Little Foxes

By Annabelle Ragsac

Majority, if not all of us, Christian singles at CBC know that, physically, our duty is to remain sexually pure. We are also well versed of the “be not unequally yoked together” command in II Corinthians. Our Pastors keep on reminding and preaching topics on holiness, purity, propriety and modesty. Single Christian leaders have also a bunch of rule or policy in dealing with the opposite sex. However, it is sad to say that the most common cause of backsliding of singles in CBC, leaders or non-leaders, active or non-active, is the sin that has to do with those matters. Immorality is indeed a dreaded disease or a terror in the Church of Christ even in the early times.

If we are going to trace back how Christians fall into this trap, we can postulate that committing grievous errors do not start on big matters. They were committed initially by just entertaining ungodly thoughts. At the outset, Christians only marginalize those “minor rules” and commit “little compromises” and then “grievously err” because they are not truly determined to do what they know is right! Christians are fond of entertaining petty but dangerous adventurism. Little foxes spoil the vines, little sins can make a Christian miserable!

In my two decades of stay at CBC, I could not count the number of singles who have fallen to this sin of sexual impurity or immorality. It breaks our hearts every time we lose a brother or a sister for committing the sin of immorality. We shed great volume of tears when we discipline an erring brother or sister. But why do we keep on committing the same sins again and again and not learning from the past experiences? God forbid that a well taught and serving Christian will someday add to our current statistics. Oh, we must be able to remember and learn from our past experiences!

Some theologians define an apostate as someone who has once believed and then rejected the truth of God. We do not have to preach an erroneous gospel or strange doctrines to become an apostate. We do not have to be a member of a false Church to become an apostate. To fall away from the truth is to become an apostate and Christian singles may fall away from the truth in many different instances. Committing immorality leads to falling away. Indeed, Church history tells us that a lot of Christian singles fall away because of immorality. Further, we can also be a promoter of apostasy by damaging our testimony. If we are not careful with our conduct and manners, we can communicate a wrong signal and become a stumbling block. The unsaved being led by thousands will be hindered from coming to Christ due to our damaged testimony. Young believers likewise will be offended to join the church. The Pastor will find it difficult to reproduce church leaders/workers if the latter are not faithful. We can cause delay in the advancement of the Work of God. When we backslide, we rebel against God’s truths, thus, it is easy to become a real apostate!

The challenge for us now, singles, is making the right choices and keeping a life of purity and continuous service for our Lord and Saviour. May we be able to finish our course and press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ.