"GUILTY ~ NOT GUILTY!"

Instinctively, today's society tries to hide guilt, to bury it or wish it away, dance it away, drink it away, drug it away. NONE of these attempts work! The guilt preys on the heart and brings regrets, worries and fears.

In Psalm 32 David tells how he had been wrestling with enemy #1 ~ his guilt ~ and was taking a beating! He had tried the hiding game, but it didn't work. He might have been able to hide his sins from others,
but he could not hide them from God. There was only one way out: "I will confess my sins to the Lord," David says. Then God forgave the guilt of his sin.

"Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God." Romans 3:19

The purpose of the law was to bring conviction and prove guilt; not for justification. The law never justified anyone; its purpose is to reveal sin.

"For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." James 2:10

The Law condemns discriminating between the rich and poor. Someone will say, "Well, I didn't commit murder," while another might say, "And I haven't committed adultery." Listen to what James says:

He is saying you are guilty of breaking the commandments no matter which law it is that you break! A man may be in prison as a murderer, look across the aisle and say to another fellow, "I'm not a rapist. I
never broke that law" ~ yes, but he is behind bars; he is a murderer! However, you do not have to go the penitentiary to find that attitude. You will find people all around you who look down on others in the
same way! We all stand before God as lawbreakers ~ GUILTY!

Just think of all the things, even as brothers and sisters in Christ, that we are guilty of! Just to mention a few examples: The slip of the tongue with the use of profanity, keeping the smallest thing from your
spouse to save argumenting, the Sunday you miss church with allowing the devil to give you "a good excuse", the whispering to the person next to you when gathered in a circle of people, the gossip you
help spread around, the confidentialty you just can't seem to hold to yourself that someone has entrusted you with, and soooo much more! How can you judge yourself? Guilty? Not Guilty?

"And Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty." Matthew 23:18

The Pharisees taught that if you swore by the temple or the altar, you were not bound to keep your oath. But if you swore by the gold of the temple or by the gift on the altar, the oath was binding. They placed
emphasis on material things rather than upon the spiritual purpose for which they were to be used.

"What think ye? They answered and said, He is guilty of death. Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands, Saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ,
Who is he that smote thee?" Matthew 26:66-68

How they hated the Lord Jesus! Here in the Sanhedrin He was slapped, spit upon, beaten with fists, and ridiculed. "Saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee?" They played a game with
Him. They possibly blindfolded Him, then hit Him on the face, and He was to guess who did it. This was the natural antagonism of the human heart to His goodness, His righteousness, His holiness, and the fact
that He is God.

"Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and
drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body." 1Corinthians 11:27-29

When you observe the Lord's Supper, He is present. Yes, He is! This is not just a symbol. It means you must discern the body of Christ. You have bread in your mouth, but you have Christ in your heart!

Application: Do not hide, cover-up, or shift blame ~ "confess your transgressions to the Lord." Know God not only as a God of stern justice, but also as a God of love ~ a forgiving God Who welcomes us with the Good News of His grace in Christ, our sin-bearer. Trusting that Christ has made amends for us, we can rest assured that our "guilt" is really gone.

Today's Devotion: "I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah." Psalm 32:5