"Hear ye now
what the LORD saith; Arise, contend thou before the mountains, and let the
hills hear thy voice. Hear ye, O mountains, the LORD’S controversy, and ye
strong foundations of the earth: for the LORD hath a controversy with his
people, and he will plead with Israel. O my people, what have I done unto thee?
and wherein have I wearied thee? testify against me." Micah 6:1-3
Sing F Lau
We went through
Micah 6 for our Wednesday evening church bible study.
What a frightening
reality - God's people are capable of great evils. "My people are bent on
backsliding..."
Jason Sides
Aww but greater
still is his mercy to bring his children out of the cess pool of sin.
Sing F Lau
I fear very often
God leaves His children to wallow in the cesspool of sins they have chosen for
themselves!
I read this in the
latter part of Micah 6:
13 Therefore also
will I make thee sick in smiting thee, in making thee desolate because of thy
sins.
14 Thou shalt eat,
but not be satisfied; and thy casting down shall be in the midst of thee; and
thou shalt take hold, but shalt not deliver; and that which thou deliverest
will I give up to the sword.
15 Thou shalt sow,
but thou shalt not reap; thou shalt tread the olives, but thou shalt not anoint
thee with oil; and sweet wine, but shalt not drink wine.
16 For the statutes
of Omri are kept, and all the works of the house of Ahab, and ye walk in their
counsels; that I should make thee a desolation, and the inhabitants thereof an
hissing: therefore ye shall bear the reproach of my people.
Every sin has BOTH
its eternal consequences and temporal consequences.
Christ's work of
redemption has saved us from sins' eternal judgment and condemnation. His work
of redemption DOES NOT save us from temporal judgment and condemnation. Our own
work of salvation (Phil 2:12) will save us from the temporal consequences of
our sins.
God will scourge and chastise His children - they shall suffer the temporal consequences for their sins.
Sing F Lau
Many of God's
children lived and died like their cousin Lot. Few live and die like their
father Abraham!
Jason Sides
You should do a
commentary on children of God who backslide and how to reconcile it with 1st
John would be very interested in your thoughts.
Sing F Lau
Have you not read,
"My people are bent on backsliding"?
What is 1st John
saying to you?
Jason Sides
It is not what it
says to me but everyone.
Sing F Lau
Yes, I meant what
does 1John say?
Jason Sides
1st John 2:18-27
Warning and assurance 3:6-10.
My question is your commentary on how to reconcile
the text listed above with the children of God who backslide.
Sing F Lau
I think there may be
some serious misunderstanding!
1Jn 2:18-27 DOES NOT
SPEAK of backsliding!
It speaks of the denying and rejecting of Christ -
"Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is
antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son."
Those who are
backslidden, they still profess Christ, they are still practising Christians, like so many claim in America, and around the world.
Your theology would
probably have no place for such people among God's children and would
conveniently pronounce them as counterfeit and false believers! That's one
possible explanation.
To say that God's
children SHOULD be fruitful (which is biblical)...
Is very different
from saying that each and every child of God WOULD be fruitful (just man's
wishful and legalistic idea)...
And to conclude that
those who are not fruitful can't possibly be God's children at all (this is
VERY injurious and presumptuous, and ignorant).
Everywhere in the
Scriptures, God deals with His people and children in their sins! - ALL over the
Scriptures.
I have preached
through 1John twice in my nearly 20 years in the ministry. I do know something
about the teaching of 1John, if I am not deceived.
