The Danger of Taking the Call to Holiness Lightly

Paul tells us that, in light of the greatness of God’s plan, we must live up to it. We are going to see why Paul says we should present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, and what that means for the Christian life.

But do you remember that last time I spoke about this idea—that Paul said in another passage of Scripture, how can we receive mercy from God if we neglect a plan of salvation as great as the one God has devised?

I want to reinforce that idea by turning to the Epistle to the Hebrews, which many commentators think was written by the apostle Paul, although we are not sure who actually wrote this epistle. Here in Hebrews chapter 2, the writer says, in verse 1: “Therefore we must pay closer attention to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.”

The writer is suggesting that, hey, in light of what he has said—in this case, chapter 1 speaks of the greatness of the Son and His exalted nature—we must act with great diligence and care. Notice that the call to a holy life, the call to conduct that pleases God, is not a casual, optional way of life offered to us by the Word. It is something tremendously serious and, to a certain extent, solemn. It is a very emphatic call.

Holiness is not an option for God’s children; consecration is not an option, because we serve a holy God. We serve a God who has taken great care to prepare a precious salvation. So it is important that, as the writer says, “with great diligence we pay attention to the things we have heard.” Do you know that we must pay close attention to the things we read in the Bible, the teachings from Scripture that our teachers and pastors give us, the sermons we hear, the Christian books we read, and the songs of praise we sing? We must pay very close attention.

Many people make the mistake of taking the things of the Spirit lightly, especially the call to holiness. I believe the Bible calls us to do just the opposite: to take them very seriously and to resolve that we will pay attention, take seriously, and be very careful with the things we hear and study concerning the Word of the Lord.

If we do not pay that kind of attention, if we are not, so to speak, possessed by a sense of purpose and deep commitment, we will not reach the goal of a holy life, a life pleasing to God, because it is a struggle against the current. It is a struggle against the flesh, against the mind, against circumstances, against people, against the world, against the devil. It is definitely a struggle against the current, and unless we make an exceedingly firm resolution, we will not make it.

So you see that Paul, in Romans 12:1, likewise says that, in light of the great things God has done, he urges us—he is pleading with us—to present our bodies as a living sacrifice. We will look at that too, won’t we? And here in Hebrews chapter 2 the writer says the same thing, doesn’t he? “Therefore”—and you will see that he has been speaking about the Son and His great character, about the angels and the Son of God, all these things, hasn’t he?—“therefore we must pay even closer attention to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.”

In other words, here in Hebrews 2:1 the writer says that we must be careful because the danger is always there. I know there are Christians who say, “Well, once saved, always saved. If God has saved you, you can no longer go to hell; you cannot drift away.” Hebrews is a letter that is often characterized precisely by showing us that no, we must be careful, because it is possible to turn away from the faith; it is possible, at a certain point, to lose one’s commitment to the Lord.

A person never loses their freedom. A person always has the right to reject God, just as they always have the right to receive and accept Him. So we cannot let down our guard. We have an enemy, as the writer also says in another passage: Satan prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. It says, “Therefore be sober and watchful.”

If we could not lose our salvation, we would not have to worry about those birds in Jesus Christ’s parable that can come and steal the seed and pull it out of our hearts. The Christian life is something tremendously serious, and holiness is something we must resolve anew each day to pursue as we serve the Lord with holiness and integrity. We must desire holiness more than anything else in life, because it is a battle against everything.

It is a battle against our own body, our own mind, our own biology, and all the elements that make up this world. So we should draw motivation for that effort from the love and effort God has invested in saving us through His Son Jesus Christ and through the precious plan He has been unfolding throughout all of history, from the time Adam and Eve fell in the Garden of Eden until this very moment when you are listening to me. God is always at work. How sad it would be if we neglected so great a salvation.

So the writer says, “Let us pay attention to the things we have heard, lest we drift away”—lest we slip, turn away, and lose our reward. The Bible also says, “The one who perseveres to the end will receive a reward.” It is a shame that many people begin the race but then take their hand off the plow and lose their reward.

In our next meditation we will continue studying these two passages of Scripture so that we can see how they complement each other in this solemn call to holiness. God bless you. I bid you farewell until our next meditation.