"Therefore, I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Ephesians 4:1-3

As blood-bought saints of God we are to walk confidently before the Lord in full assurance of our salvation and acceptance. We are to fix our eyes firmly on Jesus with the understanding that He, not we, is the true perfecter of our faith. Our salvation is in Him, our righteousness and justification is in Him - and our life is in Him.

The life that we now live is actually Christ living His life in us by the power of the Spirit. Jesus promised His own that He would never cast them away, -"All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out." (Jo.6)

But what about all the Scriptures that talk about those falling away from the faith? Paul even said that who some leave Jesus, the Gospel and the truth and later become enemies of Christ, -"For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ."(Phi.3) As we see here, it is those who do not walk in a manner worthy of their calling. Paul went on to identify these as people "who set their minds on earthly things."

One day while hanging out with a friend at his office a local businessman walked in and sat down. He was a prominent member of a large Church here and was participating in a fund-raising drive. After visiting for a few minutes he happened to mention that his girlfriend had moved into his house recently.

This news took my friend and I by surprise and we felt compelled to ask him if he was having sexual relations with her since he was claiming to be a Christian. He admitted that they were committing fornication but that he was not convicted or ashamed saying, -"God knows how people are!"

After hearing this I said, -"The Bible says that all fornicators will have their part in the Lake of Fire - do you think the rules are going to be different for you?" The man scoffed at the idea that God would send him to hell and left appearing confident in his relationship with God.

 He had a relationship with God but he was not walking in fellowship with God.

In pursuing the flesh and indulging in it’s temptations, he was walking in a manner which was not worthy of the calling of our faith.

"Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the Kingdom of God." (1 Cor.6)