The Ongoing Struggle - Thursday get_app

The Baptist Faith & Message continues its statements on God’s purpose of grace, saying,

“Believers may fall into sin through neglect and temptation, whereby they grieve the Spirit, impair their graces and comforts, and bring reproach on the cause of Christ and temporal judgments on themselves; yet they shall be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.”

Today we’re going to discuss our ongoing struggle and the fact that our sin is still serious. If God no longer cared whether or not we sinned after we believed in him for our salvation, then we would not see the serious warnings we read in Scripture.

Read Hebrews 2:1-4; Hebrews 3:12-14; Hebrews 6:4-6.

• These are serious warnings not to fall away, but to persevere.

Read Philippians 2:12.

Do you see the warning in this passage? We are to obey all that Jesus taught and commanded (Matt 28:20) and work out our own salvation “with fear and trembling.” In other words, if you’re not obeying, if you’re in a consistent pattern of sin; then you have reason for concern, according to Paul. We are to keep struggling against sin; we are to persevere in faith. We are commanded to do so (and there are consequences when we don’t).

Read Hebrews 12:1-2; James 1:12.

• As you read these passages, be reminded that we are to remain steadfast in our faith and struggle against our sins.

Close in prayer, thanking God for his warnings that remind us to stay the path and asking him for his strength to endure to the end.