The sin of stubbornness

A Stubborn and rebellious people

Reading in 1 Samuel today. Thinking on several things in the Scriptures throughout as I read.  Especially considering how continually they forgot the Lord, turned to idols, disobeyed His specific commands, and even perverted what He said and changed it ever so slightly or ignored it altogether.   They reject Him as King, and would not have Him reign over them (which reminded me of Luke 19).  In it there is a similar story (Jesus spoke in parables to those who would not hear (Israel). about His servants (Israel) who reject Him as King and would not have Him to reign over them (see 1 Sam 8:7). 

¹¹ And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear. ¹² He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. ¹³ And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. ¹⁴ But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.   Luke 19:11-14

I was thinking on how many ‘friends’ we have had who have become our enemy when we told them the truth (Gal 4:16).   I won’t name names, but discuss their errors on what they say is the truth.

Believing we are saved eternally is part of the gospel

Error #1

One friend insisted eternal security was not the gospel, and people didn’t need to believe that they received everlasting life in order to be saved. I asked her if we are not saved from eternal death, then what exactly has God saved us from?  What are we believing He saved us from?  And I gave her some Scriptures to prayerfully consider. She told me to stop quoting Scripture at her, that she could quote Scripture better than I could. (BTW, no need to respond to those types of comments, it is not what believers are exhorted supposed to speak like – 2 Cor 10:12).

Paul explains this long in 1 Corinthians 15, and also says it eats like a canker (in 2 Timothy 2).  Try to show them their error with His Word, but don’t allow them to continue with you if they will not hear because they will mislead others.

It saddens me when you tarry long (sometimes years with people) but they will not take heed to His Word but prefer instead to tell you what ‘they think’.  They may outright become your enemy and rail against you, or like some, maybe only go ‘underground’ and work to undermine the gospel. But whether they undermine us in particular doesn’t matter. It only matters, whether or not they are subtly deceiving others about the gospel.  Don’t bear with them.  Don’t allow them to make young ones stumble or worse, keep a lost person lost. We need to speak when we know.

This was the video that started the discussion.

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Repent from sin to be saved

Error #2

Another insisted repent from sin belonged in the gospel (as if repent = repent from sin).  It took her some years going over it for her to (repent) and say she believed that wasn’t true.  She originally called Jack Weaver (expreacherman.com) a heretic and tried to argue with me quite often on that subject.   I understood how she stubbornly clung to it, her daddy preached that way, and he was gone.  She spoke of the fear that he had before dying, not knowing if he would do something to lose his salvation before he died. How wretched a gospel (which is another) to believe.

Seemed as if she came to know the truth, yet behind the scenes unbeknownst to many of us, she was teaching others wrongly.  She became very legalistic in certain things and she would claim that if you didn’t do this, or you did do something else, you were never saved.   And ‘believing on Him’ wasn’t how she gauged whether they were saved or not, but based upon their performance.   

We see this often with backdoor loadship teaching (one WILL do works or one WILL NOT be carnal).  One young man brought her conversation out to the light after warning her to stop several times or he would.   It turned out she was doing the same to several new believers both by phone and in emails.  Some were really troubled and shaken, their faith made shipwreck or they were led astray.  Again, this is one of the cankers the Bible warns about.  This particular young man, sadly was very shaken at how many responded to him in defending this soft cuddly sheep clothing older woman.  I do not judge her salvation, only where her doctrine went, so don’t misunderstand me.   This is where many can mistakenly judge by the appearance, and not with a righteous judgment.   They look at the outside appearance and think — ‘that’s a sheep’.  That is not how we are to judge (John 7:24; Acts 17:11; 1 Tim 4:16; 1 Thess 5:21; Matt 7:15-23).

…for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.   1 Samuel 16:7

We can all make that mistake, and need to judge the words of people, their fruits, their doctrine.  This one was a charming and likable soft looking older woman who posted pretty Bible verse pictures. On the surface, harmless — but a mighty stubborn woman who insisted (without using Scriptures), insisting, ‘Christians will do certain things, and will not do other things’.  Make sure you make people use Scripture in context if they are pushing a certain doctrine and go check it yourselves please in prayer.   

Remember, don’t let rules and regulations and other people’s conscience dictate how you live, or you’ll find yourself finishing in the flesh likely.   I am not speaking of obvious rules that you might have in a private institution (like a college) or a workplace, but in the church itself.  We drive away people by putting rules to what someone should not look like (say a big beard, or tattoo, or a smoker, or one with a certain hair cut or color, or a casual dresser, etc.) and yet those with the inward sins (arrogance, pride, stubbornness, haughtiness etc), or maybe some not so obvious — we overlook as things instead we need to humble ourselves about.  Don’t look on the appearance.   Love others please humbly.

I do pray the Lord will show them the truth and that they might make it right with those who have been made to stumble. Some who were hurt came to light, and still are coming to light, God only knows who else is/has been hurt by these types.  Remember, the Word tells us to withdraw from these who do not obey the truth and we are to withstand publicly those who are not straightforward about the gospel of truth.

The Word of God is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of our heart

As I read the Bible, the Word not only convinces me of my current and past sins, but sometimes reminds me of the false doctrines of others. His Word brings light into our lives, and gives us so many things.

These people don’t DO this sin and they ALWAYS do this good work. And they stubbornly deny things that are seen in Scripture (i.e. an unfruitful or carnal believer). And they puff themselves up and say they do or do not do certain things.   They ignore certain portions of Scripture (that alone makes me fear) and persist in perverting the right way (and that means changing the truth to a lie).

And yet in 1 Samuel His Word says ‘stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry’. They ‘think’ they don’t commit the big sins (like so many we see out there preaching about who won’t go to heaven), but in their stubbornness and pride they are going against the greatest commandment (we all fail) by not loving God before all else. 

Their stubbornness is likened to idolatry — wonder if they’ve ever thought on that.