The Ways of Our God: An Approach to Biblical Theology by Charles H. H. Scobie

Author:Charles H. H. Scobie [Scobie, Charles H. H.]
Language: eng
Format: azw
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
Published: 2002-12-10T16:00:00+00:00

d. Take Heed

Election gives no grounds for complacency Repeated ethical admonitions and warnings throughout the NT make it clear that membership in God’s people, the church, is no automatic guarantee of salvation. It is possible to fall from grace, and believers are not exempt from God’s judgment any more than were the Israelites of OT times who rebelled against God and persistently broke his laws.

Thus in 1 Cor 10:1-13 Paul does not hesitate to cite the precedent of the various judgments that fell on Israel in the wilderness (see above, 11-1.2c), and warns, “So if you think that you are standing, watch out that you do not fall” (v. 12). The principle is also illustrated by a specific case of immorality in 5:1-5. The unrepentant sinner is to be excommunicated, though there appears to be hope that such strict discipline may lead to the person being saved at the last day (see commentaries). The letters to the seven churches in Rev 2–3 afford another striking example. Membership in the Christian community is of no avail to those who deliberately rebel and disobey God: “Repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place” (2:5; cf. 2:16; 2:22-23; etc.).

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.