July 5 - Do Not Drift Away

 Read today’s texts first: Hosea 2-5; Hebrews 2

MAXIMize YOUR DAY

If we can never walk away from our faith,
why would God warn us not to? 

Yesterday we talked about the power of free will, to accept or reject the one true God. While I recognize there are some who believe we are predetermined by God to be saved or not, too much of Scripture contradicts that notion. The weight of Scripture also undermines the idea that once you are saved you are always saved. The first six chapters of Hebrews are filled with warnings about deserting one’s faith, using the example of Israel’s unfaithfulness as evidence of that possibility (2:1; 3:7-11; 6:4-6).

Hosea puts such apostasy into perspective. The history of Israel, and the history of the church for that matter, is filled with examples of people departing from their faith. To say those who do will always return or if they don’t were never saved is the rationalization of a faulty doctrine. The Bible makes it clear, with obvious teaching and numerous illustrations, those who are genuinely God’s people can and do abandon their faith. It’s sad, but quite true, hence the continuous warnings in Scripture. The good news is, this possibility also allows for repentance and restoration. Predetermination or fatalism is a doctrine of a false religion, not the relational, redemptive work of Jesus.

What I find fascinating in the book of Hosea is the emphasis on relationship. Here is a prophet encouraged by God to marry a promiscuous woman as an illustration of Israel’s adulterous heart. Israel is not just exchanging one religion for another, like shopping for a new set of clothes. They are walking away from their lover, their husband. This is adultery, divorce, and it is deeply personal.

“Lord, I am so amazed by You, not just by Your greatness, but more by Your tenderness toward me. You know me intimately, better than I know myself, and after what You did for me, though I have the right to choose, I would never leave You!”