Take Heed Lest Ye Fall

Posted by Mark Lindley on 5 October 2016 | Comments

The opening part of First Corinthians 10 is a review of Israel’s wilderness wanderings. God had led His people out of Egyptian bondage and across the Red Sea. God blessed the people in the wilderness, providing them with the necessities of life.

            Nevertheless, the Israelites were not grateful as they should have been. Rather, the people often worshiped idols, lusted after evil things, tempted God, and committed fornication (I Corinthian 10:1-10).

            The sad, tragic consequences of their actions are set forth in verse 5: “But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.” They had an opportunity to enter the Promised Land, but they failed to obey the Lord and perished in the wilderness.

            Could this happen to Christians today? The apostle Paul answers that question: “Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” (I Corinthians 10:11-12). Please take notice of the word “fall.”

            Now, consider the following: 1) The words in First Corinthians were written to Christians; 2) The passage teaches that God’s people of the Old Testament fell short of the land that had been promised to them and they died in the wilderness; 3) These words serve as an “ensample” to us today; 4) These words teach that a Christian, a member of God’s church (cf. I Corinthians 1:2), could “fall” and miss the Promised Land of heaven.

            This passage shows once and for all that the doctrine of “Once Saved, Always Saved” is false. Any person who studies this passage will have to see this indisputable fact. The illustration Paul gives is just too clear to miss: many Israelites, God’s people of the Old Testament, missed the Promised Land; Christians, God’s people today, can fall into sin and miss the reward of heaven. That is the illustration and the application Paul makes.

            The good news is that one does not “have” to fall away. Paul goes on to affirm that with every temptation, God will provide a way of escape that we may be able to bear the temptation (verse 13). As Christians look to the Lord for strength, He will provide the strength needed to overcome and to inherit the heavenly Land of Promise.