Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
To think one stands is to feel secure and self-sufficient and in no danger, and that very confidence is dangerous presumption that gives no protection, so to take heed is to stay humble and watchful and prayerful in close self-examination and dependence on Christ, lest by gradual imperceptible steps one slides into open sin and apostasy and ruin.
The warning is set in Israel's great privileges under the cloud and through the sea with spiritual food and drink from Christ, yet with many God was not well pleased because of lusting and idolatry and fornication and tempting Christ and murmuring, so thousands were overthrown in the wilderness as examples written for admonition to those upon whom the ends of the world are come.
Their experience resembles that of believers now standing as on the borders of the heavenly Canaan, where unbelief can lose heaven as rebellion lost earthly Canaan, with Satan redoubling the same temptations of pleasure and appetite and impurity as the end approaches.
Safety is only in constant distrust of self and steadfast looking to Jesus with fear and trembling, holding fast to God in daily communion and keeping the body under as Paul did, and this is the only election, for only those who take heed lest they fall will be accepted at last.
The warning stands with the assurance that God is faithful not to allow temptation beyond what is common and can be borne but to make a way of escape, so it calls not for despondency but for holding up the law as a mirror and growing in grace until defects are overcome lest they overcome the mind.
Israel's History Warns Today
Paul sets the warning in the midst of Israel's privileges, for all were under the cloud and passed through the sea and were baptized unto Moses and ate the same spiritual meat and drank the same spiritual drink from the spiritual Rock that followed them, which was Christ. They were led by cloud and fire, wonderfully preserved by manifested power, precious in God's sight and fed and given drink from Christ, yet with many God was not well pleased. Confidence in standing did not prevent their fall, for sharing spiritual privilege could not keep them when they displeased God through sin.
The sins that drew that displeasure and against which the warning guards are lusting after evil things, idolatry including the golden calf, fornication and joining Baal-peor, tempting Christ, and murmuring and complaining when brought into strait places. With these went unbelief, rebellion, disobedience and refusal to submit to God's arrangements, love of ease and pleasure, and departing from God to mingle with the world and follow the abominations of the nations. To think oneself secure while practicing these evils is fatal presumption that provokes wrath, so safety requires humble carefulness, separation from the world, and fleeing idolatry.
Their overthrow was a marked display of displeasure with swift judgments, thousands overthrown with polluted bodies left in the wilderness. Twenty-four thousand were destroyed for joining Baal-peor, and twenty-three thousand were slain in one day for licentiousness and idolatry. Nearly all who left Egypt died in the wilderness and were not led into Canaan, overthrown through gratification of appetite and passion despite special favor and long standing.
These things happened as examples and were written for admonition to those upon whom the ends of the world are come. They must be studied today for benefit because truth given for each age is unchangeable and no part of the Bible has died from old age, and the facts of departure from the commandments were to be repeated from time to time lest they be forgotten. Past privileges and faithfulness do not remove the need to heed them, and they leave present believers without excuse for turning from the counsels of the Spirit and repeating the same sins. God's church cannot reject His warnings and repeat Israel's course without suffering its sure result.
The warning presses now because present experience resembles Israel's journey, and God's people stand as Israel did on the borders of the heavenly Canaan. Like rebellious Israel lost the earthly Canaan, professed commandment-keepers with unbelieving hearts and outward obedience only can lose the heavenly Canaan despite great light and privileges. As the close of time approaches Satan redoubles his efforts to keep souls from entering the goodly land and lays snares for every soul, employing the same agents as three thousand years ago by worldly friendships, the charms of beauty, pleasure-seeking, mirth, feasting, and the wine-cup to the violation of the seventh commandment. The Jewish rejection of John the Baptist and Christ, treating warnings as idle tales and choosing a robber and murderer, stands as an added ensample against the same evil heart of unbelief.
Meaning of Standing Heedfully
To think one stands is to feel secure and confident, self-sufficient and in no danger, and that very confidence is itself dangerous. Such a feeling is no protection and does not remove danger, for it is fatal presumption to venture upon a course of self-pleasing while supposing oneself safe. The carnal heart must be brought under control daily and temptation is common to all, so professed standing never guarantees safety. The time one thinks himself secure is the time of greatest danger, when boastful self-confidence and neglect of watchfulness and prayer can lead to grievous sin, for a wily foe tracks every calling and no one this side of heaven is secure against temptation. No converted believer, however sincere, should say or feel that he is saved, since those who trust in themselves lose sight of weakness and constant need of divine strength and are left unprepared for Satan's devices until under temptation they fall into deep sin.
To take heed is humble carefulness against repeating Israel's sins and sharing their fall, refusing to feel secure while practicing the same evils that brought swift judgments and overthrow in the wilderness. It means staying alert and watchful, because confidence in standing does not prevent a fall even for those who shared spiritual privileges. It calls for clear discernment of evil and continued closeness to Christ as strength and power, with no dependence on self. It requires close self-examination to find weak points, watching unto prayer with fear and trembling, and learning defects of character and need of grace so that trial does not end in defeat. It also refuses to trust self, to criticize others, or to rely on men for guidance, fleeing idolatry and avoiding evil rather than presuming upon privilege at the end of the world.
To fall begins not with sudden ruin but by gradual, imperceptible steps, where self-conceit separates the soul from God and unwatchfulness with little prayer allows secret influences to lead into presumptuous actions and sins once resisted. Self-confidence and self-sufficiency lead down a gradual path, as when trust in self left one unprepared and brought denial against light and great privilege. A moment's carelessness can plunge a soul into ruin, for one sin opens the way to another and the second prepares the way for a third. Swerving even a single inch from duty can begin a course of sin that ends in perdition, open sin, apostasy, and loss of eternal life, and those who condemn another should remember their own danger and remain open to temptation. Even those who think they stand firm because they have the truth can fall terribly if they do not have the truth as it is in Jesus, unless they bind themselves to Christ and strive with every energy to attain the perfection of His character.
Self-Confidence Ends in Falling
Peter proves the warning, for his assurance that he would never deny his Lord came from ignorance of his own heart and was a refusal of Christ's true caution and reproof. Had he kept silence instead of speaking, thought in quietness, received Christ's words, felt his personal weakness and depended on Christ and the abiding Word in the soul rather than on self, he would not have disgraced himself with fearful humiliation against light and knowledge and great and exalted privilege and put Christ to open shame. No one this side of heaven is secure against temptation, and no converted believer however sincere should say or feel that he is saved, for those who trust in themselves lose sight of weakness and constant need of divine strength and are left unprepared for Satan's devices until under temptation they fall into deep sin. The same self-confident spirit works now in professed commandment-keepers who dishonor Christ and show hatred toward one another, and trust in self leads to failure where awakening to failure must come before restoration, yet all who have put Christ to open shame may be restored through His wondrous love and intercession, but unless the self-confident humble themselves and become as little children they will not see the kingdom of heaven.
Solomon proves the warning for the mature and aged, for even when mature, experienced, once steadfast, wise, strong in character and long established, strength can give way under temptation. Age, wisdom, past faithful service, position, privileges, intellectual strength and years of faithful service do not remove danger, and no one can safely trust in personal wisdom or integrity. The warning bears with special force on the aged pilgrim descending toward the close of life and facing the western sun, of whom firm character, rooted principles and freedom from pollution are expected, yet Solomon stands as a beacon proving that expectation false. A character naturally bold, firm and determined like an old cedar of Lebanon or oak of Bashan can be shaken like a reed in the wind and bent by inward sin and outward temptation through uncontrolled passion, becoming weakest when expected to be strongest. Therefore young and old must remain watchful, watch unto prayer continually, keep the grace of Christ ever in the heart, battle inward corruptions and outward temptations, and hold genuine faith that works by love and purifies the soul, because all cases are soon to pass in review before God.
The same fall overtook Adam and Eve in Eden when they yielded to appetite, the inhabitants of the Old World through lustful appetite and corrupt passions, and Israel though Christ Himself was with Moses and Joshua, so that through gratification of appetite nearly all who left Egypt died in the wilderness and were not led into Canaan. It overtook Moses the meek man when he was led to take to himself the glory God claimed, and David and Solomon who were especially favored of God yet were led to incur God's displeasure. Those who have resisted difficulty and run well for a time can still become restless and yield when temptation returns in a new form offering human honor and advantage, and reaching beyond capacity for a higher position can bring shame and leave them enslaved to the enemy who degrades and ruins them, as David's experience in Philistia shows. Achan's case proves the power of temptation must never be undervalued, because the very time a person thinks himself secure is the time of greatest danger of stumbling and falling, and temptation cannot be met and resisted in human strength alone.
Merely having the truth, receiving great light, doing prominent work, knowing much Scripture, holding high position or counting years of faithful service gives no protection against stumbling. Without having the truth as it is in Jesus, a moment of carelessness can lead into ruin, where one sin opens the way to another and turning even slightly from duty can begin a course ending in perdition. One so confident can make a leap in the dark, fall under temptation into dishonesty, and face judgment with confusion, and such a fall becomes a sorrowful beacon of warning to others. The danger comes through blind selfish human judgment that trusts self, takes counsel of self instead of making Jesus counselor, refuses His counsel and obedience, fixes heart and mind on what has no special bearing on the true point, reaches for something original, fastens on some word until truth is covered with mist, follows a jealous demand for greater labor while distant mission fields suffer, and at last repudiates doctrines long presented, thereby proving judgment untrustworthy and interpretations unsafe to follow, unable to feel feet on solid rock, in danger of misleading others and letting light go out in darkness. The call is to solemn watchfulness, to bind about the mind, to stay with what is essential for the work now, to say without shame what is not known rather than marring present truth, to keep before the mind what must be done to be saved in loving God supremely and neighbor as self, to work together with God to gather souls ready to die, and to seek opened eyes, discernment to reason from cause to effect, and knowledge of what to do at every step, binding self to Christ and striving with every energy to attain the perfection of His character in constant dependence on God's keeping power.
When a person becomes lifted up in his own eyes and trusts in his own ability and wisdom, God's Spirit is withdrawn and he is left to follow self until true character is revealed. Glorifying self and trusting own wisdom ends in being overthrown by reliance on own strength. Ministers who were praised and flattered became self-important and self-sufficient, trusted their own wisdom and made shipwreck of faith, showing the danger of presumption and the need to avoid even the first step in a ruinous course.
Safety in Christ Alone
Safety is only in constant distrust of self and dependence on Christ, with a clear sense of personal weakness, steadfast looking to Jesus, and continued closeness to Him as strength and power, for no one this side of heaven is secure against temptation and no converted believer, however sincere, can safely say or feel that he is saved. Self-confidence and self-sufficiency lead down a gradual path, as with Peter who came to believe himself safe and then denied his Master with fearful humiliation, for those who trust in themselves lose sight of weakness and constant need of divine strength and are left unprepared for Satan's devices until under temptation they fall into deep sin. The safeguard is watching unto prayer with fear and trembling, humble penitential prayer, learning defects of character and need of Christ's power and grace so that trial does not end in defeat, with clear discernment of evil and with unseen agencies setting a limit to the enemy. Those whose names are on the church book, especially the confident and self-sufficient, must closely examine spiritual standing before God, beware of being led away by error and losing steadfastness, grow in grace and in knowledge of Jesus Christ, and remain pressed together in unity to be strong to resist the enemy. Divided they become weak and fall, but by making it the business of life to be one as Christ was one with the Father they stand, and the safeguard is love for one another, which does not grow naturally but must be planted by the Spirit of God and carefully cultivated.
Even those of mature age and settled experience remain in danger, for age, mature character, high position, great privileges, intellectual strength, and years of faithful service give no safety, and no one can safely trust in personal wisdom or integrity. The warning bears with special force on the aged descending toward the close of life, of whom firm character, rooted principles, and freedom from pollution are expected, yet Solomon stands as a beacon proving that expectation false, for one once wise and steadfast became weak and a character naturally bold, firm, and determined can be shaken like a reed in the wind and a strong old cedar bent by temptation through uncontrolled passion. Therefore all who desire to save their souls, young and old, must watch unto prayer continually as the only safety, keep the grace of Christ ever in the heart, and battle inward corruptions and outward temptations, since temptations and inner struggles differ from person to person and Satan adapts his temptations to each character and temperament.
The warning stands together with the assurance that temptation is common to all and that God is faithful not to allow what is beyond what is common and bearable but to limit it and make a way of escape so it can be endured. Israel's privileges and deliverance did not keep them from falling in the wilderness, and their lusting after evil things, idolatry, tempting Christ, murmuring, love of ease and pleasure, worship of the golden calf, and licentiousness in joining Baal-peor, with twenty-four thousand destroyed and twenty-three thousand slain in one day, happened as examples and were written for admonition to those upon whom the ends of the world are come. Those facts of departure from the commandments were to be repeated lest they be forgotten, because to become boastful and self-confident, to neglect to watch and pray, to depart from God and place oneself on a level with idolatrous nations brings sure ruin and calls down wrath. Christians now are one body with ancient Israel under one unchanging Head, under the same injunction to be separate from the world by a wall of separation, with peculiar calling, character, and prospects, so no one now who is confident that he stands firm is secure but must stay alert not to fall in the same way, fleeing idolatry and keeping separation. For this reason the warning does not call for yielding to despondency or discouragement.
Constant watchfulness against falling is required, and this is the only election brought to view in the Word, for final acceptance depends on taking heed and only those who take heed lest they fall will be accepted at last. Israel's fall after witnessing God's power shows the danger of presumption, and the lesson of the golden calf must be studied by every person in every city, town, and household. The same watchfulness applies to self-pleasing and to pleasures that when repeatedly indulged strengthen desire for more and lead away from God, especially the young, and fathers, mothers, and watchmen must faithfully point out these dangers in the path of pleasure.
Continuance requires daily communion with God and constant care, with the heart holding fast to God and God holding fast to the heart, because temptation and a strong undercurrent constantly pull toward indifference, sin, and forgetfulness of God. No one stays converted by his own strength and no human heart stays strong without divine grace, for confidence about standing is no protection since the carnal heart must be brought under control every day and left alone it will fight against what is right and overcome virtue. If that hold is broken, self-confidence, self-sufficiency, and self-exaltation surely lead to stumbling and falling, and the moment anyone feels self-sufficient and confident he is in danger of disgraceful failure. The power of God through faith is the only dependence, as Paul showed by living by Christ in him and by keeping his body under and battling evil propensities, appetites, and passions with firm resistance for fear of becoming a castaway after preaching to others, and if the great apostle trembled at his own weakness no one has a right to be self-confident and boastful.
Taking heed means giving heed to the danger signals and warnings given in the Word, holding up God's royal law as a mirror to see individual character, keeping the mind elevated to the highest standard, and vigorously overcoming defects of character while growing in grace and knowledge. Confidence in spiritual standing is no safeguard against falling, and unless defects are overcome they will overcome the one who has them, the mind will lose power to retain what it had once gained, and he will lapse into error, apostasy, and open sin that will be plainly seen by the faithful.
Living Out the Warning
Fathers and mothers are to be watchful and to faithfully point out to the young the dangers constantly arising to lead them away from God, for there can be no presumption more fatal than venturing upon a course of self-pleasing. The warning bears especially upon the path of pleasure and amusement, where those who think amusement essential for health and happiness and allow attendance at parties of pleasure are in danger. The more the desire for pleasure is gratified the more it is cultivated and the stronger it becomes, until life experience is largely made up of self-gratification in amusement. Even those who think they stand firm must take heed lest they fall, for constant watchfulness is required and final acceptance depends on taking heed. The church's watchmen are to voice this warning and all are to heed it, since each person's conduct and influence leads others toward good or evil.
Physicians in sanitariums are in positive danger and must not be presumptuous but must walk humbly with God and take heed in order to avoid the perils surrounding them. Thinking oneself safe from temptation does not remove danger, and only a power higher and stronger than human power can hold the fort in medical institutions. Physicians and gospel ministers alike face peculiar temptations and cannot stand alone, for even after long successful preaching that has won the confidence of the people a minister remains too weak to resist temptation without being overcome. Standing requires practicing the principles of truth, governing habits and passions, keeping close to the side of Christ, and being kept by that higher power; without this preparation they will fall when tempted and lose eternal life. Physicians are in even greater danger than ministers, and past success, long preaching, and the confidence of others do not enable anyone to stand alone. Ministers therefore must watch soberly and resist pride and self-exaltation, remembering that Israel's failures before entering Canaan show God's people can face the same snares again.
Every believer, especially those in positions of trust, is to cast away all self-confidence, closely examine self to find weak points, cherish humility, and plead for grace and wisdom and for faith that works by love and purifies the soul. A high opinion of personal abilities and attainments with firm reliance on personal judgment leads a person to leave appointed work, forget the precautions told him to take, entangle himself in difficulty, make crooked paths for his feet, become confused and take up work not required, and incur God's displeasure. This is a dangerous age for any with talents of value, because constant temptation to pride and ambition makes one independent and self-sufficient and feeling capable of standing alone when God would use him. Teachers in particular are to examine themselves before God and guard against self-confidence and self-esteem that hide deficiencies. Those in high places who know reproofs, warnings, judgments and dealings with the disobedient yet blind themselves, exalt themselves, resist correction, criticize others, claim kingly power, look to men for permission, pile responsibility upon responsibility in one center, or take unfitted work continue a wicked course that leaves present believers without excuse, until only genuine conversion can make service acceptable.
Those who watch the errors of fellow workers with a jealous eye and feel sure they could avoid those mistakes need this caution, for such confidence of standing firm is itself dangerous. While they might not commit the same errors, defects in their own character will show in other directions and can lead into mistakes even more harmful to the cause, even into the very kind of mistake condemned in another. The verse is ever to be kept in mind and to govern conduct toward the unfortunate and suffering, checking natural but incorrect feelings, views, fears and the influence they exert, for no one knows how soon he may be brought into circumstances worse than theirs. When a brother yields to temptation or fails, humility and dependence are to be learned rather than confidence in own strength, fixation on faults, gossip, surmise, triumph, searching out and condemning faults, or bruising blood-bought children. Those whose names are on the church book, especially the confident and self-sufficient, are to closely examine spiritual standing, grow in grace and knowledge, stay awake to reprove sin and defend right, remain pressed together in unity to be strong to resist the enemy, and make it life's business to be one as Christ was one with the Father, for divided they become weak and fall. The safeguard is love for one another, which does not grow naturally but must be planted by the Spirit and carefully cultivated, healing wounds and restoring rather than relying on own efforts against God's work.
Ancient Israel's lusting after evil things, idolatry, tempting Christ, and murmuring with destruction by judgments happened as examples written for admonition for those upon whom the ends of the world are come, whose experience is like Israel's. Christians now are one body with ancient Israel under one unchanging Head, under the same injunction to be separate from the world by a wall of separation, with peculiar calling, character and prospects; to think one stands secure while departing from God, mingling with the world, drawing closer to the world and farther from God, and following the abominations and practices of the nations provokes wrath. Safety requires keeping separation, fleeing idolatry, watching and praying to resist temptation and avoid the world's snares, and trusting faithfulness not to allow temptation beyond what is common and bearable but to make a way of escape. No one is to say that does not mean me, for it is He who reads the heart, not self, who decides who stands; usefulness, position and large experience never remove need for change. The fall comes through presumptuous careless delay about the quick coming, saying My lord delayeth his coming, removing conviction of His soon coming from others, going off watch, being confirmed in worldliness and stupor, going downward not upward, hearts overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness and cares of life so that day comes unawares, with earthly passions and corrupt thoughts taking possession, teaching souls to trample the holy law, smiting fellow servants who strive to do the will, and eating and drinking with the drunken who are carnally minded and opposed. Each soul in service is to keep the eye single to God's glory and not be led astray by snares, examining self and influence whether by precept and practice he is an evil servant leading others in false paths, since influence always works for good or evil and every case will be tried and proved. Appetite and passion that overthrew Israel are not to be undervalued, sexual temptation requires doubly guarded watchfulness, improper reading that weakens mind and corrupts heart is not to be indulged, essential God-given work is not to be dropped for a claimed holiday, true repentance with sense of sin's guilt and casting self on mercy in Christ is indispensable for being safe for eternity, and faith in law and force without clasping the warm loving hand gives no safety amid winds of doctrine, skepticism and deceptive error.
To think one stands is to feel secure and self-sufficient and in no danger, and that very confidence is dangerous presumption that gives no protection, so to take heed is to stay humble and watchful and prayerful in close self-examination and dependence on Christ, lest by gradual imperceptible steps one slides into open sin and apostasy and ruin.
The warning is set in Israel's great privileges under the cloud and through the sea with spiritual food and drink from Christ, yet with many God was not well pleased because of lusting and idolatry and fornication and tempting Christ and murmuring, so thousands were overthrown in the wilderness as examples written for admonition to those upon whom the ends of the world are come.
Their experience resembles that of believers now standing as on the borders of the heavenly Canaan, where unbelief can lose heaven as rebellion lost earthly Canaan, with Satan redoubling the same temptations of pleasure and appetite and impurity as the end approaches.
Safety is only in constant distrust of self and steadfast looking to Jesus with fear and trembling, holding fast to God in daily communion and keeping the body under as Paul did, and this is the only election, for only those who take heed lest they fall will be accepted at last.
The warning stands with the assurance that God is faithful not to allow temptation beyond what is common and can be borne but to make a way of escape, so it calls not for despondency but for holding up the law as a mirror and growing in grace until defects are overcome lest they overcome the mind.
Israel's History Warns Today
Paul sets the warning in the midst of Israel's privileges, for all were under the cloud and passed through the sea and were baptized unto Moses and ate the same spiritual meat and drank the same spiritual drink from the spiritual Rock that followed them, which was Christ. They were led by cloud and fire, wonderfully preserved by manifested power, precious in God's sight and fed and given drink from Christ, yet with many God was not well pleased. Confidence in standing did not prevent their fall, for sharing spiritual privilege could not keep them when they displeased God through sin.
The sins that drew that displeasure and against which the warning guards are lusting after evil things, idolatry including the golden calf, fornication and joining Baal-peor, tempting Christ, and murmuring and complaining when brought into strait places. With these went unbelief, rebellion, disobedience and refusal to submit to God's arrangements, love of ease and pleasure, and departing from God to mingle with the world and follow the abominations of the nations. To think oneself secure while practicing these evils is fatal presumption that provokes wrath, so safety requires humble carefulness, separation from the world, and fleeing idolatry.
Their overthrow was a marked display of displeasure with swift judgments, thousands overthrown with polluted bodies left in the wilderness. Twenty-four thousand were destroyed for joining Baal-peor, and twenty-three thousand were slain in one day for licentiousness and idolatry. Nearly all who left Egypt died in the wilderness and were not led into Canaan, overthrown through gratification of appetite and passion despite special favor and long standing.
These things happened as examples and were written for admonition to those upon whom the ends of the world are come. They must be studied today for benefit because truth given for each age is unchangeable and no part of the Bible has died from old age, and the facts of departure from the commandments were to be repeated from time to time lest they be forgotten. Past privileges and faithfulness do not remove the need to heed them, and they leave present believers without excuse for turning from the counsels of the Spirit and repeating the same sins. God's church cannot reject His warnings and repeat Israel's course without suffering its sure result.
The warning presses now because present experience resembles Israel's journey, and God's people stand as Israel did on the borders of the heavenly Canaan. Like rebellious Israel lost the earthly Canaan, professed commandment-keepers with unbelieving hearts and outward obedience only can lose the heavenly Canaan despite great light and privileges. As the close of time approaches Satan redoubles his efforts to keep souls from entering the goodly land and lays snares for every soul, employing the same agents as three thousand years ago by worldly friendships, the charms of beauty, pleasure-seeking, mirth, feasting, and the wine-cup to the violation of the seventh commandment. The Jewish rejection of John the Baptist and Christ, treating warnings as idle tales and choosing a robber and murderer, stands as an added ensample against the same evil heart of unbelief.
Meaning of Standing Heedfully
To think one stands is to feel secure and confident, self-sufficient and in no danger, and that very confidence is itself dangerous. Such a feeling is no protection and does not remove danger, for it is fatal presumption to venture upon a course of self-pleasing while supposing oneself safe. The carnal heart must be brought under control daily and temptation is common to all, so professed standing never guarantees safety. The time one thinks himself secure is the time of greatest danger, when boastful self-confidence and neglect of watchfulness and prayer can lead to grievous sin, for a wily foe tracks every calling and no one this side of heaven is secure against temptation. No converted believer, however sincere, should say or feel that he is saved, since those who trust in themselves lose sight of weakness and constant need of divine strength and are left unprepared for Satan's devices until under temptation they fall into deep sin.
To take heed is humble carefulness against repeating Israel's sins and sharing their fall, refusing to feel secure while practicing the same evils that brought swift judgments and overthrow in the wilderness. It means staying alert and watchful, because confidence in standing does not prevent a fall even for those who shared spiritual privileges. It calls for clear discernment of evil and continued closeness to Christ as strength and power, with no dependence on self. It requires close self-examination to find weak points, watching unto prayer with fear and trembling, and learning defects of character and need of grace so that trial does not end in defeat. It also refuses to trust self, to criticize others, or to rely on men for guidance, fleeing idolatry and avoiding evil rather than presuming upon privilege at the end of the world.
To fall begins not with sudden ruin but by gradual, imperceptible steps, where self-conceit separates the soul from God and unwatchfulness with little prayer allows secret influences to lead into presumptuous actions and sins once resisted. Self-confidence and self-sufficiency lead down a gradual path, as when trust in self left one unprepared and brought denial against light and great privilege. A moment's carelessness can plunge a soul into ruin, for one sin opens the way to another and the second prepares the way for a third. Swerving even a single inch from duty can begin a course of sin that ends in perdition, open sin, apostasy, and loss of eternal life, and those who condemn another should remember their own danger and remain open to temptation. Even those who think they stand firm because they have the truth can fall terribly if they do not have the truth as it is in Jesus, unless they bind themselves to Christ and strive with every energy to attain the perfection of His character.
Self-Confidence Ends in Falling
Peter proves the warning, for his assurance that he would never deny his Lord came from ignorance of his own heart and was a refusal of Christ's true caution and reproof. Had he kept silence instead of speaking, thought in quietness, received Christ's words, felt his personal weakness and depended on Christ and the abiding Word in the soul rather than on self, he would not have disgraced himself with fearful humiliation against light and knowledge and great and exalted privilege and put Christ to open shame. No one this side of heaven is secure against temptation, and no converted believer however sincere should say or feel that he is saved, for those who trust in themselves lose sight of weakness and constant need of divine strength and are left unprepared for Satan's devices until under temptation they fall into deep sin. The same self-confident spirit works now in professed commandment-keepers who dishonor Christ and show hatred toward one another, and trust in self leads to failure where awakening to failure must come before restoration, yet all who have put Christ to open shame may be restored through His wondrous love and intercession, but unless the self-confident humble themselves and become as little children they will not see the kingdom of heaven.
Solomon proves the warning for the mature and aged, for even when mature, experienced, once steadfast, wise, strong in character and long established, strength can give way under temptation. Age, wisdom, past faithful service, position, privileges, intellectual strength and years of faithful service do not remove danger, and no one can safely trust in personal wisdom or integrity. The warning bears with special force on the aged pilgrim descending toward the close of life and facing the western sun, of whom firm character, rooted principles and freedom from pollution are expected, yet Solomon stands as a beacon proving that expectation false. A character naturally bold, firm and determined like an old cedar of Lebanon or oak of Bashan can be shaken like a reed in the wind and bent by inward sin and outward temptation through uncontrolled passion, becoming weakest when expected to be strongest. Therefore young and old must remain watchful, watch unto prayer continually, keep the grace of Christ ever in the heart, battle inward corruptions and outward temptations, and hold genuine faith that works by love and purifies the soul, because all cases are soon to pass in review before God.
The same fall overtook Adam and Eve in Eden when they yielded to appetite, the inhabitants of the Old World through lustful appetite and corrupt passions, and Israel though Christ Himself was with Moses and Joshua, so that through gratification of appetite nearly all who left Egypt died in the wilderness and were not led into Canaan. It overtook Moses the meek man when he was led to take to himself the glory God claimed, and David and Solomon who were especially favored of God yet were led to incur God's displeasure. Those who have resisted difficulty and run well for a time can still become restless and yield when temptation returns in a new form offering human honor and advantage, and reaching beyond capacity for a higher position can bring shame and leave them enslaved to the enemy who degrades and ruins them, as David's experience in Philistia shows. Achan's case proves the power of temptation must never be undervalued, because the very time a person thinks himself secure is the time of greatest danger of stumbling and falling, and temptation cannot be met and resisted in human strength alone.
Merely having the truth, receiving great light, doing prominent work, knowing much Scripture, holding high position or counting years of faithful service gives no protection against stumbling. Without having the truth as it is in Jesus, a moment of carelessness can lead into ruin, where one sin opens the way to another and turning even slightly from duty can begin a course ending in perdition. One so confident can make a leap in the dark, fall under temptation into dishonesty, and face judgment with confusion, and such a fall becomes a sorrowful beacon of warning to others. The danger comes through blind selfish human judgment that trusts self, takes counsel of self instead of making Jesus counselor, refuses His counsel and obedience, fixes heart and mind on what has no special bearing on the true point, reaches for something original, fastens on some word until truth is covered with mist, follows a jealous demand for greater labor while distant mission fields suffer, and at last repudiates doctrines long presented, thereby proving judgment untrustworthy and interpretations unsafe to follow, unable to feel feet on solid rock, in danger of misleading others and letting light go out in darkness. The call is to solemn watchfulness, to bind about the mind, to stay with what is essential for the work now, to say without shame what is not known rather than marring present truth, to keep before the mind what must be done to be saved in loving God supremely and neighbor as self, to work together with God to gather souls ready to die, and to seek opened eyes, discernment to reason from cause to effect, and knowledge of what to do at every step, binding self to Christ and striving with every energy to attain the perfection of His character in constant dependence on God's keeping power.
When a person becomes lifted up in his own eyes and trusts in his own ability and wisdom, God's Spirit is withdrawn and he is left to follow self until true character is revealed. Glorifying self and trusting own wisdom ends in being overthrown by reliance on own strength. Ministers who were praised and flattered became self-important and self-sufficient, trusted their own wisdom and made shipwreck of faith, showing the danger of presumption and the need to avoid even the first step in a ruinous course.
Safety in Christ Alone
Safety is only in constant distrust of self and dependence on Christ, with a clear sense of personal weakness, steadfast looking to Jesus, and continued closeness to Him as strength and power, for no one this side of heaven is secure against temptation and no converted believer, however sincere, can safely say or feel that he is saved. Self-confidence and self-sufficiency lead down a gradual path, as with Peter who came to believe himself safe and then denied his Master with fearful humiliation, for those who trust in themselves lose sight of weakness and constant need of divine strength and are left unprepared for Satan's devices until under temptation they fall into deep sin. The safeguard is watching unto prayer with fear and trembling, humble penitential prayer, learning defects of character and need of Christ's power and grace so that trial does not end in defeat, with clear discernment of evil and with unseen agencies setting a limit to the enemy. Those whose names are on the church book, especially the confident and self-sufficient, must closely examine spiritual standing before God, beware of being led away by error and losing steadfastness, grow in grace and in knowledge of Jesus Christ, and remain pressed together in unity to be strong to resist the enemy. Divided they become weak and fall, but by making it the business of life to be one as Christ was one with the Father they stand, and the safeguard is love for one another, which does not grow naturally but must be planted by the Spirit of God and carefully cultivated.
Even those of mature age and settled experience remain in danger, for age, mature character, high position, great privileges, intellectual strength, and years of faithful service give no safety, and no one can safely trust in personal wisdom or integrity. The warning bears with special force on the aged descending toward the close of life, of whom firm character, rooted principles, and freedom from pollution are expected, yet Solomon stands as a beacon proving that expectation false, for one once wise and steadfast became weak and a character naturally bold, firm, and determined can be shaken like a reed in the wind and a strong old cedar bent by temptation through uncontrolled passion. Therefore all who desire to save their souls, young and old, must watch unto prayer continually as the only safety, keep the grace of Christ ever in the heart, and battle inward corruptions and outward temptations, since temptations and inner struggles differ from person to person and Satan adapts his temptations to each character and temperament.
The warning stands together with the assurance that temptation is common to all and that God is faithful not to allow what is beyond what is common and bearable but to limit it and make a way of escape so it can be endured. Israel's privileges and deliverance did not keep them from falling in the wilderness, and their lusting after evil things, idolatry, tempting Christ, murmuring, love of ease and pleasure, worship of the golden calf, and licentiousness in joining Baal-peor, with twenty-four thousand destroyed and twenty-three thousand slain in one day, happened as examples and were written for admonition to those upon whom the ends of the world are come. Those facts of departure from the commandments were to be repeated lest they be forgotten, because to become boastful and self-confident, to neglect to watch and pray, to depart from God and place oneself on a level with idolatrous nations brings sure ruin and calls down wrath. Christians now are one body with ancient Israel under one unchanging Head, under the same injunction to be separate from the world by a wall of separation, with peculiar calling, character, and prospects, so no one now who is confident that he stands firm is secure but must stay alert not to fall in the same way, fleeing idolatry and keeping separation. For this reason the warning does not call for yielding to despondency or discouragement.
Constant watchfulness against falling is required, and this is the only election brought to view in the Word, for final acceptance depends on taking heed and only those who take heed lest they fall will be accepted at last. Israel's fall after witnessing God's power shows the danger of presumption, and the lesson of the golden calf must be studied by every person in every city, town, and household. The same watchfulness applies to self-pleasing and to pleasures that when repeatedly indulged strengthen desire for more and lead away from God, especially the young, and fathers, mothers, and watchmen must faithfully point out these dangers in the path of pleasure.
Continuance requires daily communion with God and constant care, with the heart holding fast to God and God holding fast to the heart, because temptation and a strong undercurrent constantly pull toward indifference, sin, and forgetfulness of God. No one stays converted by his own strength and no human heart stays strong without divine grace, for confidence about standing is no protection since the carnal heart must be brought under control every day and left alone it will fight against what is right and overcome virtue. If that hold is broken, self-confidence, self-sufficiency, and self-exaltation surely lead to stumbling and falling, and the moment anyone feels self-sufficient and confident he is in danger of disgraceful failure. The power of God through faith is the only dependence, as Paul showed by living by Christ in him and by keeping his body under and battling evil propensities, appetites, and passions with firm resistance for fear of becoming a castaway after preaching to others, and if the great apostle trembled at his own weakness no one has a right to be self-confident and boastful.
Taking heed means giving heed to the danger signals and warnings given in the Word, holding up God's royal law as a mirror to see individual character, keeping the mind elevated to the highest standard, and vigorously overcoming defects of character while growing in grace and knowledge. Confidence in spiritual standing is no safeguard against falling, and unless defects are overcome they will overcome the one who has them, the mind will lose power to retain what it had once gained, and he will lapse into error, apostasy, and open sin that will be plainly seen by the faithful.
Living Out the Warning
Fathers and mothers are to be watchful and to faithfully point out to the young the dangers constantly arising to lead them away from God, for there can be no presumption more fatal than venturing upon a course of self-pleasing. The warning bears especially upon the path of pleasure and amusement, where those who think amusement essential for health and happiness and allow attendance at parties of pleasure are in danger. The more the desire for pleasure is gratified the more it is cultivated and the stronger it becomes, until life experience is largely made up of self-gratification in amusement. Even those who think they stand firm must take heed lest they fall, for constant watchfulness is required and final acceptance depends on taking heed. The church's watchmen are to voice this warning and all are to heed it, since each person's conduct and influence leads others toward good or evil.
Physicians in sanitariums are in positive danger and must not be presumptuous but must walk humbly with God and take heed in order to avoid the perils surrounding them. Thinking oneself safe from temptation does not remove danger, and only a power higher and stronger than human power can hold the fort in medical institutions. Physicians and gospel ministers alike face peculiar temptations and cannot stand alone, for even after long successful preaching that has won the confidence of the people a minister remains too weak to resist temptation without being overcome. Standing requires practicing the principles of truth, governing habits and passions, keeping close to the side of Christ, and being kept by that higher power; without this preparation they will fall when tempted and lose eternal life. Physicians are in even greater danger than ministers, and past success, long preaching, and the confidence of others do not enable anyone to stand alone. Ministers therefore must watch soberly and resist pride and self-exaltation, remembering that Israel's failures before entering Canaan show God's people can face the same snares again.
Every believer, especially those in positions of trust, is to cast away all self-confidence, closely examine self to find weak points, cherish humility, and plead for grace and wisdom and for faith that works by love and purifies the soul. A high opinion of personal abilities and attainments with firm reliance on personal judgment leads a person to leave appointed work, forget the precautions told him to take, entangle himself in difficulty, make crooked paths for his feet, become confused and take up work not required, and incur God's displeasure. This is a dangerous age for any with talents of value, because constant temptation to pride and ambition makes one independent and self-sufficient and feeling capable of standing alone when God would use him. Teachers in particular are to examine themselves before God and guard against self-confidence and self-esteem that hide deficiencies. Those in high places who know reproofs, warnings, judgments and dealings with the disobedient yet blind themselves, exalt themselves, resist correction, criticize others, claim kingly power, look to men for permission, pile responsibility upon responsibility in one center, or take unfitted work continue a wicked course that leaves present believers without excuse, until only genuine conversion can make service acceptable.
Those who watch the errors of fellow workers with a jealous eye and feel sure they could avoid those mistakes need this caution, for such confidence of standing firm is itself dangerous. While they might not commit the same errors, defects in their own character will show in other directions and can lead into mistakes even more harmful to the cause, even into the very kind of mistake condemned in another. The verse is ever to be kept in mind and to govern conduct toward the unfortunate and suffering, checking natural but incorrect feelings, views, fears and the influence they exert, for no one knows how soon he may be brought into circumstances worse than theirs. When a brother yields to temptation or fails, humility and dependence are to be learned rather than confidence in own strength, fixation on faults, gossip, surmise, triumph, searching out and condemning faults, or bruising blood-bought children. Those whose names are on the church book, especially the confident and self-sufficient, are to closely examine spiritual standing, grow in grace and knowledge, stay awake to reprove sin and defend right, remain pressed together in unity to be strong to resist the enemy, and make it life's business to be one as Christ was one with the Father, for divided they become weak and fall. The safeguard is love for one another, which does not grow naturally but must be planted by the Spirit and carefully cultivated, healing wounds and restoring rather than relying on own efforts against God's work.
Ancient Israel's lusting after evil things, idolatry, tempting Christ, and murmuring with destruction by judgments happened as examples written for admonition for those upon whom the ends of the world are come, whose experience is like Israel's. Christians now are one body with ancient Israel under one unchanging Head, under the same injunction to be separate from the world by a wall of separation, with peculiar calling, character and prospects; to think one stands secure while departing from God, mingling with the world, drawing closer to the world and farther from God, and following the abominations and practices of the nations provokes wrath. Safety requires keeping separation, fleeing idolatry, watching and praying to resist temptation and avoid the world's snares, and trusting faithfulness not to allow temptation beyond what is common and bearable but to make a way of escape. No one is to say that does not mean me, for it is He who reads the heart, not self, who decides who stands; usefulness, position and large experience never remove need for change. The fall comes through presumptuous careless delay about the quick coming, saying My lord delayeth his coming, removing conviction of His soon coming from others, going off watch, being confirmed in worldliness and stupor, going downward not upward, hearts overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness and cares of life so that day comes unawares, with earthly passions and corrupt thoughts taking possession, teaching souls to trample the holy law, smiting fellow servants who strive to do the will, and eating and drinking with the drunken who are carnally minded and opposed. Each soul in service is to keep the eye single to God's glory and not be led astray by snares, examining self and influence whether by precept and practice he is an evil servant leading others in false paths, since influence always works for good or evil and every case will be tried and proved. Appetite and passion that overthrew Israel are not to be undervalued, sexual temptation requires doubly guarded watchfulness, improper reading that weakens mind and corrupts heart is not to be indulged, essential God-given work is not to be dropped for a claimed holiday, true repentance with sense of sin's guilt and casting self on mercy in Christ is indispensable for being safe for eternity, and faith in law and force without clasping the warm loving hand gives no safety amid winds of doctrine, skepticism and deceptive error.