Take Root #34

 Day 34

2 Peter 2:20-22

"20 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. 21 For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them. 22 It has happened to them according to the true proverb, “A dog returns to its own vomit,” and, “A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.”

Twice now I mentioned that “apples don’t make a tree an apple tree – they just show that it is one” … This passage is the flip side of that which says if there are no apples it probably isn’t an apple tree.   

If the Holy Spirit is inside you, He will impact your walk.  If not and you just pretend to be a Christian, you may clean some things up for a while, but your true nature will eventually come out.  We must be sure there is a core change…that we die to ourselves and rise to walk in Jesus. 

I think Peter is saying the “worse” condition is to “think” you tried Christ – when all you did was try church and religion. This makes you less likely to pursue the truth as you think you have tried it and it failed you. 

Scripture says there will be people listing all the things they did for God - and Jesus will say I didn’t KNOW you…What a terrifying and heartbreaking verse. 

Look hard in the mirror – work out your salvation with fear and trembling. There is a deceptive enemy who is hunting you. Saved by grace through faith is the only path – and that leads you to know Jesus - and that produces fruit.