In the parable of the sower, I see the two people who "receive the word with joy" as being "Christians",
although later they both (the shallow and the weedy) fall away.
To my way of thinking it was "Impossible" for one who was truly saved to "fall away". It would take a
"miracle" as great as the one that saved them!
Those who have seen Him through the eyes of the Spirit having "great" Love for them are left without
excuse, as was Thomas who saw Him physically when Jesus dispelled ALL his doubts once and for ever!
Then he saw! Then he knew! Then he cried out: "My Lord and my God!"
To him Jesus said: "Big deal, Thomas! Now you believe? It's easy now for you to believe that I Am, standing
in front of you nail holes and all! Rather blessed are them who don't see me (with that, "Until and unless I
see Him for myself in person, I'm not gonna believe it, attitude"), yet "hear my words" and believe that I
have risen from the dead and live forever!" (Biff's translation)
So the question is: "Can someone who has seen (by way of a personal encounter with God) for themselves
the Awesome Love that Jesus has for them via the cross (and through Him the Father has for them as
well), and have had their whole world blown away because of the revelation of Him, Fall Away?"
Is this possible?
Yes! (The Scriptures say so!)
However, such people (and I include myself here on top) would be the lowest type of vermin who ever
lived, after seeing and recognizing all of the love He has for them in the laying down of His most precious
life for them, and in full recognition of all that His "precious sacrifice" of Himself means, to later turn around,
despise Him and fall away.
It is possible because "we" have a choice and "we" make the choices. Not God! Take away the free choice,
make us all obedient zombies in the creators hands, and no one falls away once they are saved.
But as you know, the heart becomes either hardened to resist or softened to want more of what we're
hearing and seeing.
Although "many" LOVE the beginning walk of their Christian faith, many of those same Christians later grow
hardened to the need to grow and continue in it! Many stop - turn around - turn away - and go back to
what they were - replacing a personal relationship and walk with Jesus as Lord with "religion and religious
practises" or - fill in the blank.
I KNOW that Peter (as well as Paul: 1 Cor. 13) understood perfectly the true meaning of the importance of
"Love" when He said:
2 Pet 1:
"IF" these things be in you - ye shall never fall (and as Jesus would say: and REMAIN in you!) - you have a
safe passage home!
LOVE is the ticket that gives our FAITH the mobility to DO God's will!
Take away love and faith is like a weed about to die of thirst!
God is love!
Having said all of this, I know the scriptures that say "Go and sin no more" (John 8:11) and the ones that
say, "If we say we have no sin then we are liars and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:8-10)".
My conclusions:
There is no excuse for a Christian to sin - period!
I Jn 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have
an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
Some people think that I am using this to mean that we can't help but to sin!
I AM NOT SAYING THAT! I'm saying that we have no excuse for sinning - none whatsoever! I make none!
If I have been born again, I have received a new nature, one that cannot sin! So then why should I sin any
longer? Simple!
I (i.e. me in my old man) have been crucified with Christ - yes!
"Sin" comes when I do not or am not "Reckoning myself dead with Christ" in order to walk in the newness of
the spirit, my new nature, with the Spirit of Life!
I may take and hear something "in the flesh" that I let upset me and I may have an outburst of anger, or a
glance at a naked woman, and allow myself to play movies in my mind for a second, etc. simply because I
allowed the world with it's lusts to affect me. And when I took part (in thought, word, or premeditated
deed) - I sinned!
This can happen, and shamefully does happen to all of us - yet we are all without excuse. If we were
powerless, yes - but we have power (Acts 1: and many scripture promises to those who overcome.
Before Christ there was no war within! We hated God so we were at peace with self!
Since becoming His child, there is a war for supremecy of two natures within us. IN Christ (the key word
here is: "IN") we have power to overcome the enemy! This is OUR Job - OUR decision! But apart from Him
we can do nothing! With (IN) Him we can and do overcome sin, including the sins that sometimes so easily
overcome us.
In any case, there is no excuse to sin! We are told not to sin any longer.
But rather than ostracize us from His presence when we do sin (as the Law would do), instead He becomes
our advocate with the Father - standing in the gap we left and pleading for us - not because we deserve it
but because He bought us, gave Himself for us and loves us!!!
When the day comes that we see how evil and ugly sin is, and how much our sin(s) hurts the One we love,
we will be cut to the core by it all, soundly repent, and would rather die than to continue to live in sin the
way we were any longer.
THAT is how God sees sin - for what it is, as well as for what it does!
THAT is the way that a true and overcoming Christian will finish the race. He may be down, but not out!
Hurting but not giving up! Feeling great remorse over his sin but finally able to lift his head, wipe the tears,
raise his hand to His God and say, "It is Christ IN Me, that is my Hope of Glory with Him!"
If all of His Love for us doesn't help one to want to "Go and sin no more" for His sake, then I've got a wide
sliding board named "easy believism" that I'm selling to ALL who think that Christianity is merely a one time
decision, made a long, long time ago...
Luke 6:46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
But then again I knew that God didn't create "zombies": mindless religious idiots who have no say in the
matter of their salvation".
7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor
unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was
purged from his old sins.
10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do
these things, ye shall never fall:
Simply: We obey Him because we Love Him! Faith with Law and/or without Love is false gospel!
The Love of the Truth and of seeking and doing the Truth is what we should all be about and what honors
Him!
On the one hand Jesus is telling us to, "Go and sin no more". and of course He means it!
On the other we hear we have sinned and to owe up to this fact.
To put it another way: "When the Son is out and the fellowship is going strong, the shadows (temptations)
flee away!"
