SCRIPTURAL ACROPHOBIA
DON'T LET ME FALL

Even though it has been several years ago, I remember the event as if it happened yesterday. The congregation, with which I used to work in Cincinnati, Ohio, was building a new church building. We had out-grown the old facility and needed more space and had decided that we would build it ourselves. The work progressed slowly until finally it was time to put the singles on the roof. A number of men grabbed their hammers and belts full of roofing nails and headed up those ladders. I had been involved in every step of the construction to that point and was determined to be involved in this step as well. So I grabbed my hammer and headed up the ladder. I got to the roof, stepped off of the ladder onto the roof, and promptly froze. It was higher than I thought and it was at that moment that I discovered that I suffer a little bit of acrophobia. Acrophobia is defined as "an abnormal fear of being in high places." I prefer a more practical definition. I was just plain afraid of falling. With assistance, placing one foot with extreme care before the other, I was able to make it down. To this day I am not too fond of being on roofs, and the closer to the edge I get, the worse it is. 

In Ephesians 5:15 & 16, the Apostle Paul wrote, "Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil " The word that is rendered, "careful" in verse 15 comes from the Greek word "akribos". It is the word from which we get the English word "acrobat". It means, "exactly, accurately, diligently". We all know that an acrobat on the high wire has to walk and act with extreme care. In the same way, Christians are admonished to "watch their step", and to be very careful and wise as to how we conduct ourselves in this life. 

There is a doctrine that sprang from the mind of a man named John Calvin that is very popular today. It is known as the "Impossibility of Apostasy". It is also sometimes simply referred to as "Once Saved, Always Saved", or the "Impossibility of Falling From Grace." The doctrine asserts that once a person has been "saved", he or she can never so sin as to be eternally lost. This is a very comforting doctrine and full of all assurance. The only problem with it is that it is just not true. 

We are going to look at several men in the New Testament who had what I want to call "Spiritual Acrophobia7'. What I mean by that is that they were afraid of falling from God's grace. They understood quite well that even though they were inspired men, some even apostles, they could still fall and lose their eternal reward if they ceased to abide in the Word of the Lord. 

Let us begin with Paul. Paul, a called Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul, referred to by the Lord as, "a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel. " This is Paul, one who wrote of himself, 'for in no respect was I inferior to the most eminent apostles " (2 Cor. 12:1 1) Yet the much admired Apostle Paul had what we are calling "Spiritual Acrophobia".      He believed that it was possible for him to fall. 

In I Cor. 9:23-27, the Apostle talked about the running of the race of life in order to obtain the prize at the end. He used the illustration of those who run in a race to obtain a corruptible crown to compare with the real race of life, and the real crown, the incorruptible crown- eternal life.   Pay close attention to the manner in which Paul said he ran the race. The passage says, "And I do all things for the sake of the gospel, that I may become a fellow partaker of it. Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. And everyone who competes in the games exercises setf- control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air,- but I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest possibly, after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified " 

What would be the point of Paul writing what he wrote if it were impossible for him to be "disqualified", or a “castaway", as some translations render it? 

In the same book, I Corinthians, and in 10:12, Paul wrote, "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. What does that mean if it does not mean that it is possible for one to fall? 

Paul never reached the point in his spiritual life when he thought that he had "reached the summit", so to speak; where he had reached the tip of spirituality and could never fall. He knew it was possible to turn from the Lord and he lived his life accordingly. 

When certain of the Galatian brethren had given in to teachers who were demanding that the Gentiles adhere to certain aspects of the Law of Moses to be saved, Paul wrote these words to them, "You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.” (Gal. 5:4) Everyone knows that you can't fall off a table that you are not on and that you can't fall out of a tree that you are not in. In the same way a person could not "fall from grace" unless he or she had been "in grace". Paul was writing to brethren and saying clearly that they could fall. 

I am not certain if Paul wrote the book of Hebrews, personally I believe that he did. But whoever wrote that inspired book had a great deal to say about this subject. In another book addressed to Christians, the Hebrew writer wrote in Heb. 10:26-31, the following, "For If we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain terrifying expectation of judgment, and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, Vengeance is Mine, I will repay. And again, The Lord will judge His people. It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. " 

The Hebrew writer was writing of individuals who had received the knowledge of the truth and had been sanctified by the blood of the covenant. He is writing about Christians who sin willfully, and trample under foot the Son of God. He wrote that what such individuals had to look forward to was the vengeance and judgment of God - a terrifying thing! Does that sound like "Once Saved, Always Saved" to you? Does that sound like the "Impossibility of Falling From Grace"? 

James was another New Testament figure who had "spiritual acrophobia". He knew that it was possible for a Christian to fall from the spiritual heights to which he had attained.    It is believed by most scholars that the writer of the book of James was in fact the physical brother of Jesus. As he brought the letter of James to a close, we find the following in 5:19 & 20, "My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth, and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death, and will cover a multitude of sins." 

Again we note the popular teaching of today is that a "saved" individual can never so sin as to be lost. But James was writing to Christians. He began the letter by saying, "My brethren ", and verse 19 of chapter 5 begins with, "My brethren ". He wrote, "if any among you". Any who? The brethren. "If any among you strays from the truth". My friends, to “stray” is "to wander, a forsaking of the right path." 

James knew. He understood that it was possible to fall, and he warned others through his writing to be careful lest they “miss the mark" and "wander, forsaking the right path." There is only one right path.    The Lord referred to it as the "narrow way". It just stands to reason that if you begin a journey on the right path, but then forsake it, you will not end up where you intended to go. 

The Apostle Peter also had "spiritual acrophobia". He knew by inspiration and by personal experience that it was possible for a Christian to fall. We will consider several verses from 2 Peter 1, and see if we can follow Peter's train of thought. In verses 5-8, Peter shows that there is more to pleasing God than simply believing in Him. The passage says, "Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in our faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge; and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness; and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.     For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. " 

If we look at verse 9, we can see just how important these things are. Peter wrote, "For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins."  Failure to add these attributes to one's belief shows that person to be spiritually blind, shortsighted, and ungrateful. But now to the point at hand. What about the "spiritual acrophobia"? In verse 10, Peter wrote, "Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble." What happens to the Christian who doesn't do these things? If doing them assures us that we will never fall, what does not doing them do? Friends, our "never falling" has been, is, and always will be, contingent upon our "being all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you". Peter knew better than some, that a child of God can fall from God's favor and be lost. 

In the same book of 2 Peter, we find in 2:20-22, "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, 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 delivered to them. 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." 

Peter was writing of individuals who had "escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ".    That is describing a Christian. But that same Christian can turn back to the world and become entangled and overcome by it, and be lost. 

John was yet another who had "spiritual acrophobia", who understood that it was possible for a child of God to so sin as to be lost, to fall from the spiritual heights to which he or she had attained. 

Consider I John 1:5-2:2. The passage says, "And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. My little children, I am writing these things to you that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world. " 

John readily acknowledged that a person can and does sin after becoming a Christian. He also made the point that "IF" we confess our sins and ask forgiveness of them through Jesus our Advocate, we can receive that forgiveness. Friends, "IF" makes that forgiveness conditional. It can be rendered or defined as "in the event of”. In other words, "In the event of our confessing our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 

What happens if we don't? What happens if a child of God does not confess his sins and ask for forgiveness? We can not say that a child of God does not sin, for if we say that we make the Lord out to be a liar and we make ourselves liars through our deceit. John knew that a Christian had better never reach the point where he has no fear of falling. Remember, "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. " 

When we take into consideration that these four men were responsible for approximately 75 to 80% of the New Testament writings, it should make us stop and take notice of what they have said. These men had the abiding sense of "Spiritual Acrophobia" - what we have been calling "The Fear of Falling". They knew it was possible. Even before the doctrine of "Once Saved, Always Saved" sprang from the mind of John Calvin during the Protestant Reformation, these inspired men of God were fighting against it through the Word of the Lord. 

I wish that I was not afraid to get up on a roof, but I pray that I never lose a healthy fear of falling from grace. I always want to take heed lest I fall, and you should too. 

Greg Litmer