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.…"