Better to have not known

The Scripture that scares me the most is found in 2^nd Peter 2: 20, 21

        “For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved. For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them.  What the true Proverbs says has happened to them: ‘The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to the mire.’”

        Peter is describing a person who has received the wonders of the Word and experienced the initial powers of freedom and joy but have not surrendered their entire lives to Christ…their whole heart, their bodies, their soul…Matthew 13 describes a similar person when talking about the seed that was sown on stony ground or the seed that was sown along the wayside.  There is an initial joy after receiving the Word, but once difficulty comes, they easily fall away; there is no root.  The true believers are in Christ for life; they are deeply rooted, His blood has given them new life; just as a blood transfusion can give life to a dying patient, Christ has shed His for us. Those who have been given new life in contrast to those who have received temporary freedom, can be distinguished usually by three characteristics: a insatiable love for God’s Word, a heightened awareness (enlightened conscience) of sin in their lives and in those around them, and a desire to fellowship with God’s people; There is not a set list of characteristics for true believers…but I have found that these three generally accompany them.  In my personal experience, I found that my love for the Word and my battle with fleshly desires along with my awakened conscience were the real evidences…I now had the freedom not to sin…I was no longer a slave to sin as Paul teaches us in Romans.

        I have seen the power of the Word temporarily set many free as they become incredibly joyful for the moment, but afterwards, when trial and temptations come, they easily fall back into the patterns of their old life.  In 2^nd Peter, prior to the passage above, he uses Lot as an illustration, not as one who wasn’t a believer, but a believer who was shackled by the lust and passions of this world.  Lot was the nephew of Abraham who chose the land of Sodom for his inheritance.  While living in the land of Sodom, God had to rescue Lot from the impending destruction of that city..even though he didn’t want to leave..Peter writes that Lot was “greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked, for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul..by the things he saw and heard….the Lord knows how to deliver the godly from trials and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority.  Bold and willful, they do not tremble…”  Our great God can deliver us, but when we choose to live as close to the city of Sodom as we can, we are going to experience the tormenting of our righteous soul.  Notice the difference between who Peter describes as the one who goes back to his old life and is not a believer and the one who is a believer who is imprisoned by the lusts of the old life: the temporary believer goes back to his old life without conscience or regret…they are willful, bold, and do not fear God.  The believer, while living in Sodom, is under the constant and relentless conviction of God…his righteous soul is being tormented..and the only way to safety is to flee, to sever all ties and relationships with those who, according to Peter, “count in pleasure to revel in the daytime…they revel in their deceptions, while they feast with you. They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed.”

        From such we must turn away…once and for all…then we can enjoy what Peter writes about at the end of his letter:  “But according to His promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which dwells righteousness.  Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace…You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose you own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”