Certain spiritual issues require thought and introspection. Thankfully none of them are salvific. When it comes to salvific matters, it’s cut and dry, absent ambiguity, because being saved, having the promise of eternity well in hand, and being anchored in it is one of those paramount issues that must be established fully before we can mature and grow as believers.
If I’m constantly questioning whether I’m saved or not, if
I’m always wondering whether or not I have eternal life, I’ll have neither the
time nor inclination to do anything else but worry. Working while it’s day,
doing exploits on behalf of the Kingdom, these things require a foundation of
the full conviction and assurance that He knows me, I am His, and He has me
well in hand.
Goats pretending to be sheep will never know the peace and
joy that comes with being a true sheep, following the Shepherd. It’s largely why
many supposed believers require extra-biblical experiences to satisfy or
spiritually fulfill them, going off into the weeds to the point of trying their
hand at astral projections and out-of-body experiences.
Jesus didn’t say His sheep would know His voice and open
their third eye. He said they would know His voice and follow Him. Goats get
bored easily, are always looking for excitement, and are always searching for
something fresh and new. The taste of green pastures doesn’t change; neither
does the taste of fresh water.
That’s why my hackles get raised whenever I hear people
declaring that God is doing something fresh, new, never before seen. It’s the
ninth wonder of the world sort of stuff, brother; you just have to believe! I
don’t, though. I don’t have to believe; you want me to believe, and what you
want me to believe is contrary to what my Shepherd tells me I should believe.
1 John 2:18-19, “Little children, it is the last hour; and as
you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have
come, by which we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but
they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with
us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were
of us.”
Peppered throughout the Bible, especially when referencing
the last days, we have warning upon warning when it comes to deceivers, false
prophets, false Christs, and antichrists. There’s quite a mélange of deception,
and if you don’t know the Shepherd’s voice, it will be difficult to remain
standing.
By what John relates, even during his day, there were
individuals who infiltrated the brethren with the singular purpose of deceiving
them and leading them astray. This is what he means by those who came out of us
because they were not of us. They left the fellowship of the saints because
they were never of the fellowship of the saints.
And that’s one way of looking at it: individuals who stray,
those who return to the world and the things thereof, were never of the
household of faith, to begin with. They were just goats pretending to be sheep
hoping to get sheep to become goats, and when it didn’t go as planned, they went
on to find new opportunities. At least, John is asserting this when discussing
those who strayed.
I’d be perfectly content with ending this train of thought
here if not for the fact that those Jesus will say He never knew, prophesied,
cast out demons, and did wonders in His name. Those absent intellectual
curiosity will likely shrug their shoulders here and say they did those things
by the powers of darkness. Still, biblically we know that the devil doesn’t set
about destroying his own kingdom.
Coke doesn’t do promo tours for Pepsi, and Nike doesn’t
encourage you to buy Reebok. Devils don’t cast out devils, and Satan doesn’t
prophesy and do wonders in Christ’s name.
And that’s the philosophical question I’ve been grappling
with for a few days now: Was the casting out of devils, the doing of wonders,
and the prophesying a long con on the devil’s part? Was he just seeding soil so
he could reap a harvest, or did individuals give in to lawlessness and
worldliness because they ceased being watchful?
It is feasible that at some point throughout their life, both
a sheep and a hog end up in the mud pit. The difference between the two is that
the hog loves the mud, while the sheep does its best to extricate itself from
it.
When a sheep stumbles, its singular purpose is to get back up
and continue following after the Shepherd. A swine’s only focus is to find the
next mud puddle he can jump into. How do you know whether or not you have laid
hold of the promise? If the mud feels natural to you, if you enjoy it, if every
fiber of your being isn’t screaming for you to get out of it, perhaps you are
something other than a sheep who hears the Shepherd’s voice.
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