The Weight of Guilt is a Blessing

Born again believers should feel the weight of guilt when they have sinned. If there is no guilt and an irrational justification after harming someone else then there cannot be a born again experience.

1 Timothy 4:1–2
"4 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron,"

Lordship Salvation is Works Based Religion!

"Lordship salvation" is works based religion.

We do not make the Lord the Lord of our life, He does that!

If someone has to "do" something along with "believing" then there is a work of ours needed.

God clearly teaches in His word that we are to "believe" and then He does all the work in us.

Acts 16:30-32 "…30 Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 Then Paul and Silas spoke the word of the Lord to him and to everyone in his house."

Ephesians 2:8-10 "…8 For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life.…"

He, that is Christ, changes us into a new creation, He cleanses us...a lifetime adventure and He keeps us until He takes us home. We believe and He does all the work in us.

Ephesians 2:10
"10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

If anyone attempts to convince you that they can earn their salvation or work to keep it they have a false gospel of works. I do not say that everyone who believes we must keep our salvation is unsaved, I only say they have been led to believe something that is not true.

Mankind cannot undo a marriage by man's divorce nor can a born again believer go back to be the old man again once Christ has changed him.

2 Corinthians 5:17
"17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come."

When God makes two people one in marriage no man can undo that. When God changes a born again believer into a new creation no man, even ourselves can change us back into the old again.

Lordship Salvation teaches that we determine how God works in us!!! This makes the Lord under us. This is not only false teaching it is heresy, making us the determiner of what the Lord does. If we are in charge of what God does then we are a god over Him.

FALSE TEACHING AT ITS WORST!

Christ's sacrifice on the cross was once and for all, it can never be undone.

When Christ does a thing and makes a promise it remains until the end of time and beyond.

A Covert Narcissist Cannot Bless You

"The covert narcissist does not clap for you when you succeed at something." (Tyr Ravensohn)

Those who are jealous of others cannot bring themselves to be happy for those they choose to believe are beneath them.

When you are in a group sharing something that brings you joy you will be able to tell those who are jealous and covertly contemptuous, these people will avoid clapping for you or celebrating with you.

Proverbs 18:24
"24 A man of too many friends comes to ruin,
But there is a [b]friend who sticks closer than a brother."

Philippians 2:3
"3 Do nothing from [b]selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;"

Galatians 6:2
"2 Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ."

Philippians 2:1-3
"1 Therefore if you have any encouragement in Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being of one mind, having the same love, being united in spirit and purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves."

True friends enjoy the successes of their friends. True friends grieve with their friends in difficult times. True friends do not change or remove love on a dime, they are steady and consistent.

Those who are discerning will be able to see a true friend from a fake one.

Faith in Christ Alone

When our faith is in Jesus Christ alone we have no expectations of human beings.

Let's examine the story of a young woman who was devastated when she discovered her grandparents were not as moral or wonderful as she had thought growing up.

You see, her parents never told her all the messy things about her grandparents so she believed they were perfectly wonderful without flaws.

This young woman was devastated when she discovered things in the grandparents past that were sinful, even disbelieving them in order to maintain her fantasy about them.

When we cannot see people in truth we are placing our trust in man rather than Christ. When we know all human beings are flawed, desperately wicked without remedy as God says, then we have no expectations that any human being will be perfectly wonderful. In fact we will know that no one deserves our worship or over the top praise.

Jeremiah 17:9
"9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"

When we know the human condition has always been evil without Christ, then we can love people we know to be imperfect. When we refuse to face the truth about man kind, expecting things out of people that we have no right to expect, then we have fashioned an idol in our hearts that is above God.

When we can accept that man is desperately wicked and that Jesus Christ is the only answer to this problem of evil, then we can unconditionally love people without expectations of them. It does not mean we accept sin in them, it means we love them enough to speak the truth of God's Word so they can make an informed decision.

Yes, there are some people who cause problems in our lives and will not discuss them to resolve them, these people we must avoided. However we cannot avoid people because they have flaws or past sins we would have to get out of the world.

1 Corinthians 5:9-11 "9 I wrote you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people. 10 I was not including the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11 But now I am writing you not to associate with anyone who claims to be a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a verbal abuser, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.…"

Christ died for mankind while we were still in our sin. He loved His creation that much. There are certain things we cannot allow in our lives because of the continual problems these people bring, mostly they work against our Christianity without regard to the principles of God.

Those who attempt to draw us away from our God undermining our walk with Him must be removed. However there are unsaved people who do not work against us they merely live their lives in imperfection.

How dare anyone judge another person as unworthy of love because of past forgiven sins. Anyone who thinks like this is still in their own sin. To act superior to others is a sign this person never understood their own sinfulness, they have chosen to believe if they do all the right things all the right ways they are saved. These are those who are working their way to heaven based on their own elevated view of their own goodness.

Romans 3:23
"23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,"

Anyone who believes their sins were not as bad as the sins of others is prideful and diluted. The slightest sin, even a white lie is worthy of hell, that's just how pure and perfect God is, so perfect that not even the slightest sin can be in His presence.

This is the reason Christ died, to pay for sin that His sacrifice for us would cover our sinfulness. Only He is perfect, only He paid for sin. Only His blood can cover our sin.

We can only trust Christ to become born again when we confess our own sinfulness and have faith that Christ paid that debt. Then we must desire to be cleansed by Him. Good deeds cannot cleanse us or save us, only faith in Christ and His work in us will save us.

When He saves us He comes to live in us and begins the cleansing process called sanctification that changes us.

1 John 1:9
"9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Ephesians 2:10
"10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

When we see ourselves in truth, when we see everyone in truth, we will not place anyone in high regard. We will love people as Christ loved them, that is to tell them the truth so they will want to repent and confess their sinfulness to be saved.

When someone does not receive our correction we walk away and leave them to God. Perhaps He will send someone else to speak to them..

1 Corinthians 3:6-9
"6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. 7 So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. 8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own [a]reward according to his own labor. 9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s [b]field, God’s building."

When we are trusting Christ knowing we are merely a messenger we are able to walk away and leave people to Him. Wasting our time with those who will not listen is fruitless. Perhaps one day with more trials to make them see their need for Christ, they will begin to see their own sinfulness as we had to when we became born again.

No one is greater than anyone else, no one is sinless and no one deserves worship except God. God is One God, in three persons. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Bottom Line: Love people enough to speak truth to them and worship only God.

2 Timothy 4:1-3 "1 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form of patient instruction. 3 For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires.…"