James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double minded.
Individuals who do not take up in earnest their war against sin and self who refuse to subdue latent the tendencies by the grace of God, but will rather make excuses for sin, will go missing in action. This can be deduced from the life experiences of the two sons of Isaac, namely, Esau and Jacob. Esau will not be saved, even though he and Jacob grew up in the same household, sitting in the same Sabbath school class, and having the same Christian parents.
He made light of the birthright which also included being the progenitor of Christ. Spiritual things were almost as a burden to him, and when he finally sold his birthright for a pot of lentils, he breathed a sigh of relief, and he felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted from off his shoulders. God took notice, and later on when he cried like a child for the blessing, it was forever gone with the wind.
Golden opportunities that are here today can be gone tomorrow, and some of us may take it for granted that because our names are on the church books, that we will be saved. This is an erroneous perspective. In fact, on any given Sabbath day, you will discover that very many members are no where to be found, some for valid reasons and some for invalid reasons. While it is good to be a member of God’s Remnant church, membership is not a guarantee of salvation because Jacob and Esau attended the same church, meaning that they were both exposed to the truth.
Matthew 8:12 But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study of His word. God bless!