For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
2 Peter 2:20-21
Hello Everyone! I am glad that you have decided to join me in this wonderful expedition of digging into God’s Word. Today, we are going to dig deep so grab your gloves, shovel, and flashlight. Oh by the way, don’t forget to grab your Bible. You’re going to need it in this dig.
This week, we’re going to span a large time-period in biblical history; all the way from Adam’s fall in the Garden of Eden, up until today— the here and now. Really, our time span begins before Adam, back to the time when one-third of God’s angels fell into sin.
But first, we need to establish in our minds that God, the Creator of the heavens, the Earth, and us, is holy. He is a holy God (Leviticus 11:45, 1 Peter 1:16).
Next, we need to establish that God created man in His own image. Thus the original man (Adam) was initially created holy (Genesis 1:26-27). Even before God created man, He created the holy angels. Everything that God created was holy. “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good…” (Genesis 1:31, emphasis added).
God’s creation was not only good, but it was very good! So what happened? What turned God’s very good creation into a fallen, degenerate creation?
The short answer is sin. Sin caused the fall of some angels and the fall of mankind. Although sin can be enticing and may look pleasant to the eyes, it is not (Genesis 3:1-6).
In fact, sin can be so enticing that even an anointed cherub fell. The fallen cherub, who we know as Satan (Lucifer), esteemed himself to be as a god. He thought that he could rise above all of God’s creations; thus, he succumbed to the sin of pride and he fell (Isaiah 14:12-14, Ezekiel 28:12-17). Along with him, Satan took one-third of God’s angels (Rev 12:4).
Because of their sin, some of the fallen angels were immediately cast into hell. The remaining fallen angels will be cast into hell at a later time (2 Peter 2:4, Jude 6, Revelations 12:7-9). But remember, we already established that these angels were originally created holy. Sin entered their hearts and they chose sin over holiness; thus, they became separated from God.
God is holy and He does not fellowship with sin (Isaiah 59:2, Romans 8:7-8).
Later in biblical history, we have Adam and Eve. They too, like the fallen angels, initially were holy but then they also chose to disobey God. They succumbed to sin and broke their fellowship with God. No longer could they walk and talk with God in the cool of the morning (Genesis 3:8).
Sin is devastating and its consequences far-reaching. Adam’s fall created within all of mankind a sin nature. Consequently, his fall separated you from God—now that is far-reaching! “When Adam sinned, sin entered the entire human race. Adam's sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned” (Romans 5:12, NLT).
But God is merciful. Although sin invaded His once holy creation, God provided a way that you can overcome sin. That way is through the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ. He was the holy Lamb for all of mankind. All you have to do is believe in Him (John 3:16, Romans 5:15-21).
Once you believe in the gift of God’s Son (Jesus), then God cleanses your sin-contaminated heart. You regain the wonderful opportunity to fellowship with Him. However, this lesson is not about the history of the fall of the angels and mankind. It goes deeper.
When you believed in the blood sacrifice of Jesus, you were rebirthed into a holy creation, just like the holy angels and the first man (Adam). Now go back to the beginning of this lesson to see what happened to their holiness. They lost it because they chose sin!
Don’t worry, I am not getting into the age-old discussion of “once-saved-always-saved.” nor the potential “backsliding” of man. I am going to focus on God’s Word. If you want to delve deeper into those age-old arguments, then read Security: The False and the True, by W. T. Purkiser, or Bible Holiness by E. P. Ellyson. Both of these books deal with those issues.
Instead, I want to give you Scriptures that will help fortify your heart and keep you from falling. I don’t want you to make the same mistake that Adam or the angels made. Let’s turn on our flashlights and look at God’s Word.
If you are a reborn child of God, then you have God’s Holy Spirit within you. He can enable you to remain holy (Romans 8:8-9). He will shine a bright light of truth and bring Holy Scripture into your remembrance (John 14:26). Follow His light and abide in His truth (John 15:1-8). Do not grieve or resist Him; instead, obey Him. Allow Him to keep you sealed unto the day of your redemption (Acts 7:51, Ephesians 4:30).
Hang tight to God’s Word because you will be bombarded with false doctrines. Some of these doctrines will appeal to your itchy ears and will sound true, at least on the surface. Nevertheless, they do not wholly agree with God’s Word; as such, they are doctrines of deceit and of devils (1Timothy 4:1). Therefore, heed God’s Word and His warnings and do not succumb to the teachings or cares of this life (Luke 21:34). Put on the whole armour of God and stand strong (Ephesians 6:11-18).
To summarize, your reborn holiness will be attacked; therefore, remain in constant obedience to God. Become steadfast! Walk in the light of His Word and His Spirit. Do not resist or grieve His Spirit. Lastly, put on the whole armour of God.
Whew…that was deep! I don’t know about you but I plan on digging deeper until my Lord returns. I want my holiness perfected through God’s Sprit.
Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
2 Corinthians 7:1 (KJV)
Three Key Concepts:
1. Everything that God created was initially holy.
2. All of mankind and one-third of the angels chose to sin.
3. Your newly born holiness will be attacked.
