The Crown of Saving Grace (1) - Saved from 4 Enormous Sins

Scripture Text: 2 Peter 1: 1-11 

1. The depth of spiritual life and experience is given to us from verse 8-11 when a believer matures in his faith. Sadly there are those who have not experienced such spiritual growth and experience though they may be in Church and even baptised. 

2. Growth and grace will deliver us from 4 enormous sins. These are: 

(a) Spiritual idleness (barren) 

Spiritual idleness is not gaining knowledge of our Lord and Saviour. Spiritual idleness can be a mark of being busy in the wrong thing. The end of people who has only religion and not salvation will end up in destruction. However, there are also true Christian who are spiritually idle because these Christian do not attach the importance of the pursuit of Christ more than earthly pursuits such as money, education, career. The only way to be delivered from spiritual idleness is to learn the depths of the Bible with diligence and earnestly seek to know the Lord Jesus. 

(b) Spiritual unfruitfulness 

If there's no spiritual fruit at all, the person is an unbeliever. But here, we are dealing with the lack of spiritual fruits in believers. If God has given us spiritual birth, He will also give us the means for spiritual growth. To stay in the same way since we knew Christ is a major sin. Afflictions can't destroy fruitfulness. It is in our afflictions that we bare the most fruits because it is then that we seek God earnestly. It is sin that destroys fruitfulness. 

(c) Spiritual blindness (those who cannot see afar off) 

The blindness here refers to those who refuse to see, willingly ignorant and those who love darkness instead of light. These are also short-sighted who are blind to the things afar off. They are so occupied with the things on earth and the things at hand. They are incapable of living in sight of eternity. We need to pray for more faith in Christ. We are only impressed of this world, because we can't see the next. 

(d) Spiritual amnesia 

Those who have forgotten the purification of their former sins. Sometimes we have forgotten how near to hell we were until Christ saved us. The Lord's Supper is God's means to remind us again and again of the forgiveness we have received through Jesus Christ. May we never forget the divine pardon we received from God.