None is righteous, no, not one.
--Romans 3:10
God is holy and his standard is holy. He is righteous and his standards are righteous. And the Bible clearly tells us that every one of us was born with the infectious disease called sin.
And what is sin? Sin is independence from God. It causes each of us to live our lives our way, to fulfill our will rather than the will of God. And while most people realize that they’ve sinned against God, they may not realize the consequences of sin.
Romans 6: 23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
We were born and bred in sin. We do what comes naturally to us and, as a result, we experience separation from God. We may be existing… living and breathing… but without Jesus Christ, we don’t have life!
As 1 John 5:12, says, “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.”
Do you have life today? If not, ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins and ask him to live in your heart that you may have life… real life… starting today!
YOU MAY BE EXISTING… LIVING AND BREATHING… BUT WITHOUT
JESUS CHRIST, YOU DON’T HAVE LIFE!
Thursday, August 01, 2019
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.”
Luke 23:40–43
The two men crucified with Jesus had earned their punishment by their evil deeds, but Jesus died as an innocent sacrifice for the sins of the world. As the crowd mocked Jesus on the cross, one of the thieves joined in. But the other responded with an acknowledgment of the perfection of Jesus and His rightful role as Lord of all. This thief was forgiven. Why? Because he put his faith in Christ. But to do that, he had to first accept responsibility for what he had done. He admitted that his punishment was just and deserved.
Until we come to the point where we are willing to acknowledge that we are wrong, we cannot experience the joy of God’s forgiveness. The pattern stretches all the way back to the Garden of Eden where Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the serpent. It has continued throughout history. Aaron told Moses the fire had made the golden calf. King Saul claimed it was the people’s fault that the best livestock had been spared rather than destroyed.
The only way to forgiveness is through the blood of Christ. But after we are saved, the key to walking in the joy of that forgiveness is confession when we have sinned. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Confession does not just mean to admit something. It carries the idea that we call sin the same thing God does—that we agree with Him that what we have done is wrong and accept personal responsibility for that sin. And when we do, we experience the cleansing only God can give.
Today's Growth Principle:
Rather than trying to justify, shift blame, or excuse our sin, we must confess it.
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