Burn Your White Flags (Hebrews)预览

Have you ever seen the movie The Truman Show starring Jim Carrey? 

It’s one of the best movies I’ve ever seen because of the pathos displayed particularly towards the end when Truman realised his whole life has been a reality TV show without his knowledge. In essence, he’s been hoodwinked and there is almost no worse feeling than being taken advantage of like that. 

In one sense our culture has been duped into believing that because we can cure polio and send a rover to Mars (two amazingly wonderful things!) that therefore all mystery in the universe has been eradicated. But at the centre of the universe stands a God who is experienced as Paradox.

And in our text we find another paradox. 

We know that those whom He has foreknown He also predestined and those whom He has predestined He also called and those whom He called He also justified  and those whom He justified He will glorify (Romans 8:29-30). What a promise!! 

And yet we find in our text a stark warning about not falling away! What is happening?

You see, God is not only sovereign over the end of your salvation (glorification) but the means by which He will see us persevere until the end. This means that 'warning passages' such as this serve as one of the means by which God keeps us firmly in His grip. 

Jesus reminds us that “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand” (John 10:28-29). 

So today, hear His voice calling for you (John 10:27) to put sin away. 

“Do not be sluggish, but be imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises” (Hebrews 6:12).