Often times when reading scripture, we have a tendency to whisk over words without any thought of their meaning. One such word is FROWARD. I've actually been in a Bible study group where the Bible was being read and have witnessed readers pronouncing that word as 'forward.' But the word froward and forward are two completely different words with distinctly opposite meanings. It's very important when we read to carefully pay attention because misunderstanding one word can completely change the concept of the entire passage. The Biblical word FROward means moving away from whereas the word FORward means moving closer to. Froward, as used in the scripture, gives a negative connotation but the word forward invokes a perception that is productive. In other words, moving away from God VS moving closer to or moving on with God. If you search further in any dictionary you could add the following definitions of the word froward. Keep these definitions in mind as you read this blog.
FROWARD: habitually disposed to disobedience and opposition, contrariness, defiance, disobedience, rebelliousness, insubordination. Also: a person who is contrary. A person difficult to deal with, Perverse, that is, turning from (moving away from) with aversion or reluctance; not willing to yield or comply with what is required. This word is not only very important to understand but to know that this word is used by God and expresses a negative connotation. Here is an example, They that are of a FROward heart are an abomination to the Lord: but such as are upright in their way are His delight" (Proverbs 11:20 KJV). How bad is it? We need to know what abomination means with regard to that verse. So using the definition of abomination combined with the meaning of froward, I will describe how God feels. Here it is: A reluctant, defiant heart that is habitually disposed to opposing me and disobeying me, I detest, loathe, and abhor. A person that is willfully contrary to Biblical standards is not easily managed because they are not willing to comply with what God requires. They are "moving away from" God and going in the way that is broad, distorted, the crooked way, etc. Let me be clear, this applies to non-believers as well as some Christians. But as with all my blogs, I'm addressing Christians and not the world!
There are Christians within the Body of Christ (His Church) who refuse to believe all God's commands and thus refuse to obey all of it. They choose to adhere only to the things they wish to follow and throw out or purposely ignore the rest. Their excuse when confronted is almost always the same, "No one is going to tell me what to do." The sad part is, the only one telling them how to live/what to do is God, not the messenger. As an example, there are some professed followers of Jesus Christ who are engaged in open sexual relationships outside of the institution of marriage (called fornication by God). Let's refer to the dictionary again and define in carnal terms what fornication is ... "Fornication is voluntary sexual intercourse between persons not married to each other, which would include adultery." Did you get that? Even any married persons who are carrying on affairs with anyone else besides their spouse is also defined as fornication. It is defined as adultery in the Bible.
It is so dangerous to be in rebellion against God's Word when you claim to be a Christian! If you are denying God's rules for living in any way, whether it be of a sexual nature, agreeing that abortion is a woman's right, that homosexuality is okay as long as it doesn't affect you, being a habitual liar, devising schemes to hurt others, hating someone, whenever you are reluctant, refusing to adhere to all of God's instructions, your heart is froward! God makes it clear in Psalm 101:4 as David speaks, "A froward heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked person" BECAUSE "the froward heart is an abomination to the Lord: (Proverbs 3:22.). Let's go on ... SO, " Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee" (Proverbs 4:24). "Frowardness is in his heart, he devises mischief continually; he sows discord" (Proverbs 6:14). Remember, "They that are of a froward heart are an abomination to the Lord" (Proverbs 11:20).
James also gives his conclusions in Chapter 4, verse 6: "God resists the proud and the froward of heart and mouth is a proud heart and mouth and God is opposed to such a person or people." Do you honestly believe that a person who professes Christianity yet offends in any of the examples written in this blog, truly love God? They really don't. Regardless of obedience in other areas, professed testimonies, no matter how kind they are to others, regardless of how much they pray, etc. they are not one of His. I'm not talking about weaknesses where a Christian may foul up now and again, I'm talking about a froward heart ... one in constant rebellion against what God abhors and who actively keep sinning. God, Himself said, "If you love Me, you'll keep My commandments." Are you keeping His commandments? If you truly love Him, it's not that difficult because you would be seeking to please Him and not yourself. Understand what I am saying. Anyone who is froward is constantly backsliding, constantly returning to sin, refuses to let go of a vice, etc. God will not accept such a person. You cannot say "once saved always saved" but live like the lost person you once were! Salvation does not work like that! You cannot grab heaven and be in the camp of the devil! God will never let go of us, but we can let go of Him by turning back and returning to a froward heart to practice unbridled sin.
That said, God does not want us living in fear of our salvation. He said we can KNOW we have eternal life. How? By ABIDING IN HIM... that means enduring, remaining, being fixed, unchangeable, steadfast, immutable, STAYING IN HIM! As long as we ABIDE in Him, we have nothing to fear. It is when we choose to let go and take our hand from His, choosing to turn from His will back to our own will in a defiant way that we are in danger. It is important to rededicate our lives every day through prayer, putting on our armor, and standing firm and resolute in submission to His will. Wasn't it Paul who said, "I die daily." He chose every day to say NO to living for 'self' as should we. We are supposed to present our bodies as a living sacrifice to God (Romans 12:1), not as instruments of Satan and sin. We can stumble, and do stumble, but are to quickly repent and come back into the presence of a holy God. But when you PURPOSELY, RELUCTANTLY, HABITUALLY DEFY GOD over and over and over because you oppose certain things God asks of you, you most definitely are in danger of eternal condemnation.
Until next time,
-Pat-
Very well written, Froward, I dont recall that word, but I never missed its meaning. Thank you Jesus for guiding us always.. Thank you Pat❤
ReplyDeleteNancy, it's in the King James Version.
DeleteYes, the KJV, Nancy. I'm sorry. I should have said that. The KJV is the only Bible closest to the ORIGINAL GREEK. It's why I use it more than any other version.
DeleteThank you, Nancy. I'm glad you enjoyed it. 😄
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy them, Even if i dont comment.
DeleteBless you, Nancy! You put a smile on my heart.
Deletei think i know what you mean. though christians, we are not perfect. we can still mess up maybe losing our temper and wanting retaliate, or coveting something belonging to someone else. however, BEING Christians we know these things are not Christlike. we are convicted, repent, and are forgiven by Christ. there is this guy at work who needs prayers and I think this blog might apply to him. i'll use him as an example of what I think you are saying. I'll call him jerry. jerry and his wife attend church regularly. he also is the head of a boys group there. he often talks about church, the pastor, the youth he helps, etc. but "jerry" is involved in a extra-marital affair. he has told me on many occasions that because he gave his life to jesus many years ago, he is saved, period. he believes jesus excuses his behavior because as he puts it, "once you're saved dan, your salvation is sealed." despite the fact I've corrected him that he cannot keep doing what he is doing, that God does condone his affair, jerry thinks he is saved anyway. I think this is what you are getting at in this blog. how can so called Christians, who have gone through conversion, baptism, confession, and so forth, really believe God will accept them into heaven when unrepented sin is still a spot of sin in you that you refuse to take care of. jerry said he loves both his wife and his mistress and is keeping both! worse yet, he believes God understands because love is not wrong. what?in my understanding, this is wrong and jerry is in danger of losing his soul. I do not believe in once saved always saved. jerry's action testify that he isn't really saved, otherwise he would not oppose God on this issue.
ReplyDeleteHe is utterly deceived if he thinks he can blatantly live in sin and go to heaven! It's exactly what Pat is referring to! How can he possibly believe he can commit adultery and it's ok with God?!! That his salvation is sealed?! There is a verse that does say our salvation is sealed unto redemption but scripture must be read in context. He has chosen to believe a lie, maybe has even been taught that at church..to be frank it doesn't even make sense!! Pray that the spiritual blinders be removed from his eyes. He needs a supernatural revelation of the Truth of God's Word about sin in a believer's life! God is using you Dan!
DeleteDiane, it's the old lie of the devil ..."once saved always saved." THAT IS NOT TRUE! How can anyone believe because they said the sinners prayer their salvation is sealed IF they still live like the blatant sinner they were before getting "saved"? People who are really saved, change. They are changed by the power of the Holy Spirit. Their desire is to flee sin not continue to engage in it. Dan you could really be the guy to help this man as Diane said. Keep trying to get him to see he needs a change of heart. My next blog is going to be about that … a change of heart.
Deletep.s. I forgot to mention, I admit I never say the FROward word either. a great study here, pat! thanks.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Dan. Nothing held back. The church has to awake up and get serious.
DeleteAbsolutely!
DeletePat, here's what I love about your blogs. You don't mince words and you tell it like it is. I so appreciate that. We need more of this in the pulpits of our churches! We desperately need the scripture to be rightly preached! Daily our world becomes more and more evil. Satan is on the fast track of deception. People think they can live like the devil and still gain eternal life. NO NO NO!! Jesus clearly said, you must be born again! I have found many people who have hardened their hearts and cherry picked scripture to fit their sinful lifestyle and I just want to yell, WAKE UP! Tomorrow is promised to no man! When we take out last breath our future is sealed. There will be no more chances. My heart grieves over the thought! I am so very thankful to God for pulling me up out of the miry pit and placing my foot upon the rock. Believe me, I've been where a lot of people are now, but thankfully God never gave up on me. I believe it was because I had a praying mother who was relentless in making her requests known to God and He was faithful to answer! Now I live my life with eternity in mind. My precious mother went to be with the Lord she loved on June 24, 2017. I promised her I would carry on her legacy. Thanks again, Pat, for your teaching, your insight and your passion for scripture. Blessings!
ReplyDeleteWOW, Christi. I'm so humbled by your words! I know what you are saying. I feel the exact same way. I get so frustrated over people who aren't serious about their walk with the Lord. But I always think back that at one time I was there too … I was a sinner (oh I had done some shameful things) but too my mind was closed to the thought of scripture, Jesus, obeying, or wanting to get serious with my soul. So I know where they are and their condition bothers me. Hell is mentioned more times in the Bible than heaven. That ought to say something! I'm so glad you saw the light, as I, and many others who love walking and living the Christian life. God is so merciful. Bless your mom for remaining faithful in praying for you. It was my mother-in-law that never gave up on me. Prayer changes things! Thanks for stopping by, Christi. I hope to see more of you. Love in Christ, Pat.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Pat, for another great blog! Reading Dan's comment (we) get the understanding of how many Christians have been taught lies in Church. The very Word of God twisted to accomodate sin in believers' lives!! It should be a shocking state of affairs but sadly it's not because it has become all too common. God must grieve to see His Church functioning in a way that allows believers to get away with it. These types of messages should be preached daily in our churches!
ReplyDeleteBlessings, Pat. 💗
You know what it is? Preachers fear losing a head count! That means loss of funds. It's sad how many preachers have fallen into this trap. They tickle ears with what the church-goers want to hear so they can keep and build numbers. It means more money in their pockets. The truth is the truth. I won't water it down.
DeleteAnd I would think as well that those preachers who may want to preach the Truth are held under the control of Boards and Denominational restrictions!
Deletei personally think there are more wolves behind the pulpits now than are out in the world! after all, a world w/o Christ is lost by default and are headed for eternal separation from God anyway. it is the devoted Christian man, woman, and family that is a threat to satan's schemes, not the lost. jesus is after the lost. satan is after the saved! satan is in the church misleading and lying to people through deceived preachers who love themselves, their crowds, the collection money more than preaching the truth. think about it.
ReplyDeleteSad but true! Thank God for those servants of God who are not ashamed of the Gospel and continue to preach its Truth in their churches despite the fact that their Boards and Denominations want to rein them in!! God bless them!
DeleteUnfortunate, but I think Dan is right!
ReplyDeleteYou were born under a curse due to the fall. You cannot earn your salvation and you cannot be GOOD enough to keep it. Because of this, Christ gave himself and died to move us from the status of unrighteous to righteous. Christ is the only reason you have eternal life and he is our Justification before the Lord. When God sees you he sees his son. Once saved always saved - This is shown throughout the entire Bible so frequently that its unfortunate its still debated.
ReplyDeleteA person who is completely and utterly froward is not saved, in other words they have no faith and they will tell you they have no faith. (Deuteronomy 32:20) Froward people have a rebellious (key word: non-repentant heart). Due to this, froward people have no justification before God because they are not covered in the blood. But, this does not mean their lost, they could one day understand their state before God and repent. Remember its God's salvation plan not yours.
The issue in this article is with confessing Jesus saved Christians who exhibit frowardness. We have to ask ourselves is it frowardness or sin. Well if its frowardness then it means they have no faith and a non-repentant heart. If they have a repentant heart then its sin. If they have repeated sin and are in a state of backslide BUT have genuine Holy Spirit grief over their sin and are praying to God for help and fighting, well this is the fight of the Christian. (Prodigal Son Anyone?) (Book of Romans?)If you are not fighting and confessing everyday, then I worry more about that person than a person who is fighting.
So here is the key. You cannot be saved and froward. Why? Because if you are saved you are covered in the blood and made righteous because of what Jesus did, it has nothing to do with your ability or goodness. You were born into sin and cursed. You are justified and saved through the blood. When God looks upon you he sees his son. So how can you be froward in this situation?
Having said this, it does not mean you can abuse or mock God and his Grace as a christian. In other words, you cannot sin without consequence. The consequence is not the loss of your salvation, Jesus sealed our inheritance once and for all at Calvary. The consequence of sin for a christian is a broken relationship with the Lord, non effective witnessing, loss of joy, inability to bear fruit, sadness, grief of the holy spirit, depression, and your ability to love. Not to mention earthly consequences. Finally, If your sin is bad enough and you do not confess, God will
deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the Day of the Lord Jesus.(1 Corinthians 5:5)
Finally your sin will be judged. God will hold you accountable for how you lived your life and he will give rewards/crowns to those who lived well and stored up treasure in Heaven.
When it comes to salvation, there is no longer condemnation/judgement for those in Christ Jesus. Jesus paid the price and through Christ you have inherited eternal life.
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38) AMEN