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Can a Saved Man Choose to Be Lost?


Copyright c by Joe Crews.
  All rights reserved.

Some of the most dramatic and adventurous stories in the Bible
revolve around the meteoric rise of Elijah the prophet.  Like a
shooting star he flashed out of obscurity and changed the
character of a whole nation in a very short time.
Little is known about the background of this colorful reformer
of Israel.  Called of God from the rugged mountains of Gilead,
he walked into the palace of King Ahab while apostasy was at its
darkest point.  Fired by a holy indignation, he confronted the
wicked ruler of Israel with words of judgment, "There shall not
be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word."  1 Kings
17:1.
After delivering his inspired message, the courageous prophet
was commanded by God to hide himself in the eastern wilderness
by the brook Cherith.  There God arranged providentially for
ravens to deliver food to the isolated fugitive during the
predicted years of famine.
As the land baked and cracked under the withering heat of the
sun, every green plant died for lack of water.  But Elijah was
well supplied, morning and evening, by the miraculous ministry
of the ravens.  In addition to the bread and flesh brought by
the birds, God provided plenty of refreshing water from the
splashing brook which flowed nearby.
What a perfect picture of God's power and willingness to care
for the physical needs of His faithful servant!  With pleasure
we contemplate that scene of restful abundance.  The prophet had
no problems.  Everywhere else the people were suffering from the
terror of the draught, but God would not let His obedient child
lack for anything.  Without fail, the ravens flew in twice a day
with their fare of food and the brook was always yielding its
life-giving supply of water.
Haven't we seen the same kind of providence in our own day?  The
God of Elijah still takes care of the needs of His children.
The prophet was walking in the center of God's will, and the
promised blessings never failed.  Or did they?
Let's read on in the biblical account:  "And the ravens brought
him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the
evening; and he drank of the brook.  And it came to pass after a
while, that the brook dried up."  1 Kings 17:6, 7.
Can't you picture the shock and disappointment as Elijah walked
out to the brook to get his daily water supply?  He looked down
upon the dry, brown stones of the brook-bed and could scarcely
believe what he saw.  Not a drop of water remained.  A terrible
tragedy had overtaken him--THE BROOK HAD DRIED UP!
We have no way of knowing how long God tested His prophet by the
barren brook.  For a time, at least, Elijah had to wait in
faith.  It probably seemed that all the promises were failing.
God had abandoned him to an agonizing death in the parched
wilderness.  But as he lingered and listened, God spoke these
words, "Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon,
and dwell there:  behold, I have commanded a widow woman there
to sustain thee."  1 Kings 17:9.
Don't you see how God closed one door so that He could open
another one?  Elijah had been there long enough.  God had
another experience waiting for him in Zarephath.  God provided
the brook, and God dried it up.  It would have been a tragedy
for the prophet to remain longer in the wilderness.  Life was
moving on.  In the dynamics of divine Providence, Elijah was
scheduled to experience another miracle in another place.  Had
the brook not dried up, he would have stayed there.  He would
have relaxed in the satisfying fullness of material blessing.
But he would have missed the widow's cruse, the Carmel
experience, and Elisha plowing in the field.
Listen, God's brooks always dry up.  He doesn't want us to stay
in the same place all the time.  That is our great problem.  We
get by our comfortable brook, surrounded by peaceful plenty, and
want to rest there the remainder of our days.  Then when God
allows the brook to dry up, we often weep and blame God for
afflicting us.
Let me ask you, was Elijah backsliding when the brook dried up
on him?  No, he was growing spiritually.  Zarephath was many
times more wonderful than Cherith.  But please take note that
God closed up Cherith before He revealed Zarephath.  Faith had
to be tested.  There is always the time when everything looks
absolutely hopeless.  It happened with Elijah and it will happen
to us.

The Eternal "Why?"

Almost daily I stand with people beside their dried-up brooks
trying to help them see that the world has not come to an end.
One of the hardest questions for a minister to answer is "Why?"
Why did my baby die?  Why did I lose my job?  Why are my
children so unconcerned about spiritual things?  Why did my
companion abandon me for another?
Under the emotional stress of our loss we tend to blame God for
making some terrible mistakes in dealing with our lives.  It is
so human to do this because we have no way of seeing the future.
I can still remember weeping, as a child, when I read the story
of Joseph for the first time.  He had been so happy and
carefree.  Then, suddenly, his brook dried up.  He was on the
way to Egypt as a slave.  How Jacob grieved for that lost boy!
We can hear him moaning, "Simeon is not and Joseph is gone.  Now
you want to take Benjamin from me.  Everything is against me."
Genesis 42:36.
How familiar it sounds.  Poor Jacob couldn't see through the
"whys" any more than we can.  But a little while later we see
him on his camel, hurrying toward Egypt.  His heart was
overflowing with joy.  Another brook had broken forth in his
life.  And then we hear Joseph saying to his brothers, "Ye
thought evil against me:  but God meant it unto good."  Genesis
50:20.
It is so easy to look back as Joseph did that day and confess
that the disappointments have really been His appointments.  Why
can't we have the faith to stand by our dried-up brooks and make
that confession?  Someday in the future every redeemed soul will
do it in retrospect.  God delights in those who will take Him at
His word and claim the promise of Romans 8:28 even while the
heart is breaking with sorrow.  "All things work together for
good to them that love God, to them who are the called according
to his purpose."

The Fires of Affliction

The Bible is laced with texts about the spiritual benefits of
suffering.  Peter said to "think it not strange concerning the
fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing
happened unto you."  1 Peter 4:12.  Paul assures us that "all
that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution."
2 Timothy 3:12.  And James makes the incredible statement,
"Count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing
this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience."  James
1:2, 3.
In the light of these and many more similar statements, we must
confess that there are mysterious blessings associated with
trials and suffering.  James indicates that they develop the
very character traits which mark those who will be candidates
for the Kingdom.  In Revelation the saints are described in
these words:  "Here is the patience of the saints:  here are
they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus."
Revelation 14:12.
Obviously, patience is a requirement for those who are redeemed
out of this world.  James says that patience is developed by
tests and trials.  This clearly teaches us that suffering may
indeed be a necessary molding process in our preparation for
heaven.
David, who also suffered much, came to this amazing conclusion:
"It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might
learn thy statutes."  Psalms 119:71.  Again, he wrote, "Before I
was afflicted I went astray."  Psalm 119:67.
Until a Christian learns this simple Bible principle, he will
live in a ferment of doubt and uncertainty.  Every experience of
disappointment will raise fresh questions concerning God's
justice and love.  Many Christians hold the childish view that
because we have accepted Jesus and because He loves us,
therefore, He will use His mighty power to preserve us from
every pain and trial.
The inspired record reveals that because He loves us, He will
often permit us to pass through the fires of affliction.  Why
does He do it?  Because He sees that this is the only way to
prepare us to be with Him for eternity.  God is actually
answering the prayers of those who have asked for purification
of life.  When we pray for God to eradicate sin from our life,
we must be ready to accept His ordained method of accomplishing
that work.  Grinding trials appear to be part of the machinery
by which sanctification is effected.
It is very likely that more Christians have lost their faith
over this issue than any other.  Every pastor has watched and
prayed with his suffering people as they struggled with the
"why" of their dried-up brook.
Not even the most consecrated Christian can be insulated from
shock and grief when loved ones are taken by death.  But they
can be prepared ahead of time so that their faith will not give
way under the stress of loss.
The secret is to rest upon the assurance that God will not
permit any circumstance that is not for our best good.  This
requires faith, but it is not difficult to trust the One who
died for us.  We must keep on reminding ourselves that God will
allow many situations which will seem to us like terrible
tragedies.  We will not be able to discern any logic or reason
behind the events.  Our human faculties may rebel at the very
thought that any good could ever result from such circumstances.
Here is where we must cling to the Word of God and nothing else.
This is the dividing place between the mature and immature
Christian.  The loss will either drive us closer to Jesus, or
cause us to turn from Him.  At this point, everything depends
upon the personal relationship which has been developed prior to
the crisis.  Those who have understood and accepted the
principle that God's love will not allow any trial which is not
for our best good--only they will be able to relate properly to
the experience.

Reasons for Trusting

We have said that faith alone will hold us in this kind of
traumatic test.  Nevertheless, our faith is not blind or
unreasonable.  We have a fabulous reservoir of experiences with
God which prove His unfailing love and concern for us.  Why
should this one be any different?  Even though I can't
understand it, I can trust Him who has promised.  If His Word
has never failed before, how could it fail in this situation?
Then, like Job, we can say, "Though he slay me, yet will I trust
in him."  Job 13:15.
Here we may learn a lesson from the trustful manner in which
parents surrender their children into the hands of a surgeon.
How can they submit that beloved child to the cutting of that
knife and the throbbing pain which inevitably follows?  Two
factors make it easy for them to place such confidence in the
doctor.  They trust his skill and ability to operate
successfully, and they have faith in his wisdom to do the right
thing at the right time for the good of their child.  They also
know that after the temporary suffering is past that the child
will be better off than it was before the pain.
If we can trust a human physician who often fails, why is it so
hard to trust a divine One who never fails?  Probably none of
our children would ever choose to be operated on, no matter how
serious the condition.  It is only because of our greater
knowledge of their case that we submit them to the surgery.  In
the same manner, we would never choose to experience the trials
and afflictions which our heavenly Father often allows to come
upon us.  He understands the case completely and knows that
after the passing pain we will be better prepared for a happier
future.
And here is a beautiful parallel in that illustration:  Even
though I know my child will be greatly improved as a result of
the cutting, I still suffer right along with him.  I sit up
during the long hours of the night, holding his hand and
ministering to every possible need.
Don't think for one moment that our wonderful Father in heaven
doesn't do the same thing for us.  Like a small child we may cry
over the pain and blame our Father for allowing the cutting to
be done.  And like a human parent, God must weep because He has
no way to communicate His reason for subjecting us to the pain.
It is just as impossible for us to understand God's decision for
our lives as it is for our children to comprehend our decisions
for them.
I think it would be an overwhelming revelation to see ourselves
without God's mysterious permissions, painful though they be.
Only when we see Jesus face to face and reason on the plane of
immortality will we be able to thank Him for allowing things to
be just exactly as they were.
I can look back upon certain shattering experiences in my past
and recognize how they altered the entire direction of my life.
It is easy for me to see how any significant change in those
disappointing events could have sent me in a totally opposite
direction.  I tremble to think what my life might now be had God
not measured out to me those bitter experiences.

Chosen from Eternity

If indeed the hardships are necessary to prepare us for entrance
into heaven, then they should be looked upon as a part of God's
great election plan for our salvation.  Isaiah wrote, "Behold, I
have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in
the furnace of affliction."  Isaiah 48:10.
What a difference it makes in our attitude if we can see
suffering as a sign of God's special choice for us to spend
eternity with Him.  He loved us before we were born, and
according to Paul, "He hath chosen us in him before the
foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without
blame before him in love."  Ephesians 1:4.
Can you fathom the exciting reality of that truth?  You are one
upon whom the eye of God has rested from eternity.  Through all
those eons of time, divine Wisdom has been perfecting a detailed
plan for your sanctification and ultimate salvation.  As you
submit to Him, He will certainly perform only what has been
determined as absolutely essential to carry out His plan for
your life.  If that plan allows for heartaches here and there,
and even apparent disasters from time to time, God will never
permit more than we can bear.  He will be there to measure and
temper the furnace according to our strength and according to
our need.
Does that sound like a contrived explanation for the problem of
pain and affliction?  It will, no doubt, to the person who does
not believe in the existence of God.  He scoffs at the idea that
a loving, omnipotent Deity would not intervene to spare His
followers from all trouble and pain.  Often the believer is
hard-pressed to justify the apparent arbitrary manner in which
some suffer and some are spared.  How can we respond to the
accusation that a just God would protect all His people from all
trouble at all times?
First of all, let us concede that God could do that very thing.
He has the power to prevent accidents.  He could commission
angels and the Holy Spirit to override the law of cause and
effect in the lives of all Christians.  They would not get bad
colds, stub their toes, or contract cancer.
What would be the effect of such a program?  The answer is
obvious.  Everyone would rush into the Christian camp in order
to be protected from trouble in the flesh.  The world would
literally be compelled to follow Christ for purely physical
reasons.  God doesn't build His kingdom upon appeals to such
motives.
It seems logical that God had to allow the natural laws to
operate equally upon all to demonstrate the unconditional nature
of His love.  Christians do inherit the same genetic weaknesses
as others who have no faith.  They have accidents, and often die
of the very same diseases which assail the unbeliever.
Physically, then, is there any difference in the way Christians
suffer, and the way non-Christians suffer?  The answer to that
question must be carefully qualified.  God reveals no partiality
in the way He permits natural law to affect all mankind.  Any
difference which enters the picture must be based upon the
individual's response rather than any difference God makes
between categories or classes.  This is another way of saying
that no one in the world can prevent troubles coming into his
life, but he can decide what those troubles do to his life after
they happen.
The Christian meets trouble by surrendering to the will of God
and praying for a spirit to profit from whatever God permits.
Such a trusting faith can not only bring power to bear the
suffering with less trauma, but also, in some cases, to be
healed of the affliction as well.  This response of God to the
faith of an individual has nothing to do with favoring a class
of people.  God is still operating within the framework of law,
but this time spiritual law instead of natural.  That law is not
limited to any nationality, race, or religion.  All who approach
Him in faith will tap into the same reservoir of divine power.
Even though God's love is unconditional, His healing power is
not.  Nevertheless, the conditions are the same for all, and He
delights to set the spiritual laws of asking, believing, and
receiving into operation for anyone.
Here, then, lies the most understandable human explanation for
the mysterious way some are afflicted and others are not.  Some
are delivered and healed, while others suffer and die.  God has
to deal with each individual on the basis of that person's faith
and the kind of prayer he offers.  If his greatest concern is
for God to mold him and prepare him for heaven, his prayer will
be for God to shape all the circumstances of his life to that
end.  In order to answer such a prayer of faith, God may have to
permit experiences of pain or affliction.
Again, God will have to answer that prayer according to His
omniscient knowledge of the future of that individual.  Only One
who accurately foresees the consequence of every act can safely
be trusted to control the circumstances of life.
Is it hard to submit to a God who does not always explain His
omniscient actions?  Indeed, it would be impossible to trust Him
if we had no other subjective evidences of His commitment to our
happiness.  But anyone who believes that Jesus was willing to
die in his place would have to believe also that Jesus would
always work for his best good.  God would have to deny His own
nature to do anything against the one He loved more than His own
life.
This is the assurance that sustains those who suffer under
unexplainable circumstances.  Even though they can't understand
why God allows their condition, they know it would be totally
contrary to God's nature to permit anything against their
highest interests.  Their faith dares to believe that if they
could see the future as God sees it, they themselves would
choose no other way than He chooses.
Is there evidence that obstacles and hardships are sometimes
necessary for the highest achievement?  Nature itself bears
witness that it is so.  Certain migratory birds must wait for
strong, opposing winds before they can achieve the heights
necessary for their long-distance flights.  There are some
fruits which cannot ripen until they have been nipped by the
frost.



Can Hardships Help Us?

Are there souls who cannot mature until they have been buffeted
by hardships and opposition?  Undoubtedly.  We think of Moses
spending forty years in the wilderness before God could use him
for leading Israel out of bondage.  We marvel at the years John
was isolated and imprisoned on Patmos before he could become the
writer of Revelation.  And Paul experienced torture and
imprisonment before he could write, "Godliness with contentment
is great gain."  1 Timothy 6:6.
I believe Paul was ripened for the Kingdom during those seasons
of solitary confinement.  I think John needed the rest from
constant, wearying oversight of the churches.  It is almost
impossible for human beings to recognize the limits of their
physical endurance.  They seldom stop in time to prevent
damaging collapse.  A Cambridge naturalist released a pigeon
that had been born in a cage.  For the first time the bird used
its wings to fly around the laboratory room.  Around and around
went the pigeon, excited and panting.  Finally, in utter
exhaustion, the frantic bird crashed into a wall and fell to the
floor seriously injured.  Only then did the scientist realize
that the pigeon had inherited the instinct to fly but not to
stop its flight.  Had it not been willing to risk the shock of a
crash landing, the bird would have died of stress in midair.
Sometimes God has to stop people from their furious pace before
they destroy their own usefulness.  The trauma of a sudden stop
may be hard to understand and accept.  Sickness, loss of job, or
even tragedy may be necessary in order to provide time for
physical and spiritual recuperation.  "Be still, and know that I
am God."  Psalms 45:10.  In the thoughtful hours and days of
slow recovery from surgery, many have found the secret of life
in Christ.
Perhaps only God understands why pain is often the only thing
which can get the attention of human beings.  Never should we
blame God for utilizing the one device which will ultimately
draw us to Him.  Strange as it may seem, prosperity, good
health, and smooth sailing do not attract the soul to God.  A
man was imprisoned in a tower and was trying to alert passersby
of his dilemma.  They could not hear his cries, so he began to
drop gold coins from his pocket to attract their attention.  But
although they scrambled about to recover all the falling money,
not one pedestrian looked up to see the plight of the prisoner.
Finally, he managed to break off a chunk of mortar from the
crumbling wall and dropped it out the window.  It struck a man
on the head, injuring him.  Only then did the man look up and
get the message from above.
In the same way all manner of blessings are taken for granted.
Instead of looking to the source, we are busily gathering more
from the world around us.  It is only when we are hurt that we
look up and begin to listen to the message God has been trying
to communicate.

Looking for the Reasons

After a period of test, will God always reveal the reasons for
His divine permissions in our lives--His dried-up brooks?
Eventually, yes.  But not necessarily in this life.  Our faith
may have to hold us steady until God can explain to us, face to
face, why it had to be.  Paul finally came to know why God
allowed his thorn in the flesh.  It was to keep him from feeling
exalted over the abundance of revelations granted him.  I may
have to wait until Jesus comes to understand why my little
eight-year-old son suffered so long before dying of a brain
tumor.
It took a few years for the citizens of Coffee County, Alabama,
to understand why the boll weevil invaded their fields,
devastating the cotton industry completely.  After turning to
diversified farming and eventually doubling their income from
growing peanuts, the farmers of Coffee County erected a monument
to the boll weevil.  In the memorial inscription, credit is
given to the boll weevil for forcing the change of crops,
creating unprecedented prosperity for that area.
Christians should look for the reason when trials appear.
Usually, a new door will open when one brook dries up.  But if
the years bring no satisfactory explanation of tragic loss, then
we should trust Him still.  Someday He will make it plain to us.
In the meantime, we are sustained by the comfort of the One who
fully understands our griefs and sorrows.  Jesus became one of
us so that He could experience every  pain and be a faithful
Intercessor for us.  Only those who have passed through the same
suffering can truly sympathize and communicate with our hearts.
When one grief-stricken father cried out, "Where was God when my
son was killed in that car accident?" the answer quietly came
back, "He was exactly where He was when His Son was tortured and
killed on the cross."
Isn't there a tremendous lesson in that answer?  If God would
not intervene to save His own Son's life because He saw that
great good would eventually result, then He must have seen some
future good when He allowed my son to die also.  And is that not
the reason I could feel the sweet, personal touch of the Father
upon my life during those dark hours of grief?  He knew exactly
how I felt.  He could minister to me as no human friend could
do.  Has not my own ability to provide healing comfort been
greatly strengthened because I have shared a similar sorrow with
those who have lost children?
Christians should have no illusions about the source of
afflictions.  Sin is the cause of all suffering in the world
today.  God is often blamed for doing the devil's work.  Not one
cancer has ever been caused by God.  In the experience of Job we
have a perfect picture of Satan's mischievous program to afflict
God's faithful children.  Up to certain limits God allowed Job
to be tested by the great adversary, and the triumphant
conclusion of the story reveals why God permitted things to go
as far as they did.  Job emerged from the devastating trials
with a stronger faith and greater prosperity than he had before.
There may be many reasons that God allows Satan limited access
to His followers, but one of the chief positive effects is to
keep Christians constantly on guard against sin.  Through the
exercise of a wide-awake conscience, the first approach of our
cunning enemy can be recognized and repulsed.  The knowledge
that he is apt to attack at any moment or place develops a
healthy spirit of alert defensiveness.
The story is told of one old Cape Cod fisherman who always
hauled in the most sought-after catch of the entire fleet.
Because his fish were so lively and healthy, they invariably
commanded the highest prices in the marketplace.  In vain did
the other fishermen try to uncover the secret of his success.
Only after his death was the formula revealed by his son, and it
was as simple as it was effective.  After securing his load of
fish safely in the holding tank, the old fisherman would loose
several pugnacious catfish into the tank.  The constant fear of
attack kept all the commercial fish in agitated motion,
preserving them from the normal lethargic state brought on by
prolonged captivity.  Their obvious alertness made them the most
desirable in the eyes of the buyers.
Can we not see in this story a possible reason for our own
harassment by the wily Satan?  Does God allow him to threaten us
so that we might be constantly in a protective stance?  Perhaps
this provocation is exactly what we need to produce a necessary
attitude of vigilance.
In the days of the Napoleonic wars, before radio or telegraph
had been invented, messages had to be sent by semaphore signals.
Even from a long distance the flags could be deciphered as they
slowly spelled out words letter by letter.  It was by this
method that the Battle of Waterloo was reported to the anxious
citizens of London.
For years Napoleon had struggled to bring Europe to his feet.
Finally his goal was in sight and only the thin, red line of
Highlanders stood in his way at Waterloo.  The banks of England
had poured every available pound into government loans to defeat
Napoleon.  If the Battle of Waterloo was lost, Britain would be
lost.
On the coasts of Dover the people of London gathered to watch
for news of the battle.  Suddenly they saw across the channel
the big semaphore begin to move.  Painfully slow, the letters
began to form into the first words of a message:  "W-E-L-L-I-N-
G-T-O-N  D-E-F-E-A-T-E-D."  Then suddenly, a dense fog settled
over the scene and blotted out the signals.  But the people had
seen enough to convince them that their general had been put to
rout.  In despair they fled the city.  Raw militia rushed to the
coast prepared to die in desperate hand-to-hand combat with the
expected invasion force.  Road blocks were erected and houses
hastily fortified.
For two days London resigned itself to destruction.  Then the
storm abated and the fog began to lift.  Watchers saw the
semaphore flags begin to move once more, and the message was
slowly spelled out:  "W-E-L-L-I-N-G-T-O-N   D-E-F-E-A-T-E-D  N-
A-P-O-L-E-O-N  A-T  W-A- T-E-R-L-O-O."  The joy of the people
knew no bounds as the full import of the news struck home.
Living in a world that is often obscured by tears and human
misunderstanding, we do not always have access to the whole
truth.  Like the despairing Londoners, we are not able to see
past the apparent tragedies of His interrupted message.  When
the fog of unbelief is lifted and the veil is completely taken
away, we will recognize for the first time that there was no
defeat at all.  It had been victory from the very beginning, but
we just didn't have the rest of the message.  The whole message
will be understood only when Jesus Himself speaks to us beyond
the mist of our limited human view.
In the meantime, what is the solution?  The solution, my friend,
is simply to trust the promise of One who has never failed us
yet.  "And we know that all things work together for good to
them that love God, to them who are the called according to his
purpose."  Romans 8:28.

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