Just as the time of the gentiles is rapidly drawing to a close, so the time of the falling away is rapidly approaching. This will be a dangerous time for church, for it is during this time that many believers will lose their salvation, for that is what the term “falling away” means. Now more than ever, Christians need to be grounded in the truth of God’s word. God’s word is always balanced. For example, in Romans chapter eleven the scripture tells us to consider both the goodness and the severity of God (Romans 11:22). If only the goodness of God is emphasized, then people become deceived into thinking that there is no judgement with God, no matter how badly they behave. On the other hand, if only the severity of God is emphasized, then people become just as deceived into thinking that God is a God of wrath, punishing every wrong move that they make. Both the goodness of God and the severity of God are truths that are revealed to us in the bible. But in the natural, they seem to be opposing truths, for how can a good God at the same time be severe? That is where the ministry gifts come in, for it is the role of the ministry gifts to teach the church how to rightly divide the word of truth, i.e. understand God’s word. Michael E.B. Maher
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