If you are a sincere believer in Jesus who is also convinced that a ‘born again child of God’ will always remain a ‘sinner’ on this side of heaven, meaning you will always continue to sin, I have to ask what passages in your Bible do you have to support this premise? (not looking to  be argumentative here either) What are we to do with what John writes: ”we know whoever is born of God no longer sins” (1 John 5:18; 3:9). You might also read what Jesus had to say when He describes the difference between a ‘slave’ and a ‘son’ in John 8:34-35.

So let’s pause for a moment here and take on a very sincere and legitimate question that any of you who have kept up with these studies of late...might be wondering and wanting to ask right now. Especially this part pertaining to ‘wrath and punishment’ for sin. You hear me quote John 5:14 often, where Jesus told that man whom He healed to ‘go and sin no more or something worse will happen to you’. There are plenty of other sobering warnings found throughout our Bibles, like Acts 3:22-23, Luke 13:3,5, Rom. 8:13; Eph. 5:6; and Gal. 6:7-8...that inform us as to what we can expect if we continue to live ‘according to our flesh’, or sinful nature. And it is not a pretty outcome.

Perhaps your question goes something like this: “If all that is being said here is true, as pointed out in scripture...then what about ‘us’? We gave our life to God years ago, and we’re not the same person we used to be; but...you still sin on a regular basis. Maybe not as often or as ‘bad’ as you once did...but you say you’re still a wretched sinner who is saved by grace. Why are we not ‘dead, destroyed, or perishing’ right now...if all those verses really suggest that?”

Let me give you a one word response, to which I will expound upon, and that word would be ...‘termites’.

Think in terms of ...’spiritual termites’. What do we know about termites? Anyone have any personal experience with them to share, maybe a horror stor when termites went undetected and untreated for years...and what was the costly result?

Many a homeowner has been shocked to discover they have a termite problem in their home, especially when it’s revealed they’ve been there for some time. And if a trained professional brings this matter to your attention, you have one of several choices to make. You can choose to ignore the fact and tell yourself he’s just some con artist wanting to sell you some expensive treatment for your home. Some would call that ‘denial’. Or, maybe you do believe the inspector but for any number of reasons, you opt to not do anything and just ‘hope for the best’; Lord knows you have other pressing issues that need your time, attention and money on that home you love.

Or, you can come to grips with reality and get serious about treating a serious problem that you didn’t even know existed. I’m no expert on termites, but it seems to me that as long as there is a ‘food source’ for them, they are not going to go away on their own. And we also know that like any unwanted ‘pest’...they will attract other pests, as well as ‘reproduce’, so the sooner one faces and accepts the problem, the sooner the problem can be ‘fixed’. Now, would you take a moment and read Daniel 12:1-10. We learn that Daniel is given some words in a book that is to be ‘sealed up until the time of the end’ (4,9). It’s told that people will be ‘running to and fro as knowledge shall increase’ (3).

I would not be surprised at all if this is what Paul had in mind when he warned Timothy of those ‘perilous times’ that would come about in the ‘last days’ and how despite the fleshly, carnal ways in which people would be living, they would still have a ‘form of godliness but deny the power’...and would always be ‘learning but never coming to the knowledge of the truth’ (2 Tim. 3:1-7).

You do realize the only way any of us can learn truth, real truth that brings power and freedom... is when the Holy Spirit ‘reveals’ it to us (Matt. 16:17). We’ve also come to learn that the mysteries of God’s kingdom are only revealed to the ‘babes’, or His disciples (Luke 10:21; 24:31-32,45; Matt. 13:11). Also, there is a ‘condition’ placed on what has to first happen before the scriptures are opened up to us where we can find genuine life and freedom: we have to ‘come to Him’ first (John 5:39-40). And this is why I often point to the story of the rich young ruler who came to Jesus seeking eternal life. If we learn nothing else from that story found in Matt. 19:16-22...it is the understanding that one must be willing to lay down everything and anything that God exposes in our hearts/lives if we truly want to experience this ‘abundant life’ that Jesus came to offer us (John 10:10).

Oh...when you read that verse in John 10, Jesus makes it known that there is this ‘thief’ who exists that comes to ‘steal, kill, and destroy’. That sounds like something ‘spiritual termites’ come to do as well, slowly, methodically, and persistently; or until the problem is confronted and dealt with. Anyone see where I am going with this today?

This is leading into those two other parts of my foundational study that I have suggested have been tragically missing in our Christian ‘education’, leading to much pain and suffering for God’s people (Hosea 4:6). The first part focuses on The Law, which we just finished up a 5-part series (law & order). The next two areas we are about to review are what I label as ‘The Flesh’ and ‘The Enemy’. I may tackle both of these together, just to start out and you will soon see why that is.

When Daniel was told that the words given to him were ‘sealed up till the end of time’, I firmly believe that some of what he was given is indeed being unsealed, or ‘revealed’ in this day we are living in. But please keep in mind, that ever since the early days of the church, they saw themselves living in the ‘end of time’, or the ‘last day...upon whom the end of the ages has come’ (1 Cor. 10:11; Heb. 1:1-2). John even hinted that they, back then, were in the ‘last hour’ (1 John 2:18). Trust me, the last thing I want to get tied down with are man-made ‘time-lines’ when it comes to 'last days' or 'end of time'...and instead... focus on what it is God may be trying to ‘reveal’ to us.

Take a look at what Paul wrote in Romans 1:18. What does he suggest is being ‘revealed’? Now look back and read vs 16. He speaks of the ‘power of God found in the gospel of Christ for salvation’. Do you remember what the word ‘gospel’ means? It literally means ‘good news or message’. And as I have said before, it’s hard to appreciate ‘good news’ until you first hear the ‘bad news’. So a termite exterminator who shows up at your home unannounced might be ‘news’ to you. But it quickly becomes ‘good news’ when you learn the ‘bad news’ first ...which is you, we, all of us...have had a ‘spiritual termite’ problem. And those ‘termites’ are...the ‘wrath of God’ that have been working in us all this time, eating away our life, peace, and joy. (John 3:36; Eph. 2:1-3). And it is the ‘wrath’ of God that Jesus came to ‘save’ us from (Rom. 5:9). But for the most part, the majority of us have been ignorant as to what, how, and why this has been happening. Join me tomorrow?