“If His children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments; If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments; Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.” — Psalm 89:30-33
Among the great doctrines of the faith, one of the most precious is that of the security of the believer. It assures us that just as we are redeemed by God’s grace, altogether apart from our works, so are we kept by the same grace. When the believer arrives in glory and looks back over the course of his journey, he will know that in nothing does his destiny rest upon anything in or of himself, but wholly upon “the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” (Rom. 3:24)
This great doctrine, however, involves a danger; namely, that it may give rise to false confidence and careless living. Our nugget for today should alert us to the fact that though God promises us “security,” He will not allow His children to run wild without consequences.
We must note in passing that it is David’s descendants who are referred to in the Psalm, but they are a type of the children of David’s Greater Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, so what applies to them must be applied to us. It is, then, to “born again” believers that this solemn passage finds its mark.
Consider the sad prospect. “If His children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments; If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments…” Both scripture and experience teach us that sinless perfection is unattainable this side of heaven. Believers do sin, and if we understood more clearly the demands of holiness, we would be much more aware of that than most are. It is God’s aim, and should be our aspiration, that we be conformed to the image of Christ (See Rom. 8:29), but that goal will not be achieved until we “see Him as He is” in the day of His appearing (Cf I John 3:2).
Notwithstanding, we need all the more to give heed to the pledge, “Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes.” The sins of Christians may be forgiven, but they will not go unpunished. God, as a wise Parent, disciplines His children. He does not “spare the rod.” This principle is reiterated and amplified in the New Testament:
“For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness [Heb. 12:6-10].”
Spurgeon said, “Saints must smart if they sin: God will see to that. He hates sin too much not to visit it, and he loves his saints too well not to chasten them.”
Happily, the text does not end on this note. There is the superlative comfort of God’s promise, “Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.” Here is both the security and the solemnity of grace. Sin will not result in the loss of salvation, because our hope rests on a covenant God has made, not with us, but with His Son, who has paid the ultimate price for all our transgressions. But neither will sin exempt us from having to face God one day and give account: “For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God [Rom. 14:11-12].” We cannot escape Him!
At least two important things follow, it seems to me, from this meditation. First, we must not be casual about sin, nor allow the doctrine of security to make us indifferent to it. Christ, indeed, paid the ultimate price, but there is still a price we have to pay if we forsake God’s law and fail to walk in His judgments. I am persuaded we will not know how high that cost until we stand before Him. But, secondly, there is comfort in the assurance, reinforced by this text, that sin no longer has the power to destroy us forever. God’s grace is that great. If you have faltered, repent, confess and get on with the will of God in your life. There is mercy with the Lord.
This great doctrine, however, involves a danger; namely, that it may give rise to false confidence and careless living. Our nugget for today should alert us to the fact that though God promises us “security,” He will not allow His children to run wild without consequences.
We must note in passing that it is David’s descendants who are referred to in the Psalm, but they are a type of the children of David’s Greater Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, so what applies to them must be applied to us. It is, then, to “born again” believers that this solemn passage finds its mark.
Consider the sad prospect. “If His children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments; If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments…” Both scripture and experience teach us that sinless perfection is unattainable this side of heaven. Believers do sin, and if we understood more clearly the demands of holiness, we would be much more aware of that than most are. It is God’s aim, and should be our aspiration, that we be conformed to the image of Christ (See Rom. 8:29), but that goal will not be achieved until we “see Him as He is” in the day of His appearing (Cf I John 3:2).
Notwithstanding, we need all the more to give heed to the pledge, “Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes.” The sins of Christians may be forgiven, but they will not go unpunished. God, as a wise Parent, disciplines His children. He does not “spare the rod.” This principle is reiterated and amplified in the New Testament:
“For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness [Heb. 12:6-10].”
Spurgeon said, “Saints must smart if they sin: God will see to that. He hates sin too much not to visit it, and he loves his saints too well not to chasten them.”
Happily, the text does not end on this note. There is the superlative comfort of God’s promise, “Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.” Here is both the security and the solemnity of grace. Sin will not result in the loss of salvation, because our hope rests on a covenant God has made, not with us, but with His Son, who has paid the ultimate price for all our transgressions. But neither will sin exempt us from having to face God one day and give account: “For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God [Rom. 14:11-12].” We cannot escape Him!
At least two important things follow, it seems to me, from this meditation. First, we must not be casual about sin, nor allow the doctrine of security to make us indifferent to it. Christ, indeed, paid the ultimate price, but there is still a price we have to pay if we forsake God’s law and fail to walk in His judgments. I am persuaded we will not know how high that cost until we stand before Him. But, secondly, there is comfort in the assurance, reinforced by this text, that sin no longer has the power to destroy us forever. God’s grace is that great. If you have faltered, repent, confess and get on with the will of God in your life. There is mercy with the Lord.
“And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him [I John 2:28-29].”
For the glory of His grace,
"Pastor" Frasier
For the glory of His grace,
"Pastor" Frasier
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