Going on Is for Those Who Have Begun
The Christian life requires persistence and faith, as giving up can lead to spiritual ruin.
A.W. Tozer emphasizes the necessity of persistence in the Christian journey, urging believers to hold firmly to their initial confidence in Christ despite challenges. He warns against the liberal perspective that encourages unrenewed sinners to continue in the faith without true spiritual life, which can lead to spiritual peril. Tozer stresses that genuine growth and development in faith can only occur when a true saving act of God has taken place in a person's heart, highlighting the importance of a real transformation for a fruitful Christian life.
Text
In the Hebrew epistle a great deal is said about the need for persistence in the Christian life. The converts were losing heart and the man of God sought to encourage them to "hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first" (3:14). "So do not throw away your confidence," he exhorts them, "it will be richly rewarded" (10:35).
This concept of the Christian life as a journey to be taken, a growth to be attained, is being lost to us through two widely separated modern errors.
The first is that of the liberal, who cheerfully advises the unrenewed sinner to continue in the Christian life, overlooking the important fact that he has no life in which to continue. Where there has been no impartation of life to the soul of the man, growth and development are impossible. To assume that a saving act of God has been done in a man's heart when in reality no such act has been done is to set the soul of the man in mortal jeopardy and all but guarantee his final ruin.
Sermon Outline
- The Importance of Persistence in the Christian Life
- The Two Modern Errors
- The Dangers of Liberalism
- Setting the Soul in Mortal Jeopardy
- Guaranteeing Final Ruin
Key Quotes
“So do not throw away your confidence, it will be richly rewarded.” — A.W. Tozer
“Hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- We must hold firmly to our faith and not give up, even in the face of challenges.
- True growth in the Christian life requires a saving act of God, which cannot be assumed.
- Liberalism can lead to spiritual ruin if we assume a saving act of God when none has occurred.