Lest Anyone Misses the Grace of God
It is said that John Bunyan¡¦s ¡¥Pilgrim¡¦s Progress¡¦ was at
one time the best-selling Christian book because he accurately described all
the difficulties experienced by a Christian when traveling the road to Heaven
as a wayfarer on earth. Abram was called to leave Ur of the Chaldeans to go to
Canaan. The Israelites were saved and left Egypt where they were enslaved to
enter into Canaan, the land of milk and honey. Naomi and Ruth returned from
Moab to Bethlehem in Canaan. The experiences of these people all bring forth
the same spiritual lesson ¡V they were called by God to take up the lives of
pilgrims in order to go to the land promised by the Lord. It is the same for
Christians in the world. We are the Church that has been called from the world
by God to travel the road to Heaven.
The author of the book of Hebrews delivers five warnings to
the Church traveling the road to Heaven: (1)
If we ignore God¡¦s words while living on this earth, it will
be easy for us to drift away from Him by the currents of tradition (2:1-4). (2)
If we no longer believe in the word of God and harden our hearts against the
Holy Spirit, we will not enjoy peace (3:7 ¡V 4:11). (3) If our spiritual lives do
not grow and we lack knowledge of the Bible, we will not know how to
distinguish the Truth, and can be influenced by heathen and heretic religious teachings
(5:11 ¡V 6:8). (4) If we despise the admonition of the Holy Spirit, we will fall
into the prosecution and judgment of God (10:26-31). (5) If we continue to deny
our faith, the bitter root will grow and we will finally miss the grace of God
(12:14-29).
Many Biblical personages received God¡¦s blessing initially,
but later lost His grace because they failed to obey Him and hardened their
hearts against Him in rebellion. Cain was the firstborn of the human race and
of Adam. He also voluntarily offered sacrifices to God. Great honour should
have been his. But he was a stubborn, jealous, quick-tempered and unappeasable
man. Because God favoured the sacrifice of his brother Abel and did not accept
his offering, he became angry and bitter inside, even laying blame on his
brother. Although God had forewarned him, he still killed his brother in a
jealous rage. Cain missed the grace of God because he unleashed the jealousy
and wrath of the flesh.
Reuben was the firstborn of Jacob - Israel¡¦s might and first
sign of his strength. God granted Reuben as a son when the Lord saw the misery
of his mother Leah. He was a man who cherished his mother, willingly gave way
to others, had compassion on Joseph and embraced brotherly love. Among the
twelve sons of Israel, he should have excelled in honour and in power. Yet he
went up onto his father¡¦s bed and had intercourse with his father¡¦s concubine.
In the end, he destroyed all the blessings due him as the firstborn. Reuben
missed the grace of God because he indulged the debauchery and lusts of the
flesh, ignoring kinship and dishonouring his father and God.
Esau, the grandson of Abraham - the Father of Faith - and
the firstborn of Isaac, had his father¡¦s love. He should have received double
the blessing. He grew up in wealth and had no concern for the necessities of
life, but did not perceive that the grace he enjoyed was a gift of God. Devoted
to earthly pleasures and in pursuit of the thrills and stimulations of the
flesh, he looked down on the experiences of his grandfather (Esau was around 16
years old when Abraham died). He did not place much importance on his
relationship with God or spiritual blessings, but sold his firstborn¡¦s
birthright for a temporary gratification of the flesh. In marital
relationships, he followed his own will and despised the guidance of his
parents. Esau lost his blessing and the grace of God not because of his brother
Jacob¡¦s deceit, but because he gave free rein to his passions and abandoned
grace.
Cain, Reuben and Esau all grew up in grace, but missed the
blessings of God because of attachment to the flesh. How can we ignore these
warnings?
By: Daniel To