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THE PENTATEUCH

GENESIS ---EXODUS--- LEVITICUS 1.1-7.38 --- 8.1-11.47 --- 12.1-16.34--- 17.1-27.34--- NUMBERS 1-10--- 11-19--- 20-36--- DEUTERONOMY 1.1-4.44 --- 4.45-11.32 --- 12.1-29.1--- 29.2-34.12 --- THE BOOK OF JOSHUA --- THE BOOK OF JUDGES --- PSALMS 1-17--- ECCLESIASTES --- ISAIAH 1-5 --- 6-12 --- 13-23 --- 24-27 --- 28-35 --- 36-39 --- 40-48 --- 49-55--- 56-66--- EZEKIEL --- DANIEL 1-7 ---DANIEL 8-12 ---

NAHUM--- HABAKKUK---ZEPHANIAH ---ZECHARIAH --- THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW ---THE GOSPEL OF MARK--- THE GOSPEL OF LUKE --- THE GOSPEL OF JOHN --- THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES --- 1 CORINTHIANS 1-7 --- 8-16 --- 2 CORINTHIANS 1-7 --- 8-13 -- -GALATIANS --- EPHESIANS --- COLOSSIANS --- 1 THESSALONIANS --- 2 THESSALONIANS --- 1 TIMOTHY --- 2 TIMOTHY --- TITUS --- HEBREWS 1-6 --- 7-10 --- 11-13 --- JAMES --- JOHN'S LETTERS --- REVELATION

--- THE GOSPELS

Chapter 12 ‘In Me, That Is, In My Flesh, There Dwells No Good Thing?’ (Romans 7.18).

Here is a problem that many Christians have. They feel that they have failed badly. They feel that they have failed so badly that really there is no hope of a recovery. Their condition, they think, is hopeless. They may have tried to find forgiveness but they feel that it is too late. They feel that they have sinned so badly that God cannot forgive them. They possibly feel that He is prepared to put up with them, that somehow they will be saved, but they feel that God can never really bless them again. They say, ‘I cannot expect Christ to live through me because I am too big a sinner’. They are like the prodigal son, who came to his father and said, ‘Father I have sinned against Heaven and before you, I am no more worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your hired servants.’ Do you remember what happened to him? His father ran and fell on his neck and kissed him and welcomed him back as his son (Luke 16.21-24).

But what I want you to notice in these sentences is how many times we have said ‘feel’. You see that is the problem. We find it difficult to get away from our feelings. But judging ourselves by ourselves we are not wise.

Now let us first of all face up to one thing. We may be perfectly right. We may well have failed badly. For indeed it is true of us all. We all fail badly. Here is the Christian preacher who feels that he has done rather well. He feels rather pleased that he has delivered a good message. He feels very satisfied with himself. He has failed badly. He is taking for himself the credit that belongs to the Holy Spirit. And if it persists it will ruin his ministry. God will not give His glory to another.

Here is the man who has behaved unfeelingly towards his wife, or the wife who has behaved unfeelingly towards her husband. They have both failed badly. They have failed to obey the mighty Law of God which commands that we love each other as we love ourselves. We do not usually behave unfeelingly towards ourselves, so why have we behaved unfeelingly towards our partner, or towards another Christian, or towards our neighbour? Do you say, ‘Oh, but that is not really a very great sin.’ Do you not think so? Here are people who have rejected the Law of their Creator, and have flaunted it in the face of their Judge. Is that not rebellion of the highest order? There is no greater sin than that. They stand convicted before the highest court in the Universe, and even outside the Universe. And we are all in that position. Paul puts it succintly. ‘All have sinned!’ Why? Because they have ‘come short of the glory of God’ (Romans 3.23). There we are. We are all trapped by that statement. By it everyone of us is a sinner, and a rebel, and a total failure in the eyes of God. We have all ‘come short’ of His glory and His holiness. We have been called to be Christ-like and we have come short. And consider further the words of James 2.10, ‘Whoever will keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.’ He confirms that we only have to commit one sin and we are done for. We are then guilty of all, for we will have broken the Law of God. We have a ‘criminal record’ in God’s eyes.

But let us suppose that you insist that your sin has been more terrible than that. It is difficult to see how it could be, but you say that that is how you ‘feel’. And of course we must respect your feelings. Then hear these words. ‘If we say that we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us, but if we admit to our sin openly before God and agree with Him about it (‘confess our sin’) He is faithful and will justly forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness’ (1 John 1.8-9). Now there we have the situation put quite clearly. And then all we have to ask is, have you openly admitted your sin, and agreed with God about your sin? Then what does He say? He says that He will forgive your sin and cleanse you from all unrighteousness. And He says that He will do it because He is faithful. Do you then doubt His faithfulness? If you have admitted your sin and agreed with God about it His unfaithfulness could be the only reason that you have not been forgiven. Will you then accuse Him of that? That He is unfaithful? Then you really are guilty. For how can you think that God will be unfaithful?

‘Oh,’ you say. ‘That is all very well. But you see, you do not know how bad I am. I find it difficult to repent enough. I just do not deserve to be forgiven.’ Good, for now you have given the game away. For you can only justly say that if you cannot read. For the verses are quite clear. They do not say ‘if you repent enough’, they do not say ‘if you deserve it’, they say ‘if you admit to it and agree with God about it’ (for that is what ‘confess’ means). And once you have done that openly before God and come to Him through the cross of Jesus then according to this verse you can be sure that your sin has been forgiven. Then you can have no excuse for not accepting that your sins have been totally removed. Note that here we are using the shield of faith and the sword of the Spirit. We are believing what God has said, and holding it up as our defence. And note that this is not talking about confessing to any living man or woman. It is talking about confessing directly to God.

And why can you be sure that your sin has been forgiven? Because you have brought it to God. You have brought it to the light. It is no longer hidden. And you therefore have His promise that if you ‘walk in the light as He is in the light --- the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, will cleanse you from all sin’ (1 John 1.7). So you see you now have two promises that you can believe. So throw away your doubts, throw away your fears and believe God and take Him at his word. Accept your forgiveness on His terms and stop calling Him a liar. If you still refuse to accept that you are fully forgiven once you have genuinely openly admitted it to Him and sought forgiveness you are committing a greater sin. For you are believing that God is unfaithful and does not do what He has said.