It is not about you! We use words to rationalize and justify our actions. What are words anyway?

 

It is not about you! We use words to rationalize and justify our actions. What are words anyway?

 

Do we really know the true meaning of light, truth, and grace, law, saved?

 

Do we really know who Jesus Christ was, where did he come from, why was he sent here, where did he go?

 

To understand the New Testament we must understand the old.

 

What is the Law?

 

How does it affect our lives today?

 

If we are saved by grace, do we not have to obey God’s commandments?

 

Are we saved regardless of our behavior, thought words and deeds?

 

What is forgiveness, how does that fit in the plan of salvation or redemption?

 

Does God forgive us always?

 

Does he ever forsake us?

 

Will he always hear our prayers?

 

If we are saved by grace why do we need faith?

 

 If grace is freely given, why does God put conditions or command us to do things, act and speak in a certain way?

 

Why does he give us commands, laws?

 

Is grace therefore conditional?

 

Are we truly ever saved?

 

Sin, we all sin and for many of us we do not forsake our sins whether intentionally or unintentionally.

 

Why did God put the ultimate consequence of our misbehaving as Hell if we have been saved by grace?

 

Did God create Hell?

 

It is important to know the genealogy of our forefathers, the Old Testament is extremely important.

 

What is the true meaning of a particular word; it is one thing to say it, another to understand and another to put it into practice.

 

Love by its truth, its true meaning and the light of knowledge given to us through Jesus Christ.

 

As a teacher it is imperative to give your students the word, the true meaning of the word, the context in which the word is used as well as the intent of the writer.

 

Don’t just talk educate! Inform, expound, and provide clarity of thought, word and deed.

 

Give the who, what and why something, some event or someone is important.

 

If I am not born under the Law, which means I was born after the birth of Christ I accept and believe in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.

 

John 3:16 – says I will not perish but have eternal life.

 

I was baptized as it says in Mark 16:16 – Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved.

 

By my baptism I was born again as it says in John 3:7 – We must be born again.

 

We are called to come before the Lord with a broken and contrite heart, be baptized for the remission of our sins and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands.

 

I have done that as commanded.

 

Then Heavenly Father tells us in Ephesians 2:5 – It is by grace you have been saved.

 

What is Grace – divine love and protection given to mankind by God.  

 

A virtue granted by God. Good will – favor. A temporary exemption, as from paying a debt, a reprieve.

 

Ephesians 2:8 – It is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not of yourself, it is a gift from God not by works, so that no one can boast.

 

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Jesus Christ to do good works, for God prepared us in advance to do.

 

2 Thessalonians 2:16 – By his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope. So are we really saved by grace, have we been granted eternal salvation as a gift from God.

 

Did Jesus Christ die for us to save us from our sins?

 

John 1:17 – For the law was given through Moses, grace and truth through Jesus Christ.

 

If I am saved by grace, by baptism, by believing in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior why am I consumed by this feeling of inadequacy, guilt, uncertainty, doubt, lack of understanding, searching for answers, why am I looking for certainty?

 

If God is not a God of confusion, of order, why am I so confused?

 

Why do I feel like I don’t measure up?

 

Why do I question my salvation?

 

Why does guilt consume me?

 

Am I saved or not?

Am I saved by grace as it says in Ephesians 2:8 – It is a gift from God and not by works.

 

Then what does it mean in Ephesians 4:12-13 – To prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in faith and in knowledge of the Son of God and become mature attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

 

Philippians 12:12 – he instructs us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling.

 

Colossians 3:23 – Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for man, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.

 

Reward – what happen to the gift?

 

Reward – something given or offered for a special service.

 

Faith – faith is being sure of what we hoped for – Hebrews 11:1. In James 2:17 – we see faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action is dead.

 

Some will say you have faith, I have deeds.

 

Show me your faith without deeds and I will show you my faith by what I do.

 

Your faith is made complete by what you do.

 

James 2:24 – you see that a person is justified by what he does, and acts by faith alone. James 2:26 – As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

 

Where is the gift? It appears to me that man does not receive eternal salvation by faith alone, not as a gift but by faith and works.

 

When you give someone a gift, do you attach a work in order for that person to receive the gift?

 

Is a gift really a gift if it is accompanied with an obligation or requirement of its receipt?

 

So it is not good enough to believe in Jesus, be baptized, receive the Holy Ghost, and receive his grace, live by faith, now we must have works or our faith is dead.

 

Do we still receive eternal salvation even though we lack faith and works?

 

We know faith without works is dead, but does that mean we are going to Hell?

 

What is the meaning behind 2 Thessalonians 3:10 – If a man will not work, he will not eat. If we don’t do his works we will not inherit the kingdom?

 

Does there come a point in our life when we can relax and have faith believing that we have been saved?

 

The answer to that is no, our work is never done, even after death.

 

Ephesians 4:12-13 – we are called to do the work of God which is to bring every living soul to knowledge and understanding of the truth and light of Jesus Christ.

 

We are called to love and serve the Lord our God with all our heart and soul.

 

Our work is never done but our salvation is sure!

 

We are saved, we have been saved, by God’s grace we were saved, by our faith we were saved.

 

Now it is time to begin living the word.

 

Faith without works is dead.

 

We are called to love and serve.

 

When we do this we will experience joy, peace and happiness.

 

Heavenly Father knew that we would sin so he gave us his son as a sacrifice and as a testimony to us that we could be saved from our sins.

He offered us forgiveness as a way of confessing our sins.

 

He knew the first step on the road to recovery is acknowledgment of our frailties.

 

 We are sinners by nature.

 

Yes we are saved, now go do the work of the Lord for in it you will find and experience joy, peace and happiness.

 

The bible is written for our benefit, it is a set of instructions, a guideline on how to live a righteous life.

 

He does not want us to live in misery and pain, tossed to and fro by the winds of man, deceived by the evil spirit but he desires us to receive the fullness of his love, his peace, his joy.

 

The bible when read, studied and when its principles are put in to practice guides us in our every thought, word and deed.

 

By following the Lord’s commands not only will we receive our reward in heaven we will receive our reward on earth.

 

Our lives will be filled with joy, peace and happiness.

 

So why am I saddled with this unexplainable sense of guilt?

 

Guilt – a feeling of responsibility for having done something wrong.

 

 What have I done wrong?

 

Let me count the ways, one, and two… 1 million. I have sinned, I continue to sin, I will sin.

 

Guilt is not my enemy, guilt is my friend.

 

Guilt is a result of sin.

 

Sin – an act of breaking a religious or moral law. An offense, error or fault.

 

Law – a rule of action or conduct established by authority, society or custom. The body of precepts that express the divine will as set forth in the Old Testament. A code of ethics or behavior.

 

Divine – of relation to or being a deity. Emanation from or devoted to a deity.

 

Deity – God. The nature or state of God.

 

Emanating – to come or send forth.

 

Guilt happens when I am not living in accordance to the work of the Lord. I know God, the purpose of God, the will of God for me, when I deny or ignore God and his commands I become consumed with guilt.

 

Responsibility or responsible – having to account for one’s actions, answerable. Having a duty or obligation. Dependable. Involving important duties or obligations.

 

Wrong – against moral standards or legal codes. Being in error, incorrect. Unethical or unjust. Not needed wanted or intended.

 

When we do not live up to the commands of the Lord, we are not living responsibly and guilt is a result of our lack of association and adherence to God’s word.

 

I feel guilty because I did not do that which I know I was supposed to do! I was not obedient.

 

Justify – to show to be right or valid. To pronounce free from blame or guilt.

 

Rationalize – to make rational or cause to seem rational. To devise self satisfying but incorrect explanations for one’s behavior.

 

Rational – having or experiencing the power to reason. Of or consistent with reason. An underlying cause or fact that gives logical justification.

 

Just – fair in one’s dealings or actions. Morally right. Deserved, legitimate, merited, proper, fitting. Based on sound reason.

 

Each of us needs to take responsibility for our own actions, no one else is to blame for that which we think, do or say.

 

We are all held accountable before God come judgment day.

 

We will stand before the bar of judgment and be judged according to our deeds.

 

People have a tendency to rationalize or justify their actions or behaviors.

 

The truth is no amount of rationalization or justification will save you when you come before God. God knows the true intent of our thoughts, words and deeds. He knows what we need before we do.

 

If we are not being obedient to the commands and word of God, no amount of reason will save us from our sins, he knows exactly what we intended to do, think or say.

 

There is no fooling God.

 

Intent – Purpose, aim. The state of mind with which an act is committed.

 

Intend – to have in mind a purpose or a plan.

 

Intended – intentional, deliberate.

 

We are a fool if we think we can fool God!

 

1 Corinthians 3:19 – For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight.

 

As it is written, he catches the wise in their craftiness and again the Lord knows the thoughts of the wise are futile.

 

Rationalization and justification belongs to men, it has no place in Heaven. There is no way we can rationalize or justify our actions before God, he knows what we intended to do!