Forsaking Sin By Ronnie Bray

An Anti-Mormon taking Mormons to task for their acceptance of the

commandments of Jesus Christ as requirements to follow him and obey the
commandments of his Father, including forsaking their sins, challenged Latter-day
Saints:

“Just show me any Bible verse or passage that

talks about forsaking sins “Second, you need to
look at the entire context of "Be ye therefore
perfect.” Jesus never told his followers to be
perfectly, morally sinless in word, thought and
deed. But, only, specifically in the way we love our
enemies. Context. Read all of Matt. 5:43-48.”
If he actually believes that Christians are commanded by Jesus Christ to be perfect
in loving his enemies, then, by his words and manners in communicating with
Concerned Latter-day Saint Christians as they defend their faith, then he signally
fails to conform to what he claims to accept as his Lord Jesus Christ’s
commandment.1

His claim that Jesus referred only to the necessity of his disciples to be perfect in
loving their enemies is a defiant attempt to retreat from the full import of what
Jesus actually said, and to lessen the burden placed by Jesus upon the heads of all
that profess him Lord and Saviour, whom he insists are to follow his example,
even unto death if needs be.

Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.2
1
My purpose here is not to reprimand him, but to open the Scriptures to his understanding that he might come to
know what the Holy Bible actually says about forsaking sin, so that he can come to understanding.
2
Matthew 16:24
For the convicted disciple or Christian, the only way to follow Christ is as
completely and as earnestly as possible. There is no easy, or royal, road for the
Christian dedicated to Christ and seriously committed to following his example.
There are lazy, partially committed Christians that are willing only to do the
minimum to, as they suppose, obtain their salvation, and consequently excuse
themselves from the rigorous demands to which those that are spiritually reborn as
Christians willingly and joyfully submit themselves, no matter what the cost.

Yet, while there are Minimalist Christians, there is no Minimalist Christianity, and
there is no Minimalist Christianity because there is no Minimalist Jesus Christ.

The Christians whose heart, will, and mind are turned towards Christ as Lord and
King will do the will of his Lord and King and not seek excuses to get away with
doing as little as possible. Those that turn their eyes and look upon Jesus,
acknowledging him as Lord, King, Saviour, and Master through the spiritual
conviction of the Holy Spirit that has declared him the be ‘the Christ, the Son of
the Living God,’ as it declared to Peter and the rest of the Apostles, will do his
bidding even though it leads them to die as wretched but blessed martyrs for his
sake. They will not seek to shave their part down until it is almost non-existent.

Matthew 5:21-27 - ¶ From that time forth began Jesus to show unto his disciples,
how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief
priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. Then Peter
took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not
be unto thee. But [Jesus] turned, and said unto Peter, “Get thee behind me,
Satan: thou art an offense unto me: for thou savorest not the things that be of God,
but those that be of men!”

¶ Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.3 For whosoever will save his life
shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.4 For what is
a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what
shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the
glory of his Father with his angels;5 and then he shall reward every man
according to his works.6
3
Mt. 10.38
4
Mt. 10.39; Luke 17.33; John. 12.25
5
Mt. 25.31
6
Ps. 62.12
The Minimalist advised us to see things his way by reading only a portion of the
Sermon on the Mount. We will study all of Matthew Chapter 5 and see for
ourselves what Jesus said, and what he meant us to do when we have heard his
Sermon.

And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his
disciples came unto him: and he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,7

¶ Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
¶ Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.8
¶ Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.9
¶ Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall
be filled.10
¶ Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
¶ Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.11
¶ Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
¶ Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake12 for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven.
¶ Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all
manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake13.
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so
persecuted they the prophets14 which were before you.

¶ Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it
be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden
under foot of men.15

¶ Ye are the light of the world.16 A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither
do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; 17 and it

7
Luke 6.20-23
8
Is. 61.2
9
Ps. 37.11
10
Is. 55.1, 2
11
Ps. 24.4, 5
12
: 1 Pet. 3.14
13
1 Pet. 4.14
14
2 Chr. 36.16;· Acts 7.52
15
Mk. 9.50 · Lk. 14.34, 35
16
John 8.12 ; 9.5
17
Mk. 4.21 · Lk. 8.16 ; 11.33
giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that
they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.18

¶ Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to
destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot
or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. 19 Whosoever
therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he
shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and
teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say
unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the
scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

¶ 20Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill;21 and
whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgement: but I say unto you, That
whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the
judgement: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the
council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother
hath aught against thee; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first
be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. Agree with thine
adversary quickly, while thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the
adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and
thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out
thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.

¶ Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit
adultery:22 but I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her
hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. And if thy right eye offend
thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy
members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.23
And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable
for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should
be cast into hell24.

18
1 Pet. 2.12
19
Lk. 16.17
20
Lk. 12.57-59
21
Ex. 20.13 · Deut. 5.17
22
Ex. 20.14 · Deut. 5.18
23
Mt. 18.9 · Mk. 9.47
24
Mt. 18.8 · Mk. 9.43
¶ It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing
of divorcement:25 but I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife,
saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever
shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.26

¶ Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not
forswear thyself,27 but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths: 28 but I say unto
you, Swear not at all;29 neither by heaven; for it is God's throne:30 35 nor by the
earth; for it is his footstool:31 neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great
King.32 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one
hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for
whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

¶ Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: 33
but I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy
right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law,
and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel
thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him
that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

¶ Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour,34 and hate
thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do
good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and
persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for
he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just
and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do
not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye
more than others? do not even the publicans so?

¶ Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

25
Deut. 24.1-4 · Mt. 19.7 · Mk. 10.4
26
Mt. 19.9 · Mk. 10.11, 12 · Lk. 16.18 · 1 Cor. 7.10, 11
27
Lev. 19.12
28
Num. 30.2 · Deut. 23.21
29
Jas. 5.12
30
Is. 66.1 · Mt. 23.22
31
Is. 66.1
32
Ps. 48.2
33
Ex. 21.24 · Lev. 24.20 · Deut. 19.21
34
Lev. 19.18
The whole of chapter five is filled with the divine expectations from the disciples
of Christ. It is a call to holiness: a call to change, and is not a novelty, but was
given by the LORD through the Prophet Moses to the Children of Israel.

Thou shalt be perfect with the LORD thy God.35

If we are to believe that the commands Jesus delivered to his disciples were each
rigidly compartmentalised, like watertight bulkheads on a submarine, so that each
must always and only ever taken as an isolated order unconnected with everything
else that Jesus uttered, then we have found ourselves worshipping a strange Jesus
and following a strange Gospel indeed.

Are there no universal principles in Christianity that Jesus requires his followers to
apply to all areas of their lives? Are there no absolutes that apply to every aspect
of the Christian life? Must we search each aspect of the gospel; of Jesus Christ for
its unique principle that cannot be applied to any other gospel principle? If so,
where and how does the Bible teach it?

The Bible stresses the importance of confessing36 and of forsaking sin.37 38 39 40 41

However, the command that Christians should confess and forsake their sins,
means that it is to be a permanent feature of Christian discipleship. Jesus knew
that the best Christians were not capable of achieving sinless perfection during
mortality. Jesus knew that as the first step taken by a disciple is the placing of his
foot on the same path walked through mortality by himself, and that the terminus
of that path is in heaven.

Jesus knew that the crown of eternal life is bound up and inseparable to the
Christian’s being a joint heir with Christ of all that the Father has and is.

The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that
35
Deuteronomy 13:18
36
James 5:16 – Confesse your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that yee may bee healed: the effectuall
feruent prayer of a righteous man auaileth much. AV 1611
37
Ezekiel 18:31 - Cast away from you all your transgressions, wherby yee haue transgressed, and make you a new
heart and a new spirit: for why will yee die, O house of Israel? AV 1611
38
Matthew 5:29 - And if thy right eie offend thee, plucke it out, and cast it from thee. For it is profitable for thee
that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. AV 1611
39
Luke 14:27 And whosoeuer doeth not beare his crosse, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. AV 1611
40
Romans 13:12 The night is farre spent, the day is at hand: let vs therefore cast off the workes of darkenesse, and
let vs put on the armour of light. AV 1611
41
Ephesians 4:22 That yee put off concerning the former conuersation, the olde man, which is corrupt according to
the deceitfull lusts: AV 1611
we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the
sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which
shall be revealed in us.42

Is the shared glory that accompanies joint-heirship with Christ achievable by our
doing no more than accepting Jesus in a matter-of-fact way but not submitting our
lives to him and being obedient? Peter, the Chief Minister of the Church of Jesus
Christ after Christ’s departure says it is not.

“What manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,

looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens
being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth,
wherein dwelleth righteousness.43 Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such
things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and
blameless.”44

It could be argued that being ‘blameless’ is the condition of sinners whose sins are
forgiven through baptism by immersion for the remission of sins. However, in
context it is evident that Peter is speaking of personal holiness, the normal
condition of committed and fervent Christians, that are ‘spotless and blameless’ by
choice, having determined to take up the cross and follow Christ, the sinless,
blameless one that is without blemish or spot.

Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver
and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but
with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.45

Therefore, we recognise that the calling of a Christian is a high and holy one. Such
a Christian is complete with the perfection with which Christ invests the
reverential neophyte that abrogates worldliness and walks the spiritual path in the
steps of Jesus as closely as possible.

Paul’s advice to Timothy follows this prescription.

42
Romans 8:16-18
43
Is. 65.17 ; 66.22 · Rev. 21.1
44
2 Peter 3:11a-14
45
1 Peter 1:18-19
 ¶ “These things command and teach. Let no man despise thy youth; but be
thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in
faith, in purity. Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.
Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with
the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.

“Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting
may appear to all. Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in
them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.”46

Some sins are the outward and obvious kind that can be clearly confessed,
forsaken, and avoided. No Christian can commit a sin such as theft, adultery, or
murder, without knowing he does wrong. It is impossible for a Christian to
commit such obvious sins without a significant struggle of conscience, before,
during, and afterwards. Is it possible to be perfect in not committing adultery,
murder, or theft? For a Christian it is possible.

However, not all sins are outward or obvious. Some sins are deeply rooted in
human nature that they have become habitual, and we practice them even when we
would not. Our excuse for these sins is that we can not help ourselves or change
our nature.47 However, such an excuse is unacceptable to God, for Paul tell us
clearly:

Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day
three and twenty thousand.48 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also
tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.49 Neither murmur ye, as some of them
also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.50

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. Wherefore let him
that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. 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.51

46
1 Timothy 4:11-16
47
This is implied by numerous passages in Scripture that describe the immense gap between sinful humanity and the
Holy God. [see: Exodus 33:20-23 ; Isaiah 6:5 ; John 1:18 ; 1 Timothy 6:16]
48
Num. 25.1-18
49
Num. 21.5, 6
50
Num. 16.41-49
51
1 Corinthians 10:8-13
We are warned that habitual sin leads to death.

For to be carnally minded, is death: but to be spiritually minded, is life and peace:
… For if ye liue after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the spirit doe mortifie
the deeds of the body, ye shall liue.52

Inwards sins may be such that without help we fail to recognise them as
wrongdoings that are displeasing to God. These would include irritability,
idleness, greed, pride, sloth, anger, indifference to others, suspicion, criticism,
failing to respect, withholding love, dishonesty, lust and so forth. Such sins of
attitude and habit are often so much a part of our characters and personalities that
we recognise them as sinful with difficulty, although others see them clearly. Like
an addictive poison, it has infected every aspect of who and what we are that it
seems impossible for us to be instantly freed from their iron chains. Yet, this is
what Jesus urges us to do, when he said:

And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee.53

He gives no one leave to sin, for he is the answer to sin. Sin leads to death, and
sinlessness leads to Eternal Life, concerning which, Jesus said,

I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.54

When we have an active, living, powerful faith in Christ we are instantly freed
from the eternal penalty of our sin, but we are not freed of the tendency to outward
and inward sins other by the process of sanctification under the cathartic and
transforming power of the Holy Spirit.

Know yee not that the vnrighteous shall not inherite the kingdome of God? Be not
deceiued: neither fornicatours, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor
abusers of themselues with mankinde, nor theeues, nor couetous, nor drunkards,
nor reuilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were
some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are iustified in the
Name of the Lord Iesus, and by the Spirit of our God.55

52
Romans 8:6,13. AV 1611
53
Matthew 5:30
54
John 10:10b AV 1611
55
1 Corinthians 6:9-11
But we all, with open face beholding as in a glasse the glory of the Lord, are
changed into the same image, from glorie to glorie, euen as by the spirit of the
Lord.56

But we are bound to giue thanks alway to God for you, brethren, beloued of the
Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to saluation, through
sanctification of the spirit, and beleefe of the trueth, whereunto he called you by
our Gospel, to the obteining of the glorie of the Lord Iesus Christ.57

Elect, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of

the Spirit vnto obedience, and sprinkling of the blood of Iesus Christ: Grace vnto
you and peace be multiplied.58

Sanctification creates a ‘new man’ within us in the very image of Christ, a new
‘nature’ that is drawn to life and immortality instead of death and corruption.
Unlike the instantaneous event of justification, the process of sanctification
continues through our entire life on earth, reaching completion only in heaven.

Beloued, now are we the sonnes of God, and it doeth not yet appeare, what wee
shall be: but wee know, that when he shall appeare, we shall bee like him: for we
shall see him as he is. And euery man that hath this hope in him, purifieth
himselfe, euen as he is pure.59

The transformation is not always instantaneous. In fact, it rarely is, but is a process
begun at conversion, and carried on throughout mortality by the Christian that is
aware of the purposes of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Hear Saint Paul:

Therefore, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed
away; behold, all things are become new.60

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but
only having become a new creature.61

The new creature is not an instantaneous creation, as attractive as that sounds, but
is as one newly born that has to learn through experience and obedience to grow up
56
2 Corinthians 3:18
57
2 Thessalonians 2:13
58
1 Peter 1:2 AV 1611
59
1 John 3:2-3 AV 1611
60
2 Corinthians 5:17
61
Galatians 6:15
to the full stature of a Christian. The New Living Translation of the Holy Bible
renders this:

It doesn't matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether
we have been transformed into a new creation.62

This is what Jesus meant when he told Nicodemus:

Verily, verily I say unto you, except a man be born again, he cannot see the
kingdom of heaven.63

Jesus saw the condition of Nicodemus' soul, and addressed him on a subject of
importance. He knew the man’s visit was to learn about the Messiah's kingdom,
and with reference to this he said,

Except a man be born again, he will not even recognise the kingdom when it is
before his eyes.

Jesus then addressed the next step after seeing and recognising, the Kingdom of
God: that of entering and becoming an integral part of it.

Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter
the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily,
verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot
enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that
which is born of the Spirit is spirit.64

Jesus sets out the initial steps to becoming a part of his kingdom on earth and the
preparation for his entering his heavenly kingdom of God. ‘Born of the water’ has
reference to baptism by immersion in water for the remission of sins, and ‘born of
the Spirit’ means being transformed into the ‘new creature’ that is, becomes ‘born
again’ as a Christian, that is to say, regenerated as a faithful disciple of Jesus
Christ.

The new birth offered by Jesus is being born again from above, and different in
character and quality to the new birth that Jews supposed every baptised proselyte
enjoyed, for they believed that a Gentile who was converted to Judaism was as a
62
Galatians 6:15 New Living Translation 2007
63
John 3:3
64
John 3:4-6
child new born. Jesus hints to Nicodemus, who was familiar with Jewish proselyte
baptism, that such a birth was of water from below, but that the birth for which
Christ asserts is ανωθεν, from above, and strictly by divine agency.

Without the divine rebirth a person can neither see nor enjoy the kingdom of God.
But in order that a proselyte to Christ’s kingdom can see its light, contemplate its
glories, and enjoy its good, there is an absolute necessity that the person is brought
out of darkness and sin, into the light and power of the grace of Christ, that he can
distinguish – ιδειν – the glories and excellencies of the kingdom of Christ here
upon the earth, and be prepared for the enjoyment of the kingdom of glory
hereafter.

The new birth in Christ Jesus comprehends not only what is termed justification or
pardon, but also sanctification or holiness. Sin must be pardoned, and the impurity
of the heart washed away, before any soul can enter the kingdom of God.65

As this new birth from above implies, it is the renewing of the whole soul in
righteousness and true holiness. It is not a matter that may be set aside by claiming
that once the chord of belief is struck in a convert’s heart the whole matter is
complete. Heaven is a place of holiness and nothing but what is also as holy as
heaven and heaven’s God can ever enter it.

Water baptism washes away sins through the price paid in coin of the precious
blood of the Lamb of God. However, that in and of itself does not imply, nor
could it, that the new creature remains sinless for the duration of his or her mortal
existence. That the notion of ‘once saved always saved’ is not a Christian teaching
is shown by the words of Jesus.

And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking
back, is fit for the kingdom of God.66

Frédéric Louis Godet, one of the most highly respected conservative New
Testament scholars of the Nineteenth Century comments:

The Savior's words were suggested by a request of one to go home for a farewell
before following him. In thousands of instances, it has been shown that the
convert who goes to confer with unbelieving relatives before the final step is likely

65
Clarke’s Commentary on the Bible
66
Luke 9:62
to part with Christ instead. Heathen, ready to be baptized, who go home for a
final farewell before the step, are likely to be persuaded not to take it.

Other Bible writers have taken up this theme and shown that the once saved
always saved position is unscriptural.

If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us.67

Why the rather, brothers, give diligence to make your calling and election sure:
for if you do these things, you shall never fall.68

Blessed is the man that endures temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive
the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to them that love him.69

So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and
faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure.70

For you have need of patience, that, after you have done the will of God, you might
receive the promise.71

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint
not.72

If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men
gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.73

Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity;
but toward you, goodness, if you continue in his goodness: otherwise you also
shall be cut off.74

And so we learn from the word of God that perseverance and repentance lead us
into life, but lack of perseverance is looked upon as sinfulness, and punishments
awaits those that continue in sin and do not repent and practice goodness.
67
2 Timothy 2:12
68
2 Peter 1:10
69
James 1:12
70
2 Thessalonians 1:4
71
Hebrews 10:36
72
Galatians 6:9
73
John 15:6
74
Romans 11:22
The decision made for Christ is once that must endure from the moment of
recognition of the person of Jesus Christ as the Messiah, the Son of God, the Only
Begotten of the father, the Firstborn of the Father, and the Lamb of God that not
only makes atonement for us, but who also intercedes for us at the Father’s throne,
and acts as our advocate with the Father.

Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by
him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.75

Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again,
who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.76

My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. Yet if any man
does sin, we have an advocate77 with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.78

Paul recommended faithful discipleship to Timothy.

If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good
minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine,
whereunto thou hast attained.79

The grasp of the plough cannot be relaxed or loosened. If it is, then he is not fit –
έὐ θετος, meaning well-placed or adjusted – for the kingdom. Those who begin to
follow Jesus Christ, must resolve to go on, or they will make nothing of it.
Looking back wistfully at what he is leaving, leads to drawing back, and drawing
back leads losing the kingdom, and only those that endure to the end are promised
salvation. Endurance in the hardships that accompany discipleship was outlined by
Jesus.

And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto
the end, the same shall be saved.80

75
Hebrews 7:25
76
Romans 8:34
77
The word, παρακλητος, is frequently used in the Greek writers to denote an advocate in court; that is, one whom
we call to our aid; or to stand by us, to defend our suit. Where it is applied to the Lord Jesus, the language is
expressive of the great truth that he will undertake our cause with God.
78
1 John 2:1
79
1 Timothy 4:6
80
Mark 13:13
Being a Christian is not simply a single occasion and completed manifestation, but
a continuing journey to an eternal destination during which the Christian becomes
daily more disciplined, daily more learned, and ever more obedient to the will of
God, conforming his or her life ever closer to the perfect pattern of our exemplar,
Jesus Christ, until our earthly race is won and we can repeat the words of Paul:

For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have
fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth
there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous
judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that
love his appearing.81

Paul’s words, with which he encourages his young protégé and all others ‘also that
love his appearing,’ are a charge to be vital, active, restless, and fully committed to
the religious life that are the primary charges to all Christians. Had Timothy opted
not to follow Paul’s inspired counsel, would he have remained ‘spotless and
blameless’? By no means, and neither shall we.

Paul wrote to the Philippian saints:

Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but

now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and
trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good
pleasure.82

This is not an invitation to ease, but a trumpet call to duty that rings in the ears of
all that are or will be Christ’s. When we are anxiously engaged in fulfilling the
requirements of a Christian according to the will of God, it is God working in us
that makes us work so earnestly and with ‘fear and trembling.’ Many words have
been written by able commentators as to the meaning of these words, and it is
noteworthy that no Bible version draws back from saying, ‘Work out your own
salvation with fear and trembling.’

Christians do not draw back from working out their salvation with fear and
trembling for several reasons.

81
2 Timothy 4:7-8
82
Philippians 2:12-13
First, because God commands us to do it. There is no command more frequently
repeated in the Scriptures than the commandment to receive a new heart,83 to strive
to enter in at the strait gate,84 to break off from sin,85 and to repent.86

Some say that the call to repentance refers only those not yet come unto Christ, but
Jesus Christ speaks these words to Christians that have backslid and are not
faithful. To these weak souls he says,

Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first
works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of
his place, except thou repent.87

Those that will not cease from sinning, will be removed from their place. This is
to Christians that have sinned after their conversion, even after having laboured
long and faithfully, but have lost their way and let go of the handle of the plough.
That this is so is unmistakably evident from the verses that precede the call to
repentance and the dire warning of their fate if they will not.

I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear
them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are
not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my
name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless, I have somewhat
against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.88

That Jesus Christ calls saints from their sinful ways after they have faithfully
followed him is indisputable. Were it not, then why would Christ say such a thing?

Christians repent always from their sins because it is not only a duty commanded
of God, but also because our own personal interest is at stake. Apart from God and
Jesus, no one else as much interest in our salvation as we do. It is our God given
duty to endeavour to save our souls when we are in danger of losing our salvation,
by taking our hands from the ploughshare, denying Christ, or by some other
transgression. Hence the commandment that we are to work out our salvation with

83
A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you. Ezekiel 36:26a
84
Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide [is] the gate, and broad [is] the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many
there be which go in thereat. Matthew 7:13
85
Awake to righteousness, and sin not. 1 Corinthians 15:34a
86
Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee
quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. Revelation 2:5
87
Revelation 2:5
88
Revelation 2:2-4
fear and trembling, and in the process to cease from sinning, for the mouth of God
has declared it.

From the mouth of Jesus Christ is has been spoken that as great as may be the
solicitude of our friends, and much as they can do, there is a point beyond which
their efforts are futile, and that point is well short of our salvation, unless we
personally are roused to seek our salvation in Jesus Christ and by obedience to his
commandments and those of his Father. Friends may pray, weep, and plead, but
they cannot save us.

Jesus offers us the way to both see and enter his Father’s Kingdom, and he insists
that we remain fit for the kingdom by keeping our hands to the ploughshare,
keeping our eyes ahead of us, and by actively shunning sin and removing what sin
remains in us that lies below the surface where it rots our souls unless we struggle
with it in a life or death struggle for self-mastery, that we might become the agents
of God that Christ encourages us and demands we become.

Only the lazy Minimalist expects Divine interposition without effort on our own
part. These mistaken souls are redolent of the story of the man that prayed to win
the lottery, but was constantly disappointed that he never did. One day during his
pleading, he hears the voice of God saying, “Help me out a little, here: BUY A
TICKET! We ought not to press that example too fare,. Nor should we overlook
that God has already done for us that which we cannot do for ourselves through the
Atonement wrought by his Only Begotten Son Jesus Christ by the shedding of his
blood as payment for our sins.

It is through that perfect atonement dispensed to us through the grace of God that
our salvation is made available. However, if we reach for it with sinful hands, it
recedes before our grasp. But God has made a way whereby the prize can be
grasped, and that is by our living holy lives in accordance with the will of God and
by rendering ourselves obedient to his will.

All who will be saved, have made or are making an effort - and why should we
expect that God would favour us more than he did them? What reason have we to
suppose that God will interfere and save us if we refuse to put forth effort to work
our own salvation in fear and trembling? What does this command imply and
what must we do to comply with it? How did Jesus advise the Rich Young man
that sought his kingdom?
And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit
eternal life? And Jesus said to him, Why call you me good? none is good, save
one, that is, God. You know the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not
kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour your father and your mother.
And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. Now when Jesus heard these
things, he said to him, Yet lack you one thing: sell all that you have, and distribute
to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. And
when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich. And when Jesus
saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches
enter into the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through a
needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. And they that
heard it said, Who then can be saved? And he said, The things which are
impossible with men are possible with God.89

Jesus required this man to act, but the young man refused to give up what he had to
gain the things he sought. Clearly, his wealth meant more to him than his eternal
life and inheritance in the kingdom of God did. Yet it could just as easily have
been his sins that kept him from the kingdom, for when we choose to continue in
our sins once we have put on Christ,90 then we choose our sins above our salvation.

We must know that it does not mean that we are to attempt to deserve salvation on
the ground of our personal merit. That is out of the question, for man can do
nothing that will secure for him eternal happiness in heaven. That portion is only
obtainable through the atonement and merits of Jesus Christ in his role as
Redeemer and Saviour, and by the Christians fulsome commitment to following
Christ and being obedient to every word of God.

[Jesus] answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by
every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.91

Jesus was quoting the Old Testament:

And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which
thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that
man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the
mouth of the LORD doth man live.92

89
Luke 18:18-27
90
Galatians 3:27
91
Matthew 4:4
92
Deuteronomy 8:3
Teaching the Truth of the way of salvation was the end for which Jesus said he was
‘born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the
truth.

The end of Christ's being born of a virgin in a miraculous manner, and his coming
into the world by his assuming human nature, was to bear testimony to the Truth of
the full Gospel, not only the word of Truth, but every branch of the eternal Truths
which he brought with him.

These Truths he preached consistently by word and by deed, and by them he

confirmed by his death the Truth that he was a King, the Son of God, and that
God’s spiritual, heavenly kingdom was available for believers that would accept
him and follow him obediently even unto death. Of the willingness and
requirements of disciples to walk the path that he had trod, he added:

Everyone that is of the truth heareth my voice.93

By ‘heareth,’ Jesus does not mean merely that those upon whose ears his sayings
fell were of the Truth, but that lovers of divine Truth both ‘heard and obeyed’ him.

And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company
lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the
paps which thou hast sucked. But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear
the word of God, and keep it.94

Hearing the voice of his Gospel is hearing the voice of the Saviour, and hearing it
internally, approvingly, rejoicingly, distinguishing it from the many voices and
distraction of the world, so as cheerfully to obey the words of God and Christ
moved by the power of the divine principle of love.

It means also that we are to make an honest effort to follow the example of the Son
of God and be saved according to what God has appointed. It requires us are to
break off from our sins by true repentance, showing thereby that we
wholeheartedly believe in the Saviour, and put our complete trust in him, and to
give all that we have and all that we are to God through Christ Jesus.

93
John 18:37d
94
Luke 11:27-28
It is evident that we are often told by God’s holy word to forsake our sins. Why
then do some say that we are not? It can only be that they are not familiar with the
word of God that they profess is their sole rule for life and salvation, but also that
they do not actively search the scriptures to discover what God has said by his own
voice, by the voice of his Son, or by the voices of his servants. To the unbelieving
Jews Jesus said:

Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they
which testify of me.95

To those that confess knowing Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour, Lord, and
King, and claim to have an ‘intimate relationship’ with him, he says,

Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they
which testify of me commanding you to forsake sin!

Sadly, we are fallen among minimalists that will not search the scriptures. If they
had loved the Lord, they would have obeyed Christ, and then they would have
searched and found not only that he called on them to forsake their sins, but also
that his servants, the apostles and prophets had done the same in terms that could
not be misunderstood.

Unbelievers familiar with their own scriptures at the time of Jesus, nevertheless
claimed to know what was in them.

They replied, "Are you from Galilee, too? Search the Scriptures and see for
yourself--no prophet ever comes from Galilee!"96

These thought they knew what was in their Bible, but they didn’t know its contents
any more than the eponymous ‘Concerned Christian’ knows his Bible when he
avers, disdainfully,

“Just show me any Bible verse or passage that talks about forsaking sins”

It was not with any sense of pleasure or anger that Ecclesiastes counselled the
unwise,

95
John 5:39
96
John 7:52
Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.97

It was with concern for the soul of those that rested from their searching the
scriptures before they had found in it those Truths that lead the student to wisdom.
Being wise as to the things of God is the sure way to salvation. Paul told the saints
at Rome:

Be not wise in your own conceits.98

The lord saith through the Prophet Isaiah:

Wo unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight.99

Without unkindness, it is necessary to point out to those that cannot find Almighty
God’s frequent calls for the abandonment and forsaking of sin that the call to
‘Repent!’ is the most common message in the whole of the Scriptures. It is the
most common because God adjudges it humanity’s most pressing need whether or
not they have found Jesus Christ, and as absolutely essential after they have.
These are but some the Clarion Calls made by Almighty God, his Only Begotten
Son, and their divinely inspired and commissioned servants for believers to forsake
their sins:

1. Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and
envies, and all evil speakings, as new-born babes, desire the sincere milk of
the word, that ye may grow thereby: if so be ye have tasted that the Lord is
gracious. To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of
men, but chosen of God, and precious.100

2. For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first
believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ.101

3. And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.
Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her
into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds. And I will kill her
children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which

97
Proverbs 6:6
98
Romans 12:6
99
Isaiah 5:21
100
1 Peter 2:1-4 [New Living Translation, 2007]
101
Hebrews 3:14
 searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you
according to your works.102

4. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and
repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and
thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.103

5. There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans,
whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering
said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the
Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye
repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower
in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men
that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all
likewise perish.104

On these accounts, Christ founded a call to repentance. The same Jesus that bids us
repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand, bids us repent, for otherwise we shall
perish.105

6. And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith
the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of
God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert
cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I
will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and
increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou
art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee
to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white
raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness
do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As
many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Be zealous therefore, and repent.106

7. And ye shall perish among the heathen, and the land of your enemies shall
eat you up. And they that are left of you shall pine away in their iniquity in your
enemies' lands; and also in the iniquities of their fathers shall they pine away with
them.
102
Revelation 2:21-23
103
Revelation 3:3
104
Luke 13:1-4
105
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Luke 13:1-4
106
Revelation 3:14-19
If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their
trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have walked
contrary unto me; and that I also have walked contrary unto them, and have
brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts be
humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity: then will I
remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my
covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land. The land
also shall be left of them, and shall enjoy her sabbaths, while she lieth desolate
without them: and they shall accept of the punishment of their iniquity: because,
even because they despised my judgements, and because their soul abhorred my
statutes. And yet for all that, when they be in the land of their enemies, I will not
cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my
covenant with them: for I am the LORD their God. But I will for their sakes
remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of
Egypt in the sight of the heathen, that I might be their God: I am the LORD.107

9. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do
108
evil.

“To do evil,” meaning, so as to lead you to do evil and in. In other words, do not
allow your mind to become so excited that you indulge in harsh or malignant
remarks so as to lead you to do wrong to any man, however wicked you judge him
to be. Make sure that you always right, whatever position others may hold, and do
not permit their conduct to lead to copy it in retaliation and, thereby, into their sin.
Look to your own character and conduct primarily, remembering to whom you
belong.

10. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, quarrelling, and slander be put away from
you, along with all hatred.109

11. But now you must also get rid of anger, wrath, malice, slander, obscene
speech, and all such sins.110

12. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be
put away from you, with all malice:111
107
Leviticus 26:38-45
108
Psalms 37:8
109
Ephesians 4:31 [ISV]
110
Colossians 3:8 [RSV]
111
Ephesians 5:4
13. Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his
neighbour.112

14. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage,
malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.113

15. Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and
slander of every kind.114

16. Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of [his]
brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the
law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.115

17. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it
says.116

18. Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold,
the judge standeth before the door.117

19. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains
in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.118

20. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the
lusts thereof. 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. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the
law, but under grace. What then? shall we sin, because we are not under
the law, but under grace? God forbid. 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? 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. Being then made free from sin, ye

112
Ephesians 4:25
113
Colossians 3:8
114
1 Peter 2:1
115
James 4:11
116
James 1:22
117
James 5:9
118
1 John 3:9
 became the servants of righteousness. 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.119

21. The Son of Man will commission His angels, and they will gather out of His
Kingdom all causes of sin and all who violate His laws.120

22. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "Behold, you are
made well. Sin no more, [ie,. Forsake sin] so that nothing worse happens to
you.121

23. She said, "No one, Lord." Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you. Go your
way. From now on, sin no more.122

24. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness;
but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that
all should come to repentance.123

Writing of Unrepentant Sin, the scourge of the sinning Christian, John Wesley,
addressing the Sermon on the Mount, wrote:

And whereas men naturally imagine, that God will excuse their defect in some
duties, for their exactness in others; our Lord next takes care to cut off that vain,
though common imagination. He shows, that it is impossible for any sinner to
commute with God; who will not accept one duty for another, nor take a part of
obedience for the whole. He warns us, that the performing our duty to God will
not excuse us from our duty to our neighbour; that works of piety, as they are
called, will be so far from commending us to God, if we are wanting in charity,
that, on the contrary, that want of charity will make all those works an
abomination to the Lord.

"Therefore, if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy
brother hath aught against thee," — on account of thy unkind behaviour toward
him, of thy calling him "Raca," or, "Thou fool;" think not that thy gift will atone
for thy anger; or that it will find any acceptance with God, so long as thy
119
Romans 6:12-19
120
Matthew 13:41
121
John 4:14
122
John 8:11
123
2 Peter 3:9
conscience is defiled with the guilt of unrepented sin. "Leave there thy gift before
the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother," (at least do all that in
thee lies toward being reconciled,) "and then come and offer thy gift."124

By the foregoing, we are unprofitable servants if we suppose that once a person

comes to Christ and is born again of water and of the Spirit, that they have no more
will or occasion to sin, for the Scriptures are replete with warnings and calls for
Christians to forsake their sins.

If it were so, then those persons would be perfect, not only in loving their brothers
and sisters, which is by all the evidence the most difficult of all God’s
commandments for Christians to obey completely, but they would be perfect in
every detail so that their sojourn on earth, having had its purpose miraculously
completed, would serve no further purpose and the saved and perfected soul could
escape this vale of tears and attend the doors of heaven where, according to the
Scriptures, it would be welcomed by these words:

Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I
will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.125

Conclusion

We conclude that the notion that there is not one single Bible verse or passage
that talks about forsaking sins is patently false, anti-scriptural, anti-Bible, is
confounded many times by Jesus and his holy Apostles, hence it is Anti-Christian,
and is a patently false doctrine. It is of these strange doctrines and Gospels that the
Apostle warned:

For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the
heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the
good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to
renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of
God afresh, and put him to an open shame. For the earth which drinketh in the
rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is
dressed, receiveth blessing from God: but that which beareth thorns and briers is
rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.126
124
Sermon 22: Upon our Lord's Sermon on the Mount
125
Matthew 25:23
126
Hebrews 6:4-8
This passage is not an affirmation that any had actually fallen away, or that in fact
they would do it, but the statement is, that ‘on the supposition that they had fallen
away,’ it would be impossible to renew them again. It is the same as supposing a
case which might never occur, or as if we were to say, had a man fallen down a
precipice it would be impossible to save him, or had the child fallen into the stream
he would certainly have been drowned.

But though this literally means, having fallen away, the sense in the connection in
which it stands is not improperly expressed by our common translation. The
Syriac has a version which is remarkable, not as a correct translation, but as
showing what was the prevailing belief in the time in which it was made, around
the first or second century, concerning the doctrine of the perseverance of the
saints.

For it is impossible that they who have been baptised, and who have tasted the gift
which is from heaven, and have received the spirit of holiness, and have tasted the
good word of God, and the power of the coming age, should again sin, so that they
should be renewed again to repentance, and again crucify the Son of God and put
him to ignominy.

The extent of apostasy inferred here is of a such remarkable degree that it is

unlikely that any would reach it since implies an entire renunciation of
Christianity, such as a reversion to of Judaism, paganism, or widespread sin.

The apostle does not say that any true Christian had ever fallen away, but makes a
statement of what would ensue if such a thing should happen. Perhaps he
addressed a tendency among come Christians that would have taken them from the
centre, that is from Jesus Christ as Son of God, and so appends this dire warning to
̓
dissuade them. The term ανασταυρουντας ͂ παλιν = ‘crucified again,’ is such that it
hints that time would run backwards to the point where the atonement of Christ
had not been made, to illustrate how dark and hopeless the world was for those that
might place themselves outside the protection of the shield of Christ.

Apostasy is a terrible thing, and false teachers are the vehicles by which the spirit
of apostasy spreads among Christians. Their conduct is shown to be as if they had
re-crucified him, bearing a strong resemblance to the barbaric act by which the
Lord Jesus Christ was publicly rejected and condemned to die. The wrongdoing of
these would be worse than the acts of those that crucified Christ at Golgotha, for
those people knew not what they did, whereas Christians know full well what they
do and upon whom they perpetrate their cruelty, and it was also a rejection of the
only plan of salvation after they had had experience of its power and efficacy.

It appears from the Scriptures was have in good measure consulted here, that
whatever sentiment may gain or lose by it, there exists the fearful possibility of our
falling away from the grace of God; and if this scripture did not expressly say so,
there are many that do say so. Moreover, were there no scriptural opinion
confirming this possibility, the nature of humanity, which is a state of probation or
trial, of necessity implies it, and the Bible warns us of it.

Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in
departing from the living God.127

Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.128

Ὁ δοκων εσταναι,·
̔ ‘Let him who most confidently standeth’ - him who has the
fullest conviction in his own conscience that his heart is right with God, and that
his mind is right in the truth, take heed lest he fall from his faith, and from the
state of holiness in which the grace of God has placed him.129

The sure way to remain on the straight and narrow path that leads to eternal life is
by forsaking sin as fast as it rears its head. This is the way of the righteous, this is
the way of the Christian, and this is the way of the Way Jesus Christ. There is no
other Way.
© 2011 – Ronnie Bray
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
MESA ARIZONA USA

127
Hebrews 3:12
128
1 Corinthians 10:12
129
Clarke’s Commentary On The Bible