“The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when He delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand… The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not slip” (Psalm 37: 23-24, 31).
Oh, how often we
think that our salvation and sanctification depend on our ability to hold onto
God! We strive to keep the law of God and to be perfect because we fear that we’ll
fall away if we aren’t extra careful. We forget that God is the one holding onto
us. David and the other psalmists wrote:
Psalm 18:36- “You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip.”
Psalm 66:8-9- “Bless our God… who has kept our soul among the living and has not let our feet slip.”
Psalm 17:5- “My steps have held fast to Your paths; my feet have not slipped.”
In Christ we are
set securely upon the Rock. Those who belong to Him cannot be snatched from His
hand (John 10:28-29). However, we need to remember that some who think they are
Christians actually do not belong to Him (Matthew 7:21-23). They may agree that
there is a God and that Jesus is the Savior, but they are not following Him as
Lord.
If you think about
it, the fear of falling away from faith is probably a good sign that you are
securely in His grasp. You don’t fear losing something if it doesn’t mean
anything to you. The good news for true believers is that God’s grace far
exceeds our ability to sin. In the words of Dane Ortlund, “The verdict really
is in: nothing can touch you. He has made you his own and will never cast you
out” (Gentle and Lowly, 186).
We may sometimes
feel like the psalmist, “But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps
had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity
of the wicked” (Psalm 73:1-3). When we step back and look at God we can see
that we are not the ones who are slipping, but rather the wicked are: “Truly
You set them in slippery places; You make them fall to ruin” (v. 18). They are
sliding toward eternal condemnation and they neither know nor care.
Though we do need
to be careful that we are not deceiving ourselves, there is great peace to be
found in knowing that our salvation doesn’t depend on our perfect obedience, because
“we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith
in Jesus Christ… because by works of the law no one will be justified” (Galatians
2:16).
Therefore, let us
take heart and rest in the salvation that was completed on the cross and the sanctification
that we will see fulfilled at His return.
“When I thought, ‘My foot slips,’ Your steadfast love,
O Lord, held me up” (Psalm 94:18).
© 2021 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture are ESV and all images are copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.
