If you think you are secure in your relationship with God, you may actually be on the verge of falling (1 Co. 10:12).
If you are not willing to seek and accept spiritual counsel and oversight, you are probably already in spiritual trouble.
If you are not growing in grace and knowledge and service and humility and love, you are either dying on the vine or you are already dead.
If you are not following spiritual directives from godly leaders in your life, you are headed for a dark night of sin and shame.
Just because you have never gone "too far" in your rebellion, resistance, rejection and neglect in the past does not mean you won't finally do the unthinkable; which will ruin your own life, destroy your family and render your soul without faith and hope.
If you are more excited about ball games, sports, shopping, parties, work, entertainment, news, politics, "save the" whatever (movements) than you are about Christian worship, study, praise, fellowship, then you are already in trouble and you need to STOP where you are, TURN from sin and RETURN to Christ.
Spiritual warfare is no joke. More souls are lost on the "fields of presumption" than on the "fields of conflict."
Make sure that you are not preparing your own spiritual obituary; I don't want to hear of your spiritual death.
2 Corinthians 5:20
(20) Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.
THE PASSAGE AND THE BACKGROUND...
The Passage for my post is,
1 Corinthians 10:12
(12) Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
Paul was warning Christians about perniciously presuming instead of truly trusting in Christ. He was saying, "...let him who thinks (or is thinking) that he stands (or is standing)." Saving faith is a present reality, not a past remembrance.
But notice, the first word is WHEREFORE. In order to understand what the WHEREFORE is THEREFORE, we need to know what was said just prior to this admonition.
Paul points out that the Israelites who had come out of Egypt had come out by faith. They had come out under the influence and protection of the Holy Spirit (the cloud; vss. 1-2), they had escaped their enslavement to sin and Satan (Egypt and Pharaoh) by crossing the Sea (vs. 1), they ate the same spiritual meat and drank the same spiritual drink and drank from the same spiritual Rock, Christ (vss. 3-4), but with many of them God was not well pleased. (vs. 5).
WHY? Because they were overthrown in the wilderness (vs. 5), which was a type of the saved life. Some of them were overthrown by lusting after evil things (vs. 6), and some had become idolatrous (vs. 7), and some had become fornicators (vs. 8), and some had gone so far as to tempt Christ (vs. 9), while some became murmurers finding fault with the provisions of God (vs. 10).
Paul reminds Christian believers again (vs. 6) that those things in the Old Testament happened to God's people, Israel, as EXAMPLES and are recorded as an ADMONITION for New Testament believers (vs. 11).
This is when Paul said that we should TAKE HEED if we think we are standing, because, we can fall. PRESUMPTION leads to sin and defeat, FAITH leads to righteousness and eternal life. (vs. 12, also see Ro. 6:22).
THE PASSAGES...
1 Corinthians 10:1-13
(1) Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
(2) And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
(3) And did all eat the same spiritual meat;
(4) And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
(5) But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
(6) Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.
(7) Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.
(8) Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.
(9) Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.
(10) Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.
(11) Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
(12) Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
(13) There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
Romans 6:11-22
(11) Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
(12) Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
(13) Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
(14) For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
(15) What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
(16) Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
(17) But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
(18) Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
(19) I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.
(20) For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.
(21) What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.
(22) But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
If you are not willing to seek and accept spiritual counsel and oversight, you are probably already in spiritual trouble.
If you are not growing in grace and knowledge and service and humility and love, you are either dying on the vine or you are already dead.
If you are not following spiritual directives from godly leaders in your life, you are headed for a dark night of sin and shame.
Just because you have never gone "too far" in your rebellion, resistance, rejection and neglect in the past does not mean you won't finally do the unthinkable; which will ruin your own life, destroy your family and render your soul without faith and hope.
If you are more excited about ball games, sports, shopping, parties, work, entertainment, news, politics, "save the" whatever (movements) than you are about Christian worship, study, praise, fellowship, then you are already in trouble and you need to STOP where you are, TURN from sin and RETURN to Christ.
Spiritual warfare is no joke. More souls are lost on the "fields of presumption" than on the "fields of conflict."
Make sure that you are not preparing your own spiritual obituary; I don't want to hear of your spiritual death.
2 Corinthians 5:20
(20) Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.
THE PASSAGE AND THE BACKGROUND...
The Passage for my post is,
1 Corinthians 10:12
(12) Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
Paul was warning Christians about perniciously presuming instead of truly trusting in Christ. He was saying, "...let him who thinks (or is thinking) that he stands (or is standing)." Saving faith is a present reality, not a past remembrance.
But notice, the first word is WHEREFORE. In order to understand what the WHEREFORE is THEREFORE, we need to know what was said just prior to this admonition.
Paul points out that the Israelites who had come out of Egypt had come out by faith. They had come out under the influence and protection of the Holy Spirit (the cloud; vss. 1-2), they had escaped their enslavement to sin and Satan (Egypt and Pharaoh) by crossing the Sea (vs. 1), they ate the same spiritual meat and drank the same spiritual drink and drank from the same spiritual Rock, Christ (vss. 3-4), but with many of them God was not well pleased. (vs. 5).
WHY? Because they were overthrown in the wilderness (vs. 5), which was a type of the saved life. Some of them were overthrown by lusting after evil things (vs. 6), and some had become idolatrous (vs. 7), and some had become fornicators (vs. 8), and some had gone so far as to tempt Christ (vs. 9), while some became murmurers finding fault with the provisions of God (vs. 10).
Paul reminds Christian believers again (vs. 6) that those things in the Old Testament happened to God's people, Israel, as EXAMPLES and are recorded as an ADMONITION for New Testament believers (vs. 11).
This is when Paul said that we should TAKE HEED if we think we are standing, because, we can fall. PRESUMPTION leads to sin and defeat, FAITH leads to righteousness and eternal life. (vs. 12, also see Ro. 6:22).
THE PASSAGES...
1 Corinthians 10:1-13
(1) Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea;
(2) And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
(3) And did all eat the same spiritual meat;
(4) And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
(5) But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.
(6) Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.
(7) Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.
(8) Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand.
(9) Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.
(10) Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.
(11) Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
(12) Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
(13) There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
Romans 6:11-22
(11) Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
(12) Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
(13) Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
(14) For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
(15) What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
(16) Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
(17) But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
(18) Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
(19) I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.
(20) For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.
(21) What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.
(22) But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
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