THERE are some things mentioned in the Bible we should not “hold fast,” and there are other things which we are exhorted to “hold fast.” We will consider at present—
I. Things That Should Not Be Held Fast.
1. Hypocrisy. — We read in Job 8. “The hypocrite’s hope shall perish; whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be a spider’s web (or house). He shall lean upon his house but it shall not stand: he shall hold it fast but it shall not endure.” The hypocrite’s hope is little worth. If you only bring your hand through a spider’s web, it is gone! His hope is that he can impose upon God! Vain hope! The Lord exposes it in Matthew 7, where he likens such men to a foolish man who built his house upon the sand. “And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.” The house on the sand fell! So the hypocrite’s hope shall perish! “For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul?” (Job 27:88For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul? (Job 27:8).) This is the solemn question which our Lord asked (Matthew 16:2626For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matthew 16:26)), “For what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his souls Think of the terrible judgment on Ananias and Sapphire for lying to the Holy Ghost in order to gain a little honor in the Church! (Acts 5.) Think of “Thy money perish with thee,” spoken to Simon Magus! Think of our Lord’s withering words in Matthew 23, “Woe unto you, scribes, Pharisees, hypocrites!” Think also of the end of the evil worldly servant (Matthew 24:50, 5150The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, 51And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 24:50‑51)). “The Lord of that servant shall cut him asunder and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
2. Self-Righteousness. — Job was “perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil (Job 1:11There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil. (Job 1:1)). But when God allowed circumstances to go wholly against him, he discovered a spirit of self-righteousness that God had to use the rod to drive out of him. He was an upright and righteous man, but he knew it, and prided himself upon it. “My righteousness I hold fast,” he says, “and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me as long as I live” (Job 27:66My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live. (Job 27:6)). This was not a good condition of soul for Job, and God must reveal himself to him. He did so. “Then Job answered the Lord, and said— Behold I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay my hand upon my mouth. Once have I spoken, but I will not answer; yea twice, but I will proceed no farther. ... Therefore have I uttered that I understood not. I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth Thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes (Job 41, 42.). Where now is his proud boast, “my heart shall not reproach me as long as I live?” It is the revelation of God in his holiness that gives the true light in which to see our own vileness.
When Isaiah saw the Lord, and heard the veiled Seraphim proclaiming, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts,” he cries out, “Woe is me, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts (Isaiah 6.)
Saul of Tarsus is a notable instance of a self-righteous man whose heart reproached him quickly and poignantly when the Lord Jesus revealed Himself to him and challenged him as His persecutor (Acts 9.); and in Phil. 3. he, tells how very righteous he was— “touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless;” “but,” he adds (quote Phil. 3:7-97But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. 8Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, 9And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: (Philippians 3:7‑9)) when he was “in the flesh” he had his “own righteousness, which is of the law;” but when he had seen the glorious person of the Christ he had “no confidence in the flesh,” and he would have that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. Why did he let go “his own righteousness?” because he had got a better. This is the simplest lesson we teach an infant who has grasped anything dangerous—we present him with a bigger and better thing, and the other is dropped. Are any of you saying, “my own righteousness will I hold fast; my heart shall not reproach me as long as I live?” If the Lord reveals himself to you, then you will be like the holy apostle who reproached himself as long as he lived, as 1 Tim 1:13-16 shows. “I am not meet to be called an apostle,” he says in 1 Cor. 15., “because I persecuted the Church of God.” He was the very Job of the New Testament for self-righteousness am for making it his boast; and yet in comparison of Christ and God’s righteousness he counted it dross and dung!
3. Deceit. ―The Lord says of Israel by Jeremiah: “They hold fast deceit, they refuse to return. I hearkened and heard, but they spake not aright no man repented him of his wickedness and said, what have I done?” (Jer. 8:5, 65Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding? they hold fast deceit, they refuse to return. 6I hearkened and heard, but they spake not aright: no man repented him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done? every one turned to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battle. (Jeremiah 8:5‑6)). Deceit was the first bad thing that Satan got into the race (1 Tim. 2:11, 1411Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. (1 Timothy 2:11)
14And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. (1 Timothy 2:14)); and the last thing that is likely of it; in fact it is so ingrained in human nature, that nothing but utter judgment will get it extinguished (2 Thess. 2:1010And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. (2 Thessalonians 2:10); Rev. 18:6, 23; 20:3, 86Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double. (Revelation 18:6)
23And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. (Revelation 18:23)
3And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. (Revelation 20:3)
8And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. (Revelation 20:8)). “Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived (2 Tim. 3:1313But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. (2 Timothy 3:13)).
This evil of self-deception is that which finds a sad illustration in the last phase of the Church on earth as we find it symbolized in “the Church of the Laodiceans.” This it the aspect of things we see around us in our day, though it will become more pronounced before perishing. As in Jeremiah “they spake not aright” so here: “Thou sayest I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked” (Rev. 3:1717Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: (Revelation 3:17)). Pride, emptiness, and ignorance, always go together. What self-deception! This is the state of things that will become more and more developed, now that the truth of Christianity has been recovered, preached, and published. What characterizes Laodicea? It is known by being lukewarm as to Christ, but fond of enriching itself for its own selfish ends with the truths which belong to another sphere and state; but Christ is kept outside. Their condition is characterized by holding fast deceit, and keeping Christ outside their doors. What could be more loathsome.
And yet the Lord lingers over them, and takes more pains with them than with any other Church. For mark how he seeks entrance by every door! (1) He tries the door of conscience by exposing their lake-warmness. (2) He knocks at the door of the understanding, for counsel is for the understanding, and He says “I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mast be rich, and white linen that thou mayest be clothed; and anoint thine eyes with eye-salve that thou mayest see.” And (3) he also seeks entrance by the door of the heart, for He says, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten; be zealous therefore, and repent.” And as if His self-sacrifice would shame them out of their indifference, He continues “Behold I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and sup with him, and he with me” (Rev. 3:19, 2019As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. 20Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. (Revelation 3:19‑20)). It is as if He came from Calvary, having with Him all that would make “a feast of fat things” would they but allow Him to come in. O, patient, loving, long-suffering Jesus! O, heartless Laodicea, to keep Him standing, knocking, speaking outside the door, until His head is wet with the dew, and His locks with the drops of the night!
We may consider the things which Scripture says we ought to hold fast, in our next month’s paper.