| Sermon Thought by PKD Lee |
1 John 2:15-17
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
I have found one of the most common sin that many Christians blithely carry with them is lack of forgiveness to people who have harmed them in some way. The question arises, from some of the verses in the Bible, like the Lord’s Prayer, is the nursing of a grudge an abandonment of God?
The Bible seems to say so, in passages like Matt 6:14-15 – “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
If God has not forgiven us, then we do not have salvation. According to this passage, you may feel that you have salvation; you may feel that your relationship with God is not harmed; but that is a deception. The passage is very clear, you have abandoned God.
Why does this happen to so many Christians?
The root cause of loss of salvation is the pursuit of the things of the world. While many passages like 1 John 2:15-17 warn against this, most justify on various grounds, especially that is is a blessing from God which we are desiring. Most hurts that people do to us is with regard to things of this world.
If I do not desire the things of this world, then there is no anger and it is easy to forgive. Considering that it is eternity which we are looking at, isn’t the choice clear to us? Considering that is happiness and peace in our present life, the choice should be obvious, shouldn’t it? Then why? Why do so many choose hell?
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