Equipping University

People come up with interesting methodsto help them complete the tasks before them. Some count on monetary reward. Others rely on praise and recognition. Still others rely on an inward fear of failure or a deep-seated commitment never to give up. These various forms of motivation serve us well in areas such as athletics, academics, or vocation. What about our spiritual walk with Christ? Biblical authors often compare our spiritual life as a race to be completed or fight to be finished. How are we to finish the race set before us? Can we rely on parlor tricks or extrinsic means of motivation? Are we to do anything at all to ensure that we finish the race? Or is God going to do it for us and all we must do is trust and believe? In this chapter, we will examine the biblical witness to "defend the thesis that God promises to sustain until the end those who are genuinely part of the people of God." Those biblical witnesses are Peter, Jude, John, Paul and the author of Hebrews.

In the eighty years since the publication of Elmer Gantry, it has become almost impossible to satirize the American evangelicalism any more. Names like Jim Bakker, Jimmy Swaggart, and Ted Haggard quickly come to mind as allegedly committed followers of Christ who have committed great scandal. Christians often wonder how to make sense of such acts committed by individuals claiming to be followers of Christ. They ask, "How can Christians do such things?" and "How can they continue to do them for so long?" Eventually, they will ask, "Are these individuals saved or not? Were they ever saved to start with? Will they go to heaven when they die?" All of these questions are legitimate and the Bible provides answers for us. The Bible never shies away from difficult issues. Regarding this particularly difficult issue, the Bible uses four kinds of passages to present the biblical perspective on those who fail to persevere in the faith they profess. We will examine these four types of passages.

Most of the disagreement on the interpretation of the five warning passages in the book of Hebrews comes from studying them out of context and in isolation from the others. We must remember that the book of Hebrews is a sermon to a particular group of people to address a single issue. Therefore, the author is not giving multiple warnings about multiple dangers but a single warning about a single danger. So, the best way to come to an understanding of these five passages is to read them together. As you do this, you will notice that the author builds on each section, intensifying the warnings. With each warning, the call becomes more urgent. Because of this urgency, there are only a few students of the Bible who have not been troubled by this book. This is natural because these passages warn of the danger of apostasy ��� a falling away from or desertion of an original profession of faith in Christ. What is the real purpose behind these warnings?