What a stern and frightening warning for us Christians! Our decision to follow Christ is not a one-way ticket to heaven. In fact, if we renege on our baptismal vow and deliberately turn away from God, what awaits us is “a fearful prospect of judgment and a flaming fire”!
Faith, after all, is an ongoing relationship between the believer and God, a relationship that needs to be sustained. If we choose to opt out, know that God's heart is pained to see us go. Yet, God will not force us to stay although He remains faithful to the relationship (see 2 Timothy 2:13).
Faith, in other words, takes effort and perseverance.
“For these are the beginning and end of life; faith is the beginning and love is the end” (St. Ignatius of Antioch). Interestingly, perseverance is the crucial link connecting the two.
For us Christians, dying with Christ is past (since it had already happened in baptism), the resurrection is future, perseverance is present.