
We aren’t perfect people. We will mess up. We will miss the mark. Those are just facts. No matter how hard we try, believers will sometimes fall short.
We know the biblical references. Noah got drunk. Abraham lied. David committed adultery and had someone murdered. Solomon married forbidden women. Peter denied Christ, and the list goes on. Romans 3:23 states, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” So, no one is perfect… but we are called.
And called people come forth because God called them out of the darkness. He called them from the ends of the earth to harken to His Word and walk a different life—a life aligned with His will. Christ died for us so that we may have access to walk in the lightened pathway with God… how beautiful is that?
His death was a gruesome one. One that brought Him major anxiety before He walked into it. And He hadn’t wronged anyone. He only walked in truth. How could they beat Him like that? How could they crucify Him like that? Watch Him hang for hours by his hands and feet only? Well, because it was ordained that way.
But that’s not the question we should ask. We shouldn’t ask, “How could they do Him like that?”. We should ask ourselves, “How could we do Him like that?”.
… To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.
(Hebrews 6:6 NIV)
This text pulled from Hebrews 6 states that those who have been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, and those who have tasted the goodness of the Word of God, but have fallen away, are crucifying Christ all over again.
When we turn our backs on Christ and abandoned our belief in Him, we might as well grab a couple of nails and pin Him back on the cross. In other words, it pains Him, it essentially kills Him, to see us leave Him when we have once before walked beside Him.
Are we the modern-day Roman soldiers? Stabbing Jesus in the side with our unbelief? Flogging Him nearly to death because we have turned our backs on Him? I’d say leaving Christ after walking with Him would make us worse than the Roman soldiers who beat and crucified Him.
Since they never walked with Him, there was no real betrayal there. But when believers leave Christ, it hurts all the more. Because we are part of Him. We essentially marry ourselves to Him. So, we are very much so betraying and crucifying Him all over again when we, His beloved called, walk away from Him. Yet, causing pain to Christ isn’t limited to merely walking away from the faith.
Ephesians 4:30 states, “and do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” We grieve the Holy Spirit by remaining in bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slandering. When we “give ourselves over to sensuality as to indulge in every kind of impurity” or when we are “full of greed” or when our understanding is darkened, and we live a life separate from God. (Eph. 4:18-19).
Basically, when we live in sin, we grieve the Holy Spirit. How can the Holy Spirit dwell in us grief-free if we are willfully sinning against it? Doesn’t sin go against everything the Holy Spirit is? It is the Holy Spirit afterall … so, if we are living unholy, we undoubtably grieve the Holy Spirit.
Again, no one is perfect. But to continuously live in sin and unbelief is to cause undue grief to Christ and the Holy Spirit. Lord knows, that is never my intent. It is my intention to die to myself—this flesh—daily. It is my intention to walk in the Spirit and have God pleased with me.
I know there are times I mess up. Times when my attitude is off, times when my heart is in the wrong place, and times when my tongue is lethal. And for that I say, “Lord, have mercy on me!” Thank God His mercy is from everlasting to everlasting because if don’t nobody else need it, Quin Arrington needs it!
I needed His sacrifice. I needed Him to die on that cross for me to wash away my sins. But I’m going to do everything in my power to avoid putting Him on that cross again. I just can’t be a modern-day Roman solider. He’s been too good, too faithful, and too patient with me to do that to Him. I pray that you have the same sentiments.
That’s all I have for you guys today. Be blessed! Lord’s will, I’ll see you next week.
Check out Quin Arrington's book, And Then You Shall Have Good Success, by clicking the link below:
Thank you again 💓 I'm glad He died for me as well. I don't want to be a modern Roman soldier either. I try to make sure I repent and not repeat. Love your writings. I look forward to them weekly. I also have your book.💕