God's Call

By Jamey Hinds

Now I desire to remind you, though you know all things once for all, that the Lord, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, subsequently destroyed those who did not believe.
—Jude 5—

The Scriptures do not teach that once a person is saved by God from their sins that they can willfully continue sinning:

The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother (1 John 3:2–10).

This isn’t the only passage we could use to prove this point, but this passage clearly emphasizes the point we’re focusing on. Once saved does not mean we’re forever saved if we continue living in sin: “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. 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. . . . It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:24–27, 31).

We’ve been designed by God to worship. He’s seeking true worshipers, who “will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him” (John 4:23). And it is God Himself who chooses how He is worshiped—it’s God’s call, not our own.

We cannot offer just anything we want to Him in any form or fashion we want and it still be acceptable to Him simply because we are offering something that we’re calling worship. Again, it’s God’s call, not our own:

For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them; for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord (Ephesians 5:5–10).

Think about this: If we’re not giving on the first day of the week as God commanded, then are we not manifesting a spirit of covetousness? How else can we defend ourselves in not giving on the first day of the week as God commanded? (cf. 1 Corinthians 16:1–2; 2 Thessalonians 2:15)

How can we fulfill God’s command to “address one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart” (Ephesians 5:19). How do we “address one another” if we’re not with one another? Whether the motivation of our staying away from the assembling (Hebrews 10:24–26) is from fear or not, we’re still not assembling. “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:28–29). Our we showing gratitude to God by refusing to obey His commands to meet together? How can we “offer to God acceptable worship” by not doing things His way?

Some are scared to death of getting physically (and temporarily) sick. Spiritual death is far scarier. “For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil” (1 Peter 3:17).