A True and persevering faith

If our Heavenly Father was like an ungracious earthly father he may have given up on us the moment we have rebelled against him. But instead, our Father in heaven doesn’t turn a blind eye to our un-repented sin, he disciplines those he loves. Hebrews 12:6,10b says, “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives...and he disciplines us for our good that we may share his holiness.” And holiness here is being transformed into the likeness of Christ's character - loving God and our neighbor.

And since our Heavenly Father is God and not a human Jeremiah 31:3 says of God’s love for his unstable people, “the LORD appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.” God's love is stable and not fickle. And his love is from everlasting to everlasting for his people. And his love was not based on our goodness or deserving, because none of us deserve his love. Paul writing to Christians in Rome in the letter to Romans 5:8 says, "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." If God showed his unique love to us before we loved him, he will not give up loving us now when we fail to love him as we should? And no one loves God as they should. But if God gave up on his failing children, that would mean that God welcomed us into a relationship with him by his grace, but us staying in a relationship with him would be based on how well we perform. With such a view of God, none of us would make it.

There’s no one who doesn’t sin, you and I included. But each person’s heart attitude reveals where we stand with God. If a person says, I’m saved forever and it doesn’t matter what I do if I sin or not, that kind of attitude reveals a person like that has not genuine faith. But if a person is heartbroken over their sin and they desire to stop offending God, even though at times they find it hard to repent their heart is in a right place - that person knows God and is seeking to please him.

It is because God will not let go of me, that is why I am not going to let go of him, imperfect as I am.