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What the Bible says about Spiritual Negligence
(From Forerunner Commentary)

Matthew 25:8-9

It was midnight, and the lamps were needed for the procession and the rest of the night. The reserve oil supply was only enough to supply oil for the lamps of the five wise virgins. So the inability of the wise to provide oil for the foolish illustrates that no one can give to another what he has done to add works to his faith (James 2:14, 17-22, 24, 26). Our faith must be our own through Jesus Christ; it cannot be borrowed. Moral character or spiritual gifts cannot be transferred from one person to another. To delay submission and obedience to Christ is to risk eternal death. Therefore, to delay preparation for His return is nothing short of spiritual negligence.

Martin G. Collins
Parable of the Ten Virgins (Part Two)

Ephesians 6:12

In the New Testament, the world is contrasted with the Kingdom of God—the Kingdom into which true Christians have already been conveyed (Colossians 1:13) and which will be formally and dramatically established on earth when Jesus Christ returns. But until this present world is overthrown, we are engaged in a war for our hearts, loyalties, time, and attention. The danger is not that we should be killed, but that we should be enticed to neglect the salvation that God has begun in us (Hebrews 2:1-3), that we could give up on eternity with the Father and the Son by letting the world squeeze us into its mold (Romans 12:2). If Christ overthrows this world at His return—and He will—what will happen to those who love the world and its things, who resemble it rather than the Messiah? This is what happened to Israel and Judah: They loved the world around them so much that they imitated it, which meant turning their backs on God.

Jehoash, Amaziah, Uzziah, and Jotham did what was right in the sight of God, as least for part of their lives. Overall, they were not bad kings, especially compared to the likes of Ahaz, Ahab, and Manasseh. However, God points out that each failed to remove the high places as He had commanded, leading to Judah's eventual captivity.

However, we need not follow their negligence, for God has already given us the means to overcome the world—our faith (I John 5:4-5). True faith in the Father and the Son will motivate us to remove anything from our lives that might hinder our relationship with them. True belief will cause us to "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness" (Matthew 6:33) and have the presence of mind to resist the world's outposts before they establish themselves in our lives. God is quite willing to help us remove any high places in our lives if we are willing to make the effort.

David C. Grabbe
The High Places (Part Six)


 




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