During family worship this morning, my wife and I discussed an attitude all too prevalent in the church. A dangerous attitude. In fact, I’m struggling to think of a MORE dangerous attitude.
Studying the shorter catechism, our family was working through this question and answer about the Lord’s Prayer:
Q.103 - For what do we pray in the third request?
A. In the third request (your will be done on earth as it is in heaven) we pray that by His grace God would make us have the capability and the will to know, obey, and submit to His will in everything, as the angels do in heaven.
My wife brought up the subject and described the attitude. This attitude says:
“Yes, that is God’s Word. Yes, I acknowledge that His Word is true. I simply choose not to obey it.”
When she brought this up, I trembled. I immediately began searching my own heart for such rebellion, as she did. Then I thought about the many times I’ve seen this. I said to her, “I cannot think of a more dangerous attitude than this.”
Why?
- Because it is normally expressed by a professing believer. (An atheist etc. would not acknowledge God’s Word.)
- Because to have such an attitude as a follower of Christ reflects an almost total lack of the fear of the LORD.
- Because this is the exact same attitude that brought the wrath of God upon Israel over and over again, and upon Jerusalem prophesied by Christ in the New Testament. (Fulfilled in 70AD)
- Because if a professing believer can acknowledge the Truth, but refuse it, where does he/she go from there?
For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, "Vengeance is mine; I will repay." And again, "The Lord will judge his people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Heb 10:26-31)
Oh friends, the LORD declares in so many places, this heart:
2 Chr 30:8 Do not now be stiff-necked as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the LORD and come to his sanctuary, which he has consecrated forever, and serve the LORD your God, that his fierce anger may turn away from you.
Acts 7:51 "You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you.
Essentially, this attitude blatantly resists the Holy Spirit. It grieves Him (Eph 4:30). It makes a mockery of His convicting work (John 16:8) and places the professing believer in the untenable place of boldly acting like an enemy of God.
May I encourage you: Love God through your Obedience (John 14:15). Realize that such an attitude is not only blasphemous, but DANGEROUS. Dangerous for you. Dangerous for your family. Dangerous for your children. Dangerous for your church.
Forgive me LORD, for surely I’ve had this same attitude many times before.
We beg your mercy and deliverance from such.
Amen.
