Q: DON'T BRING IN THIS NEW YEAR BEING CONDEMNED OR GUILTY OF YOUR PAST... “LET IT GO”!....LET GO of your past hurts,past sins, past mistakes, bitterness, and failed relationships.
A: The reason a Christian is still having to say "LET IT GO" is because he "has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins (2 Ptr 1:9)." And they have forgotten this because they have said to God "I will" do everything you command me to do. But, they soon realize they cannot do everything God commands them to do because as Jesus said, "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect (Mt 5:48)." Their sins are a constant reminder of their imperfection. Therefore, they have to come up with ways in which to deal with their sins. This leads to such things like constantly asking God to forgive them, answering "altar calls" every Sunday to "rededicate" themselves to a life they know they can't live, repeating prayers of repentance, keeping short accounts, streaming into confession booths or saying "LET IT GO" on Facebook.
It feels good for a moment, but as the Bible says it lacks "any value in restraining sensual indulgence (Col 2:23)." God calls us into His Sabbath rest (Heb 4). This is a daily rest from our self-righteous works designed to try and please an already pleased God by what we do. When the focus is on ourselves we will never rest because there will always be one more sin to overcome or one more thing "to do" for God. Paul begged us to "Be reconciled to God (2 Cor 5:20)." When it comes to our sins God "LET IT GO" nearly 2,000 years ago at the cross. Isn't it time you believed God and stopped trying to deal with sins He no longer remembers? LET IT GO!
Q: Jesus says "blessed" is the man(woman) who doesn't walk in the "counsel" of the ungodly? What does that mean?
A: To counsel is to give advice, an opinion or instruction in directing the judgment or conduct of another. The ungodly are described as "men who suppress the truth by their wickedness (Rom 1:18)" and are grouped together with the "sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine (1 Tim 1:9-10)." God is described as the "Wonderful Counselor (Is 9:6)." And Jesus described the Holy Spirit as the Counselor who would "be with you forever— the Spirit of truth (Jn 14:16-17)." Therefore, do you want to consistently take advice or instruction from people who are lost and actively pursuing sin? Or perhaps, would you rather consistently take advice and instruction from the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, who indwells you and wants to guide you from within? The answer seems pretty simple. I would choose to have God guide me than unbelieving, unregenerate and ungodly men or women. My prayer is that we spend more time with the Lord, meditating on the things He would like to teach us, rather than looking for guidance from people who don't even know the Lord themselves. Be blessed.
Q: We (Christians) are "justified" but why do some Christians walk around feeling "guilty" of what they did in the past?
A: Christians walk around feeling guilty of the past because of poor discipleship and teaching. They feel that their sins still separate them from God. Countless believers, despite what Scripture says, believe things like a Christian can "lose fellowship" with God or that He "turns His back" on them when they sin. Some even believe you can lose your salvation if you don't stop sinning. And if you believe your sins still come between you and your God you must do something about them which leads to more error. Christians then come up with sacrifices for their sins which are not accepted by God nor are they required. How many Christians continually ask God for forgiveness, keep short accounts, answer altar calls, repeat the Lord's Prayer, go to confession booths and so on? Millions do. It only keeps you focused on sins that God is not counting against you and will prevent you from maturing in the faith or truly experiencing God's love.
The truth of the matter is that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself not counting mens sins against them (2 Cor 5:19). If God isn't counting your sins why are you? Furthermore, scripture says our sins and lawless acts aren't remembered by God and there is no more sacrifice for sin (Heb 10:17-18). If your sins are forgotten and there is no more sacrifice for sin how is your "sacrifice" getting for you what you already have in Christ? Our forgiveness is not conditional based on our seeking more of it. We have forgiveness of sins as an inheritance of our faith (Eph 1:7) and we then share that with others (Eph. 4:32; Col 3:13). "But that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were JUSTIFIED in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God (1 Cor 6:11)." Until you settle the forgiveness issue will never rest in the justification you already have because there will always be a sin to deal with until the day you die. Be reconciled!
Q: Jesus says don't just be a "hearer" of the word but a "doer" of the word...What does that mean?
A: I think it was Paul and James that spoke of being a "hearer" and a "doer." Both were in context of the Mosaic Law. One, Paul, was talking about the inability to establish a right standing before God through obedience to it. The other, James, in regards to using the law for its intended purpose, a mirror showing our sinfulness to turn us to Christ. Regardless, the Christian life is not about identifying things Jesus said and then trying to do them only to call on His grace and mercy when we fall short of doing them. We are deceived if we believe we are supposed to dedicate our lives to a life of doing the impossible. Jesus said to "Be perfect, therefore, as your Father in Heaven (Mt 5:48)." How are you doing at that one? He also said, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, Love your neighbor as yourself. (Lk 10:27)." How are you doing with those? If your honest you will admit that you are not doing as Jesus said. And that is the point.
Jesus wasn't establishing a new way of life or narrowing the 613 Commandments of the Mosaic Law (there is more than just the first Ten) down to two in order to make it easier for us. He amplified the Law to bury His Jewish audience under their own self-righteousness because they believed they were being obedient enough to God. Jesus wanted them to come to one conclusion, "Who then can be saved (Mt 19:25)?" If you're in Christ your life is not one of "hearing" and "doing" because it, ultimately, leads to having to establish what to do and not to do in order to live. And that is establishing law no matter how you slice it. The Christian life is a life of trust and dependence on the indwelling Holy Spirit to guide you from within not from without through obedience to commands, rules, laws or denominational doctrine, designed to modify your behavior."The righteous will live by faith (Rm 1:17; Gal 3:11)!" Be blessed.
Q: The bible says the Holy Spirit is our "helper"..What does that mean?
A: In the verse where we get this question from it is key to note that it says the Holy Spirit will "bring to your remembrance all that I said to you." This is more a reference to the fact that Jesus would remind the writers of the Gospels and the New Testament (yet to be written at this time) of what He had said to them. With that said, John 14:16 says that Holy Spirit will "be with you forever." Salvation is the restoration of the life of God, lost in Adam, to all who place faith in Christ. When Jesus says that the Holy Spirit will be with the disciples forever He is referring to eternal life. This should comfort all Christians because it is solid evidence we cannot lose our salvation. The Holy Spirit, as Helper, is the "Spirit of truth (John 15:26)." It is in this role that He reveals the meaning of scripture to all believers. Another role He fulfills as Helper is in our time of weakness. Scripture says that during our times of weakness we do not know how to pray, but the Holy Spirit "intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. (Romans 8:26)." And, ultimately, the Helper acts as our "Advocate with the Father (1 John 2:1)" when we sin so we don't have to deal with our sins ourselves. This another reminder that our sins do not separate us from God and never will again. Consistent with what we know to be true about our God, the Holy Spirit does for us what we cannot do for ourselves. Be Blessed.
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