| Whatsoever
Things are True
by Dan Coburn Pastor, Emmanuel Baptist Church Last week we talked about guilt and identified the differences between good/positive guilt, and bad/negative guilt. We studied the reasons, and the intended purposes for each. This week, we will study the way we might deal with guilt from a worldly perspective and from a Spiritual one. We talked about guilt being a tool of both Satan and the Holy Ghost, and the fact that Godly guilt was always for the purpose of reconciliation, while Satan’s guilt is always to drive a wedge between you and your Heavenly Father. The thing that remains constant throughout is your feeling if unworthiness. (Those of you who truly feel worthy may disregard, as you just don’t get it anyway). For the rest of us, the truth of the matter is that we have a tough time forgiving others, and it seems almost impossible to forgive ourselves. The feeling of unworthiness is a natural and common thing that is propagated by God, and perverted by Satan. If we truly felt worthy, there would be no need for a savior. In other words, if one person could have ever earned the right to go to heaven, Jesus would not have had to die. We have to come to a place where we recognize our need, in order to receive the Salvation He has made Possible. Total Depravity is a common while unpopular theme throughout the Bible. “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” - Romans 3:23. God allows us to experience this feeling so we might turn to Him as the remedy; while Satan uses the same feeling to cause us to doubt our worthiness, and therefore our ability to “warrant” salvation. So how do you put it all in perspective? In his book The Green Letters, Miles Stanford said: “Since justification is in Christ and not in ourselves, it is a truth of position, not condition. We receive justification in the Lord Jesus by faith in the Word; it is a fact believed, not an experience received. It has nothing to do with our condition, but everything to do with our position.” What is our position? If you are “In Christ”, the best place I can think of to see yourself through His eyes is found in the first three chapters of the book of Ephesians. Your salvation is all about Jesus, and your standing in Him/ not how bad you have been or how good you can be. Again quoting Mr. Stanford: “To abide in Christ and to consent to be loved while unworthy, is the believer’s positional privilege and responsibility.” In Isaiah 43:25, God says He forgives you for His sake, not yours, and He remembers your sins no more. Does this run off you like water off of a ducks back, or does it lift a ninety pound weight from your shoulders? He is Great, and it is All about Him. |
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