“Beware lest there be among you a root bearing poisonous and bitter fruit, one who, when he hears the words of this sworn covenant, blesses himself in his heart, saying, ‘I shall be safe, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart.’” – Deuteronomy 29:18b-19a
Consider these words very, very carefully. We who follow Jesus are strongly tempted to do exactly what God says bears poisonous and bitter fruit. We loudly proclaim how blessed we are in Jesus (and we certainly are) while stubbornly continuing to practice our favorite sins. The temper we don’t control. The lust we don’t resist. The tongue we don’t restrain. We “yada, yada, yada” the teachings and commands of Jesus, hearing them and letting them roll off our backs like water off a duck. We let God’s Word pass in one ear and out the other without producing the slightest change in how we think, speak, or act. Why? Because we tell ourselves we’re safe, we’re blessed, and we’re saved. Beware this poisonous and bitter fruit!
Christians have an ENORMOUS ability to excuse, explain away, or rationalize outright disobedience to the clear teaching of Scripture. On matters related to sexual immorality, violence, envy, anger, greed, and gossip, just to name a few. We explain away lack of concern for the poor and vulnerable around us, particularly widows, orphans, and immigrants, all of whom are directly addressed by Scripture. We excuse causing division with other Christians because our ideas, our preferences, and our priorities are so important that we simply must speak our mind and get our way. We rationalize how the Sermon on the Mount couldn’t possibly be serious or literal or applicable to us because of God’s grace.
Beware!!! Jesus is very clear that faith in Him which doesn’t change anything about a person and doesn’t result in a desire to obey Him can’t save anyone. God’s grace is free but it certainly isn’t cheap. It calls every believer to a high bar of holiness driven by gratitude for what Jesus did for us on the cross. If you aren’t praying and striving to live like that and God’s word isn’t regularly poking you, challenging you, and changing you, you need to beware! #FollowJesus