Bulletin

PNR - Bob Bauer The acronym PNR may not mean much to you unless you are a pilot. PNR—"‘point of no return,' more often referred to by pilots as the ‘Radius of Action formula'— originated as a technical term in air navigation to refer to the point on a flight at which, due to fuel consumption, a plane is no longer capable of returning to its airfield of origin. After passing the point of no return, the plane has no option but to continue to some other destination" (Point of No Return. Wikipedia). In general terms, "the point of no return is the point beyond which someone, or some group of people, must continue on their current course of action . . ." (Point of No Return. Wikipedia).

A question arises when we think for a moment about PNR and our individual lives. Can I live such a good life that I reach a point that I can never fall – that I have passed the PNR for falling from God's grace? Or, can I live or have lived such a wicked life that I have passed the PNR and could never come to God? The life of the apostle Paul provides the answer to both questions.

We are first introduced to Paul by his Jewish name, Saul. Saul, was from Tarsus (Acts 9:11), a city in what is currently the country Turkey. He was a "Hebrew of Hebrews" (Phil. 3:5). He was circumcised when he was eight days old according to the covenant God made with Saul's ancestor, Abraham (Phil. 3:5; Gen. 17:12). He was a natural born Jew, not a convert (Phil. 3:5). His tribe, Benjamin, was one of the two who remained somewhat faithful to God over the centuries (Phil. 3:5; 1Kg. 12:21) and Saul was a Pharisee, a first century religious sect of the Jews (Phil. 3:5; cf. Mt. 15:1-9; 23:1-36). We are told that young Saul watched over the robes of those who stone the prophet Stephen to death and was in agreement with such violence (Acts 7:58; 8:1). Young Saul took up the mantle as God's avenger, so he thought, making "havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison" (Acts 8:3 NKJV). Years later, he recounted his actions to a mob of Jews. "I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and de-livering into prisons both men and women, as also the high priest bears me witness, and all the council of the elders, from whom I also received letters to the brethren, and went to Damascus to bring in chains even those who were there to Jerusalem to be punished" (Acts 22:4-5). He went on to say that "in every synagogue I imprisoned and beat those who believe on You [Jesus the Christ]" (Acts 22:19 NKJV). Standing before King Agippa, this same Saul said concerning his past, "Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities" (Acts 26:9-11 NKJV). There are few sins which seem more heinous than the murder of a innocent person who lives a life of goodness, kindness, and charity. One might think that young Saul had gone past the point of no return, but yet, such was not the case. Jesus called Saul to a great work, to preach the gospel to the Gentile nations – nations which Saul, as a Pharisee and Jew, must have despised (Acts 9:15; 10:28). Saul yielded his will to Christ and was washed of his sins, became an apostle of Christ, and went on to become a major writer of much the what is now the New Testament (Acts 22:6-16; Gal. 1:11-12).

Did Paul's yielding of his will to Christ move him past the point of no return for ever falling that he was never concerned about falling from God's grace? Notice his words to the Christians at Corinth, "But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified" (1 Corinthians 9:27 NKJV). It was this same Paul who wrote in the same letter, "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall" (1 Corinthians 10:12 NKJV). Paul knew that the possibility of falling exists for every Christian, himself included, and he disciplined himself in hopes that it would not happen to him.

As long as you and I are on this side of the grave and have our mental faculties, there is no sin so horrible or vile that we can commit that we cannot turn from and turn to God. As well, our faith and righteous will never reach a point that we must stop being aware of the possibility of sinning and falling from grace. Unless the Lord Jesus returns before our death, there is no point of no return with God on this side of the grave.