| When Christians Stumble |
When Christians Stumble
For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was
accounted to him for righteousness."
— Romans 4:3
Contrary to what some might believe, the Bible doesn't teach that if you
are a Christian, you will never stumble. It doesn't teach that if you are a
true believer, you will not periodically make a mistake or fall short. But it
does teach that if you are a true believer and have had a lapse or a
stumble, you will always get up and move forward. That is the way to
truly determine whether someone is a real believer.
Although Abraham was a friend of God, which Scripture specifically
mentions three times, it is also clear that he had his lapses of faith. Yet
the Bible says that "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to
him for righteousness" (Romans 4:3). Does this mean that Abraham
was declared righteous because of the good things he did? Did God
justify Abraham because he lived such a holy, pure, and flawless life?
Hardly. Any honest look at the life of Abraham would clearly show that
he was a flawed man.
Having said that, it is also important to point out that although Abraham
deviated occasionally from the straight and narrow, he always came
back.
If someone says he or she is a Christian but falls away and never
returns to the faith, then he or she was not a believer. As 1 John 2:19
says, "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had
been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that
they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us."
True believers will be miserable in their sin and will eventually beat a
quick path back to the cross of Calvary.
For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was
accounted to him for righteousness."
— Romans 4:3
Contrary to what some might believe, the Bible doesn't teach that if you
are a Christian, you will never stumble. It doesn't teach that if you are a
true believer, you will not periodically make a mistake or fall short. But it
does teach that if you are a true believer and have had a lapse or a
stumble, you will always get up and move forward. That is the way to
truly determine whether someone is a real believer.
Although Abraham was a friend of God, which Scripture specifically
mentions three times, it is also clear that he had his lapses of faith. Yet
the Bible says that "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to
him for righteousness" (Romans 4:3). Does this mean that Abraham
was declared righteous because of the good things he did? Did God
justify Abraham because he lived such a holy, pure, and flawless life?
Hardly. Any honest look at the life of Abraham would clearly show that
he was a flawed man.
Having said that, it is also important to point out that although Abraham
deviated occasionally from the straight and narrow, he always came
back.
If someone says he or she is a Christian but falls away and never
returns to the faith, then he or she was not a believer. As 1 John 2:19
says, "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had
been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that
they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us."
True believers will be miserable in their sin and will eventually beat a
quick path back to the cross of Calvary.
| C4W Devotions are used by permission from Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie P.O. Box 4000 Riverside , CA 92514 |