Paul now tells them the correct attitude they should have, rather than one of pride or arrogance. Note also that it faces up to the facts. The Jews were rejected because of their unbelief, and the Gentiles were accepted because of their faith. But now, as people who have faith we must not be arrogant, but should tremble with fear. The correct attitude is not “we are better than the Jews”, but “we need to ensure that we remain true to God, that we walk in faith and humility, for if we reject God He will reject us also”.
As an aside this has lessons for the “once saved always saved” debate. We approach the question from the wrong angle. We should and can live with complete assurance of our salvation. We need to learn to live life with ever increasing confidence in Jesus and the salvation He has won for us. However, if we ourselves find ourselves starting to fall “once saved always saved” is of absolutely no use to us whatsoever. We need to repent, and to do so quickly. If a friend or relative who once made a profession of faith is starting to fall away, or has already drifted miles away, falling back on a “once saved always saved” view as a source of some sort of false comfort is absolutely the wrong way to go about things, absolutely the wrong way to approach the situation. We need to work and pray for that person to come back to God, to repent and believe, for that is what they need to do. The Bible knows nothing of faith without fruit.
No comments:
Post a Comment