possess or have". Do you want that pair of boots 'really, really bad?' Do you wish you had that furniture set that your friend has? Then you are sinning, and those who sin yet call themselves saved 'trample underfoot the Son of God.' Those are powerful words, God is powerful and we don't seem to realize it. We say we fear God, but do we really? Are we truly living our lives as His servants? Dead to ourselves? We are horribly selfish, we think the world of ourselves, and aim to please us, me, I. We may not be actually thinking "I'm going to do this instead because I want to please myself", but we do live just for what we want and our comfort. I don't think we as the North American church realize what dieing to self really means. We have very cushy lives.
Well, I'm going off topic and rattling, I said I wasn't going to go on, but I did anyways, so I'd better put an end to it. This post was really just a reminder, and something to make you reconsider how we are living and the gravity of sinning. God is God, He has the power to destroy or build, He can do as He wishes, don't you think that we should try to please Him with all that is in us? Reconsider next time you go for your computer, rethink before you buy something, is this a good use of the money God has given me? Stop, before you covet, control your mind before you start to get angry (remember, anger is not a sin, it is uncontrolled anger which is a sin).
And remember 'It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God', fear it, dread it, and love Him who created you and live not in sin, remember what is sin, and... read your Bible, it will help you understand what God wants the most :)
God, three in One, is alive today, and He is watching how we are living our lives, so live them for HIM, so that we He comes, (or when we die) we will hear 'Well done, good and faithful servant'.
