TEXT: Hebrews 10:35-39
35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.
36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
37 For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.
38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
39 But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.
At times in life, we go through difficult situations like trouble, sickness, pain, emotional injury, hunger, failure, etc. These are unpalatable situations and we always seek ways to get out of them. We desire a change for the better. When these situations are eventually over, we find relief and pleasure in that freedom and we never hope to experience such bad situations ever again.
For example, someone who transits from poverty to wealth never wants to taste poverty anymore. He doesn't even wish his descendants poor.
A person who has been cured from a near-death sickness or disease never wishes to be sick anymore.
We always aim and try to retain our new state of comfort and peace.
This same attitude must also be applied to our Christian lifestyle. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Everyone that accepts Christ Jesus as Lord receives a new identity. This is a change from the old man to a new creature. This change must be kept secure, even in the midst of challenges, oppositions, and persecutions.
Our status as Christian believers brings about significant changes in our lives, some of which are:
1 A change from servanthood to sonship.
Romans 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
The Bible says we have received the Spirit of God that changes our position of slavery to a position of sonship. The position of sonship is a position a child has rights to his father's assets and belongings. A slave doesn't have these rights. He only follows orders till the day his services are no longer required and his services suspended.
The prodigal son almost lost his position of sonship but he received mercy from his father.
Luke 15:18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
2 A change from darkness to light.
I Peter 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
At the point of salvation, God called us out of darkness (ignorance, confusion, faithlessness) into His marvelous light, a position of enlightenment, wisdom, direction and ever increasing faith.
Ephesians 5:8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
3 Freedom from the bondage of sin.
Romans 6:22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
We were once under the bondage of sin. We responded to the desires of our flesh to commit all forms of sin. Now with Christ Jesus, we receive freedom from sin and our hearts now cleave to holiness, so that we can please God.
4 A change from unrighteousness to God's righteousness
Sin pushes man out of God's will, a state of unrighteousness. In this state, no religious activity is acceptable to God.
Proverbs 15:8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is His delight.
Jesus Christ has changed our unrighteousness to His own righteousness when He died for us. (II Corinthians 5:21)
A change to keep I have... We must stand firm in the reality of our new creature realities in Christ, to uphold our salvation at all costs, never to look back into the world of sin, and in full assurance that God will receive us at the end.
Hebrews 10:39 ...But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.
God bless you...
All scripture citations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.
You will also find this post on my Whaleshares, Weku and Bearshares blogs.
