So, the virus or whatever I had is just about gone. But I noticed how my vision of the gospel became foggy.
Heres the thing...If I am not worrying or doing, then I feel that either I am not a genuine believer or Jesus is going to be very angry with me if He were to return at this moment, thus losing my salvation or He'll let me know I never had it to begin with. Pleasant thoughts, huh?
Now I feel condemned because I preach about trusting in Jesus alone, but then I get worried and wonder that maybe I have to have good enough behavior. When I hear Jesus' words "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and do it", everything in my brain goes "Oh crap". Sirens go off, and these little guys in my body start shoveling coal faster as I search myself like a drill sergeant. Am I doing God's word enough? Am I doing it at all? Do I really believe? Am I one of those "close, but no cigar" type guys?
Then I remind myself what the gospel means and I can hear something say to me "At ease, soldier". But then my brain says "Well, what about this verse in..." Then I say to myself "Whom are your eyes set on right now?" If they're not on Christ, then something is wrong with my thinking.
1 comment:
Something to think about when thinking about forgiveness for those who trust in Christ :
Remember to rest and believe and receive what Christ has done for you. When we believe in Christ we receive and rest upon Christ and His righteousness alone and His Work!!! Our faith is not in ourselves and our continued disobedience, but in Christ's Life and His Work on the Cross. Look to Christ's obedient life. He did all things perfectly, he fulfilled all things that we are commanded to in the scriptures. When the bible talks about JUSTIFICATION and FORGIVENESS, that also includes that His perfect obedient life is credited to our account before God. We can stand before God not our filthy rags of sinfulness, but in Christ's righteousness alone.
We are truly "justified" and "righteous" in Christ. The clear teaching of scripture is that Jesus became sin for us so that we would be the "Righteousness of God" in Christ (2 Cor. 5:21). This is truly a gift of God.
Christ's righteousness we are given is a reality not "just in God's eye", but an true reality that can affect our lives alot. We need to walk by faith and not by sight.
Here's some verses to consider :
Romans 8:1-2 "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death."
Galatians 5:1 "Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage."
2 Corinthians 5:18-21 "All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
1 Corinthians 1:30-31 "And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”"
Romans 8:10 "But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness."
Psalm 130:3 "If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?"
Isaiah 61:10 "for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness"
Ephesians 2:8-9 " For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast."
Romans 4:1-25 and Romans 5:1-11 and Galatians 3:1-13 deal with primarily that when we believe in God and trust in Him that this is credited to us as righteousness.
Some other ones.
Acts 10:43
Romans 3:21
Romans 8:32
Galatians 2:16
Philippians 3:9
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