"There is no condemnation now for those who live in union with Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit, which brings us life in union with Christ Jesus, has set me free from the law of sin and death" (Romans 8:1-2)
WE ALL HAVE SINNED
"As the Scriptures say: “There is no one who is righteous, no one who is wise or who worships God. All have turned away from God; they have all gone wrong; no one does what is right, not even one. Their words are full of deadly deceit; wicked lies roll off their tongues, and dangerous threats, like snake's poison, from their lips; their speech is filled with bitter curses." (Romans 3:10-14)
This scriptural text describes in very clear terms our attitudes as human beings. When you visit a friend or family member, the first topic of discussion - after the exchange of salutations - is often about someone or a group of people who have done something bad or wrong. Most of the time these gossips overshadow and, even, replace the original agenda of the meeting.
You would rarely hear someone say, "I regret for this thing that I have done wrong" or "I feel guilty for this problem that I have caused". Rather, they would deny anything they have ever done that was bad; or simply justify themselves and lay the blame on others.
Many people do not have the eyes to see what they do wrong but they are very vigilant to see the weaknesses and the wrongs of other people. Truly, if you can not admit your own faults and weaknesses, and do not believe in the repentance and conversion of other people, then, your Christianity is questionable.
Those who confess their sins are like the the repentant thief - they are the true friends of Christ. But those who hide their own sins, and go to accuse others, are like the unrepentant thief. They are the real enemies of Christ - for they mock at him on the Cross. (Luke 23:39-43).
There are few people, however, who are honest, humble, and courageous enough to admit or confess their wrongs in the presence of others. These are the people who have accepted or answered "yes" to God's call to repentance - and so for them salvation is sure.
SOME HAVE REPENTED
"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and there is no truth in us. But if we confess our sins to God, he will keep his promise and do what is right: he will forgive us our sins and purify us from all our wrongdoing." (1 John 1 :8-9)
God is never selfish with his mercy; when you ask him with a sincere heart, he grants it to you in full measure. That's why the scripture says, "He gave us his only Son, will he not also freely give us all things" (Romans 8:32). So, there is nothing else that God gives us so generously as his mercy - for his mercy is the only guarantee of his constant and unending love.
Brethren, if you are faithful to your repentance do not answer those who keep accusing you for the sins of your past - remain calm, patient and focused - the Christ who redeemed you by means of his death on the Cross, is also able to justify you by means of his resurrection from the dead.
Wherever they see you they point at you: "that is the theif", "that is the adulterer", "that is the prostitute" - so that everyone can mock at you. But if you have repented - truly repented - they are, unknowingly, pointing but to Jesus Christ of Nazareth; as John the Baptist did: "There is the Lamb of God, he is the one who takes away the sins of the world" (John 1:29-30).
So, the more they accuse you, the more they bring judgement upon themselves (Matthew 7:2). And the more you increase in the grace of God, the more they decrease. As it is written: "He must increase, and I must decrease" (John 3:30) - So anyone who accepts the grace of God becomes richer and anyone who rejects the grace of God becomes poorer. Hence, let the accusations from others not annoy or discourage you; but, rather, be the motivation for you to grow in your fellowship and union with the Lord Jesus Christ.
So, brethren, I say again - if you have truly repented of your sins - remain faithful to your repentance and trust in Jesus Christ who saved you - no matter what they do or say about you. They can judge you, but they cannot condemn you - for God himself declares you not guilty! (Romans 8:33).
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| DONALD TRUMP WAS JUSTIFIED AND ACQUITED |
CHRIST WILL JUSTIFY YOU
"Who, then, will condemn them? Not Christ Jesus, who died, or rather, who was raised to life and is at the right side of God, pleading with him for us!" (Romans 8:-34)
"And so those whom God set apart, he called; and those he called, he put right with himself, and he shared his glory with them." (Romans 8:30)
The repented sinner does not fear, anymore, condemnation - for it is no longer they who live, but Christ who lives in them (Galatians 2:20). If the world condemns you for the sins you have confessed and repented of, Christ will justify and acquit you - because his death on the Cross was not in vain (Galatians 2:21).
By the merits of your confession and your repentance, you who were baptized into the death of Christ, will also be justified in his resurrection (Colossians 2:12-14). When the time comes, they will be disappointed to find you no more in the "land of the dead". They will go looking for you everywhere, but when they meet you they will not recognize you. And when the angels will point at you - ascending and descending or going and coming in the glory of God - they will be so stupefied, as to speak no more.
The women went to anoint the body of Jesus in the tomb, because they did not believe in his resurrection. But they were the angels of God, and not the Christ, who told them: *The man you are looking for is no longer here - among the dead." (Luke 24:1-5). And when Mary Magdalene met with the risen Christ - face to face - she did not recognize him; she thought he was the gardener. (John 20:14-16) So, death and life have nothing in common!
Finally, when Jesus had ascended into heaven, in the very presence of the Apostles, they still stood with their eyes and mouths widely open - in total amazement - because they did not believe in the Ascension. Not until the angels appeared again to tell them, "This Jesus you saw ascending in to heaven will come back in the same way". (Acts 1:9-11).
These are the same things that will happen when God's glory is revealed in those who have answered Christ's call to repentance and conversion (Colossians 3:3-4).
CONVERSION IS CONTINUOUS
"I have done my best in the race, I have run the full distance, and I have kept the faith. And now there is waiting for me the victory prize of being put right with God, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that Day - and not only to me, but to all those who wait with love for him to appear." (2 Timothy 4:7-8)
"But whoever holds out to the end will be saved." (Mathew 24:13)
Conversion is not a single act, but a continuous process of confession and repentance. For, even when you have repented, you still remain an unworthy sinner by comparism to the holiness of God. That is why Jesus said, "No one is good except God alone" (Mark 10:18).
The paradox is this: the holier you become, the more sinful you are. In other words, the closer you get to God the more you realize how sinful and and unworthy you are. This is why those walking faithfully toward holiness are very humble and simple - the more they see the glory of God, they more they see the darkness in their lives. So they keep on repenting and growing in the holiness of God.
Therefore, conversion is an unending process which is completed only in heaven. This means that holy people are not perfect, but are persistently walking towards perfection in the grace of God. (2 Timothy 4:7-8; Hebrews 12:23).
GOD'S GRACE IS SURPLUS
"Law was introduced in order to increase wrongdoing; but where sin increased, God's grace increased much more. So then, just as sin ruled by means of death, so also God's grace rules by means of righteousness, leading us to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 5:20-21)
The grace of God surpasses and covers every sin or human weakness. And It overflows to restore you to the glory of God. But you may claim it only through the confession and repentance of your sins.
Let us take, for example, a practical case of two thieves - Ali and Baba - who work for the same company (these are not real characters). Ali was charged for stealing $10.000. 00 from the company. He confessed and repented. And Baba, who also worked for the company, has a secret way of conniving with some customers to steal $5.00 from the company every day.
By his confession and repentance Ali has claimed the more $10.000.00 worth of God's grace to to free him from his sin and restore him. But Baba whose theft is unknown to the boss has been pressing the boss - to no avail - to get Ali arrested and sent to prison. This pretensious gesture was to express his false love for the the company and the boss.
Unfortunately for Baba, he was the condemned because he had failed to repent to claim the grace available for him. It was one of the customers who betrayed him, and the boss outrageously ordered for his arrest and imprisonment. He wanted to use that customer's name to steal $5.00 only. Can you compare this to $10.000.00 which Ali stole, but was acquited?
This is why the scripture is calling: "Let us have confidence, then, and approach God's throne, where there is grace. There we will receive mercy and find grace to help us just when we need it." (Hebrews 4:16).
DO NOT CONDEMN ANYBODY
"No longer, then, do we judge anyone by human standards. Even if at one time we judged Christ according to human standards, we no longer do so. Anyone who is joined to Christ is a new being; the old is gone, the new has come." (2 Corinthians 5:16-17)
Some people claim righteousness: instead of looking at Christ to see how sinful you are, you are looking, instead, at others to see how holy you are. You will be ashamed when they see the glory of God upon those whom you judge - as they overtake you on the way to conversion and fulfillment. This is why the scripture says, "The tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the Kingdom of God ahead of you." (Matthew 21:31).
Take note, also, that it is written: "If you think you are standing firm you had better be careful that you do not fall." (1 Corinthians 10 :12)
The ones who judge others are like the runners in a race who, instead of running ahead to the finishing point, stand aside to look at those who are coming behind them. As they keep counting the steps of the latter and judging their performances, so do the latter overtake them - one after the other - to the finishing point. The "judges" only realize themselves when everyone has overtaken them, and gone ahead. And before he starts running, the race is over!
Those whom you judge might have already died with Christ to sin and are waiting to be revealed in the glory of his resurrection (Colossians 3:3-4). But you? You are living and boasting with the devil, while condemnation is waiting for you - because you have rejected the grace of God (Galatians 2:21). And you add to your sins by judging and condemning others (Matthew 7:1-2). But it is not too late, you may still examine yourself and go - by confession and repentance - to the throne of grace and mercy (Hebrews 4:16). Let the day of Judgement not take you by surprise!
MAKE FRIENDS WITH GOD
"All this is done by God, who through Christ changed us from enemies into his friends and gave us the task of making others his friends also. Our message is that God was making all human beings his friends through Christ. God did not keep an account of their sins, and he has given us the message which tells how he makes them his friends." (2 Corinthians 5:18 - 19)
Does it mean that we should be indifferent to the sins and atrocities of others? No, we have a duty to correct and admonish each other - with due respect for human dignity - and to pray for the conversion of the sinners we know and those that we do not know. Surely, it is by the prayers of others that we, too, have been converted to Christ.
Certainly, the reading of this article has enabled you to find your own location on the map of Christiandom. But no condition is permanent, for apart from God, the only thing that does not change is change. So let us all change to the unchangeable God; through Christ - the unchangeable changer. Amen.
May the LORD bless you as you read and share, and may our conversion to Christ profit us all to share in the eternal glory of God (Romans 8:30) AMEN
Author: Aying Godman is a Catechist, Evangelist & Writer, of the Roman Catholic Church in Cameroon. Email : ayinggodman@gmail.com
Copyright (c) Aying Godman (2021-2022) All rights reserved.
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