It is good to have an assurance of your relationship with God. A relationship built on faith in Jesus and His sacrifice for us. But Paul warns against overconfidence here.
So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!
1 Corinthians 10:12 NIV
You might see this verse as relating to the loss of salvation, but I don’t believe that’s what Paul is referring to here. Instead, I believe he is referring to falling into sin. It may be a single event, a habit, or a way of life that harms your spiritual life and service to God.
The problem here is overconfidence. Believing that I am strong or mature enough that sin is no longer an issue for me. When that happens, I can be guilty of trusting in my own strength and ability. I can become like Peter, who expressed confidence that he was willing and able to follow Jesus even to prison or death. Yet when he ventured into the high priest’s courtyard after Jesus’ arrest, he fell short and denied knowing Jesus (Luke 22:54-62).
Peter’s failure was immediately obvious to him. But all too often we are oblivious to our fall. Or we are content that what we are doing is not really so bad, especially when compared with others. But falling into sin, failing to do or be what God wants, is never trivial. It is always harmful to our relationship with our Lord and God.
Trust in the Lord
It is important for us to recognize that we are never strong enough to stand on our own. We should always live in dependence on the One who is strong enough to hold us securely (John 16:33), keeping our hearts and minds fixed on Him (Col. 3:1-4). Stand on the foundation that will see us through life’s storms (Matt. 7:24-25), and put on the armor of God, which will help us stand our ground against the evil in this world (Eph. 6:10-18).
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV
