By GTY.org
Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces. (Matthew 7:6)
In biblical times dogs were seldom kept as household pets in the way they are today. Except for those used as working animals to herd sheep, they were largely half-wild mongrels that acted as scavengers. They were dirty, greedy, snarling, and often vicious and diseased. They were dangerous and despised.
The idea that “once we are saved we will always be saved” has given many the assumption they can live however they please and still go to Heaven. Truth is, no matter how hard we try none of us will ever be perfect, however this DOES NOT mean we should live in continual willful sin.
Today’s lesson from gty.org gives a clear biblical explanation of this highly debated belief.
Listen to a discussion about eternal security and you’ll eventually hear this question: “Are you saying that since we’re secure as Christians, we can do whatever we want to?” It’s the “once saved, always saved” idea that says, once you are saved, you’re saved no matter how you may behave.
But the question really misunderstands the biblical teaching about our sin and God’s grace in our lives.
. . . And what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead.
The resurrection of Christ, and our salvation, was brought about by nothing less than divine power. What will we say of those who think that conversion is accomplished by the free will of man and is due to his own kindly disposition? When we begin to see the dead rise from the grave by their own power, then may we expect to see ungodly sinners turning to Christ by their own endeavors. It is not the word preached, nor the word read in itself; all quickening power proceeds from the Holy Spirit.
Many people watch the Olympics but very few ever participate. To compete on the world stage at that level requires huge sacrifices—a micromanaged diet, rigorous exercise, and avoiding activities that bring any risk of injury.
I’ve wondered what my chances would be if I gave up the burgers and soda, submitted to the tutelage of personal trainers and fitness gurus, and spent my life quarantined from health hazards. Truth is, even if I made all those sacrifices, Olympic athletes would still leave me in the dust. I might be able to replicate their daily regimen, but I can’t possibly replicate their raw athletic ability.
Throughout this series we’ve looked at the secret to true contentment as described in Philippians 4:10–14. And all the elements we’ve examined so far involve choices that we can make: choosing to trust God’s providence when we see no provision, to be satisfied when we don’t have much, to be unswayed by circumstances that seem intimidating, and to be preoccupied by the needs of others.
They are troubled like the sea that cannot be quiet.
We are unaware of what sorrow may be upon the sea at this moment. We are safe in our quiet room, but far away out to sea the hurricane may be cruelly seeking the lives of men. Imagine the bitter winds howling through the rigging, the timbers heaving as the waves beat like battering rams upon the boat! God help you, poor drenched and wearied ones! I am praying to the great Lord of sea and land, that He will make the storm calm and bring you to your desired haven! I ought not simply to pray; I should try to help those brave men who risk their lives so constantly. Have I ever done anything for them? What can I do? How often does the boisterous sea swallow up the sailor!
Sovereign grace can make strangers into sons, and the Lord here declares His purpose to deal thus with rebels and make them know what He has done. Beloved reader, the Lord has done this in my case; has He done the like for you? Then let us join hands and hearts in praising His adorable name.
Some of us were so decidedly ungodly that the Lord’s Word most truly said to our conscience and heart, “Ye are not my people.” In the house of God and in our own homes, when we read the Bible, this was the voice of God’s Spirit in our soul, “Ye are not my people.” Truly a sad, condemning voice it was. But now, in the same places, from the same ministry and Scripture, we hear a voice, which saith, “Ye are the sons of the living God.” Can we be grateful enough for this? Is it not wonderful? Does it not give us hope for others? Who is beyond the reach of almighty grace? How can we despair of any, since the Lord has wrought so marvelous a change in us?
He who has kept this one great promise will keep every other; wherefore, let us go forward with songs of adoration and confidence.
Charles H. Spurgeon
Contentment is always elusive when it’s based upon the pursuit of personal happiness. While the world encourages us to prioritize our own felt needs, realize our dreams, and strive for personal success and satisfaction, there is no lasting contentment in such selfish pursuits.
As John MacArthur explains, that kind of widespread navel-gazing takes a heavy toll on society.
Selfishness is a consuming and destructive sin. The first and inevitable casualty is the person who manifests it, even if no one else is harmed. Because this sin, like every other, begins in a sinful heart, anyone can commit it—regardless of whether there is an opportunity for it to be outwardly expressed. Even when not outwardly manifested, selfishness breeds anger, resentment, and jealousy. . . .
It is an immeasurable tragedy that modern culture (including much of the church) has, largely through the influence of secular psychology, rejected the divinely commanded principles of humility and selflessness. When the supreme virtue is self-love and the supreme purpose in life is self-fulfillment, mutual respect is replaced by disrespect, mutual service by apathy and indifference, and mutual love by enmity and hatred. [1]
While the spiritual significance of God’s Word is lost on the depraved mind, the world is not entirely ignorant of His truth. Some biblical concepts translate to the sinful mind, even if it can’t grasp their full meaning.
The parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37) is one of those concepts that the world embraces in its ignorance. Virtually everyone appreciates the idea of selfless sacrifice for others in need—especially for strangers. In fact the term Good Samaritan has become shorthand to describe those who go out of their way to help others—even with something as simple as changing a tire.
But we need remember that Christ taught in parables to conceal truth from religious hypocrites and unbelievers, and that true meaning is not immediately or obviously perceptible, particularly to the unilluminated mind.
In the weeks prior to October 29, 1929 Wall Street stock brokers were a contented bunch. The stock market had been on a bullish run that looked like it would never end. In fact, its value had increased ten-fold over the previous nine years. No one could have imagined that it was all about to implode in a stock market crash that dwarfs the 2007 Global Financial Crisis. That disastrous day—Black Tuesday, October 29—brought an abrupt end to the prosperity of the Roaring Twenties and triggered the Great Depression.
Those who were at ground zero were completely unprepared for the sudden change in financial circumstances. History records that many stockbrokers jumped to their deaths from their skyscraper offices. For them, death was a preferable option to the discontentment of poverty.
And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. Galatians 3:8
The third proof of there being only one covenant is that the Bible teaches very clearly that there is only one gospel; the gospel is the same in the Old Testament as it is the New Testament. Again I am surprised when a preacher does not see it in the Old Testament, for if a man does not see it there, I doubt if he understands the gospel in the New Testament. Take the gospel that was preached by God in the Garden of Eden and also the promise made to Abraham; that is the essence of the gospel. Look at all the types and shadows; look at the various offerings described in Leviticus and elsewhere. Look even at the very furniture of the Tabernacle. All these things preach the gospel; they are types of the gospel and its message.
1 Thess. 5:21 