My dear readers,

Are You Easily Moved?

Proverbs 12:3: “A man shall not be established by wickedness: but the root of the righteous shall not be moved.”

Remaining steadfast and unmoved in our Christian doctrines reveals the depth of our convictions before God. The only way to know the depth is during trials. The strength of our conviction is measured by the severity of our trials that we overcome. [The caveat here is that we assume that the truth we hold on to is sound and biblical according to Holy Scriptures. If it is not according to Holy Scriptures then we must be teachable and change for Jesus’ sake.]

What or who will move us? When will we be moved? In normal calm circumstances, many of us claim to have strong and deep convictions in our faith. At least, this is the impression we project before our fellow believers and our soul. Salvation changes us from inside out. First-generation believers felt the great change when they were born again. They have a new nature in Christ. The old life disappeared when the old man of sin died in Christ. They would not behave like dogs eating their own vomit or as a sow wallowing again in the mire once it has been washed.

But second-generation believers who were brought up in the church behaved like Christians first before they truly became Christians because of the Christian environment they were brought up in since their birth. How strong and deep these believers' convictions are, will be revealed in times of adversity. These tests include the reality of their salvation. The professing believer may find himself to be an unbeliever when he fails the test! This is a good wake-up call from the Lord, as he can still be saved while he still lives!

Crossroads in life are powerful moving points. These crossroads include the transitions from primary to secondary schools; from secondary to college or polytechnic; home life to life overseas; from freedom to national service; from liberty to incarceration; from student life to working life; from singlehood to marriage; from marriage to parenthood; from working life to retirement; from retirement to end of life. Every one of these turning points may force us to make choices that will reveal the strength of our Christian principles, especially when it concerns right and wrong.

If we are righteous, i.e. truly born again in Christ, then we will not be moved by anything or anyone from our faith and trust in the LORD, according to Holy Scriptures. This righteousness was given by God to all born-again believers, making them rooted in righteousness. Romans 4:20-25: “He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.” The believer is righteous for eternity from the moment he is born again in Christ. The reason Proverbs 12:3 uses the word “root” to describe the righteous is because the righteousness is not given to us based upon the works we do but upon the finished work of Christ on the cross of Calvary. The strength and impact of this righteousness in every believer’s life is anchored in Christ’s death and resurrection. As long as Christ lives, the righteousness that God imputes to all believers remains unchanged and will last forever.

The righteous’ love for family, self, money, or anything carnal will not cause him to disobey the Lord Jesus Christ, according to Holy Scriptures. If he does, he will repent and return to the Lord with a broken and contrite heart. The righteous will always do all that is righteous according to Holy Scriptures, for this pleases his heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit will convict him and vex his soul till he repents. He knows that if he does not repent and remains in sin, his prayer, worship, and service unto the Lord will not be heard or accepted. Psalm 66:18: “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” A born-again believer will not accept this broken fellowship with his heavenly Father. He will indeed repent.

But the wicked will not stand. His life as a professing believer is only skin-deep. He hides his carnality from himself and all around him. He sings hymns year after year as if he is born again in Christ. He is baptised like everyone else. He takes the Lord’s Supper faithfully. He might even serve as a leader in the fellowship groups or even the Session as a deacon, elder, or pastor with a theological degree. His true self is not known until the test comes. How is this self-deception possible? The reason is revealed in Jeremiah 17:9: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”

The trials of life will come and he will reveal his wickedness by his wrong choices. He will choose to obey man rather than God. He cannot see that the choices are between right and wrong, God and man, or the devil and God. To the professing believer, it will be a choice between man and man. For example, if his son intends to marry an unbeliever and the elders counsel him not to attend his son's wedding, and he knows it is against the Bible’s teaching, he will decide to attend. When he is asked why, he will say, “It is my son’s wedding!” Does he not know that the choice is between pleasing God versus his son, and not the elders versus his son? When a professing believer makes a choice between keeping the Lord’s Day holy versus working on Sunday because his CEO asks him to, does he know that it is a choice between honouring God or honouring man? The righteous will know immediately, but the wicked will not. Thus, the wicked will not be established (i.e. stand). His convictions are easily moved by difficult circumstances in life or someone dear to him who lives in sin.

The righteous will obey the Lord Jesus Christ at all costs. He knows that love is always in truth, i.e. according to the Holy Scriptures. To love his son rightly, he will not attend the wedding. He thinks of his son’s salvation and walk with God. He thinks of his future daughter-in-law’s salvation too, because she must know that it is a sin for his son to love her more than Christ. If he attends the wedding, he will become a partaker of his son’s sin. So, he will explain to his son that it is because he loves him in Christ that he cannot and will not attend his wedding! This will give him the moral authority to help his wife make the right decision, including his other children.

Conclusion – To be steadfast and unmovable in holding tightly to all our Christian doctrines is always pleasing to God. The test comes in adversities when we must choose to obey Christ or man. The choice we make reveals who we are before God. The one who is righteous or wicked will be manifested when it comes to choosing between right and wrong, and Christ and man.