THE ROOT OF BITTERNESS

 See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. Hebrews 12:15 NIV

Falling away from grace is trying to be justified by the law.

You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. Galatians 5:4

Scripture tells us that when we are trying to be justified by the law we fall away from grace. When we fall short of grace a root of bitterness grows in us causing trouble and defiles many.  

Before we come to know Jesus, we read our Bible and see that we don't measure up to the law. We realize we fall short. Depending on where you are in your belief, you will either call on the name of Jesus to save you from the penalty of sin which is death because you come to know that you are a sinner who fell short of the glory of God. Or you will just try to follow the law with out calling on the name of Jesus and you will believe you are made right with God because you are trying to follow the law. If you choose to try and follow the law, you are actually not only falling short of the grace of God, you are resisting grace altogether. When you refuse the gift of grace a bitter root will grow up in you as you believe you are made right with God by what you do. This is not salvation. This is not the gospel.

 The good news is that you do not have to stay defeated by death. When you cry out to God by calling upon the name of Jesus confessing that you cannot hold up your end of the commandment, when you acknowledge that without him you can do nothing and you ask him to save you because you can not save yourself, he will meet you right there and that same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead will come and give life to your mortal body. He will begin a good work in you and he will complete it. But if you ignore this salvation by trying to achieve on your own what Jesus already achieved for you, you will not be able to deliver yourself from death and a root of bitterness will begin to grow in your heart.

Bitterness comes from selfish ambition, trying to be your own god, trying to rescue yourself from death. Sexual immorality is trying to have intimacy without God. Without God you are godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his birthright. Ambition is a strong desire to do or achieve something. Selfish ambition is to achieve something yourself. To try and achieve something in your own strength by your own merit is to deny Jesus. But to receive his finished work is to believe he achieved right standing for you, he made the way for you to worship God. He bought you from the penalty of death and he is the one who gives you new life. Unbelief in what he has achieved will keep you dead, trying to be somebody by the works of your own hands. You cannot save yourself. 

Money doesn't cure lack. Marriage doesn't cure lust. Following the law doesn't bring life. Ignorance doesn't bring healing. There is only One who has the power to save and his name is Jesus.