THE NATURE OF FAITH 5

Romans 8:13 (NLT)
For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live.

When Osas got to the university, he came in contact with some preachers that made him believe that his conduct didn’t matter as long as he had once believed in Jesus. He started listening to these teachers and now despised his former preachers as ‘teachers of the law’. He continued to follow these teachers and was now emboldened to continue in certain sins that he had struggled with in the past.

A terrible quarrel broke out between Osas and his choir director because the Choir director stole his girlfriend. He was grieved by the fellowship because they took sides with the choir director against him. Because of this grief in his heart, he stopped going to church and started questioning Christianity. After some time, he became an atheist because there was no more faith in his heart unto salvation.

If a believer continues to listen to such preachers as the ones Osas met on campus, they will give him doctrines to appease his mind while he is violating his conscience with sin. Unknown to him, his faith is being gradually eroded as sin is a hostile force against faith (see Rom 14:23). Brazenly continuing in any sin (and constantly violating the conscience) can lead to a shipwreck of faith (see 1 Tim 1:19). This is when there is no more faith left in the heart unto salvation.
This was what Judas Iscariot was toiling with when he was following Jesus but was continuing in his sin of stealing (John 12:6). This was the trap the devil planned for Peter because denying Jesus not once, but thrice, would have been enough blows to his conscience to cause his faith to fail. But the Lord interceded for him (see Luke 22:31).

Go into today remembering that rebelliously walking in any known sin is the way people have a shipwreck of their faith.