| Clay
Church of Christ
- Clay, Alabama Returning to the Vomit One of my memories of childhood took place while we were living in Loveland, Ohio, during the late 60's. We took a trip to the Cincinnati zoo. What I remember about that trip are the apes. One of them was vomiting its lunch and then eating it again. It sickens my stomach to even think about it, as I’m sure you feel the same way reading it. What we need to keep in our minds is that’s how the Lord feels whenever we who are Christians commit sin. Notice how Peter talked about it in 2 Peter 2: “20
For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through
the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again
entangled therein and overcome, the last state is become worse with
them than the first. 21 For it were better for them not to have known
the way of righteousness, than, after knowing it, to turn back from the
holy commandment delivered unto them. 22 It has happened unto them
according to the true proverb, The dog turning to his own vomit again,
and the sow that had washed to wallowing in the mire.” After having escaped Satan’s grasp through obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ, some return to their old ways of sin. The drunkard returns to his drinking or the fornicator to his whoredoms or the thief to his stealing or the gossiper to his gossiping. To the Lord such is like the sickening scene of a dog returning to his own vomit again. All to often we look at our sinful actions only from our point of view, focusing on the pleasure of sin. We would do well to stop and think carefully of how the Lord must feel to see us go back to our old sinful ways. He was willing to give us His only begotten Son and to allow Him to die such a cruel death on the cross. In return many reject the invitation to obey the gospel. Surely it is painful to our Heavenly Father to see people completely reject the sacrifice His Son made of Himself for us. But surely it is even more painful for Him to see many obey the gospel, obtaining the salvation His Son died to provide, only to return to sin again. Notice the words of the Hebrew writer in describing the Christian who returns to sin again: “4
For as touching those who were once enlightened and tasted of the
heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and tasted
the good word of God, and the powers of the age to come, 6 and [then]
fell away, it is impossible to renew them again unto repentance; seeing
they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an
open shame.” (Heb.6) “26
For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the
truth, there remaineth no more a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain
fearful expectation of judgment, and a fierceness of fire which shall
devour the adversaries. 28 A man that hath set at nought Moses law
dieth without compassion on [the word of] two or three witnesses: 29 of
how much sorer punishment, think ye, shall he be judged worthy, who
hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of
the covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing, and hath done
despite unto the Spirit of grace?” (Heb.10) The one who obeys the gospel of Christ only to return to sin again ➀ crucifies the Son of God afresh; ➁ puts Christ to an open shame; ➂ trods underfoot the Son of God; ➃ counts the precious blood of Christ an unholy thing; and ➄ insults the Spirit of grace. If our only son were to die saving the family next door from a terrible file, wouldn’t we be hurt if they skipped the funeral to satisfy selfish desires? Wouldn’t it hurt us terribly for them to go around telling lies about our son? Likewise, our Father in Heaven is hurt for us to treat His Son in similar fashion. As a Christian do you really do all you can to keep yourself from sin? |