In Jeremiah, chapter two, verse five, “Thus saith the LORD, What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain?” Israel had broken their covenant with God, even though He had remained faithful to them. All believers are confronted with the same temptation of forgetting the goodness and redemption of God while pursuing their own desires and the sinful pleasures of the world.
Those who begin well but do not persevere will justly be upbraided with their hopeful and promising beginnings. Those who desert religion commonly oppose it more than those who never knew it. For this, they could have no excuse. God’s spiritual Israel must own their obligations to him for safe conduct through the wilderness of this world, so dangerous to the soul. Alas, that many, who once appeared devoted to the Lord, so live that their professions aggravate their crimes! Let us be careful not to lose the zeal and fervency as we gain knowledge.
Today, it is so sad how some people who were believers have now gone far from God to be backsliders. Why? There can be many reasons. However, is it worth it? 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 soul?
God gives freedom to everyone He has made to live how they so desire. Some do it to gain riches, fame, and other circumstances. The pressure of living up to standards can be overwhelming! Either we are in with the world or out of it. However, the same goes with God. It is either we are all in with Him and His Word or not. Word versus world.