Good News vs Fake News: God is Holding Your Sins Against You

15 Now let me remind you, brothers, of what the Gospel really is, for it has not changed—it is the same Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then and still do now, for your faith is squarely built upon this wonderful message; 1 Corinthians 15:1 TLB

13 making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do. Mark 7:13 NKJV

We're in a series of study distinguishing between the Good News of the Gospel of Grace and the fake news of religious tradition. As we have stated, religious people are not our enemy. They are our brothers and sisters in Christ. Their eyes haven't yet opened to the glorious full Gospel of the Grace of Jesus Christ. 

 In our last study, we began dealing with the issue of sin. We began addressing the areas of tradition surrounding the subject of sin. So far we've seen that God isn't punishing us when we sin. Today, I want to look at another aspect of this subject of sin.

Is God holding our sins against us?

 When we sin is God holding that against us? Is God charging it to our account? In more simpler terms, is God keeping score? Is He tallying up each and every time we blow it? Is He tracking our "good" days and "bad" days? 

 Does God see our sin and then tell the angels, to step away from us? Does He tell the Spirit to depart from us temporarily? Does God withhold His presence and power and provision? 

 The answer depends on who gives it. Tradition would say absolutely. Tradition may say "ok, God isn't literally punishing you for sin, but prayers and provision are hindered until you repent and confess." Grace says otherwise. God isn't accounting our sins against us. 

 A lack of fully understanding the New Covenant and the Finished Work of Christ is why there seems to be some confusion among many Christians. Any rational believer will agree and conclude sin isn't fulfilling and takes us further than we want to go and often ends up costing us more in the long term. Grace isn't about celebrating sin. It's about victory over sin, freedom from addictions, and mercy and goodness extended to those still struggling. 

 Think about it. When we are in a hurry, and cut someone off in traffic or don't let somebody merge into our lane, later on, we realize that wasn't very kind of us and not very loving to another. When we allow anger to dictate our reaction, lust to overtake us, or bitterness to alter our mood we wish we could take back our words or actions. Now in these moments, where is God? Is God saying I wanted to lead you and guide you but you've failed? I wanted to bless you but now my hands are tied?

 Tradition would say God's hands are tied. He can't help or heal until you repent and confess. Why? Because of not rightly dividing the New and Old Covenant. There is a passage that trips them up.

If I regard wickedness in my heart, The Lord will not hear; Psalm 66:18 NASB

 See? Religion says. It's clear Scripture. How do you hyper-grace preachers spin this? If we have sinned He won't hear. The understanding of this passage is again by sticking to context.

 The Psalmist is writing under the inspiration of the Spirit under the Old Covenant. There is no mediator between God and man at this time. Sin was merely covered for a year. This is an Old Covenant principle. Secondly, allow the very passage to interpret itself.

 The Psalmist doesn't say if the Lord regard wickedness or sin, He won't hear. The Psalmist states, if I regard sin, He won't hear me. What is he actually saying? If the Psalmist himself sees his own sin God won't hear him. The Psalmist is disqualifying himself. He lacks the confidence to receive from God because He is seeing his own sin. When we look at ourselves instead of Jesus we too will lack the confidence to receive.

 Tradition is once again not rightly dividing between the Old and New. Under the Old, seeing our sin and without a Finished Work, and mediator between God and man sin was a barrier between God and Man. Under the New Covenant, Jesus became sin and paid the full price for the forgiveness of all sin. Jesus already dealt with the sin issue.

 Is God holding your sins against you? Allow the New Covenant to Answer.

19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:19 NLT

2 He is the one who took God’s wrath against our sins upon himself and brought us into fellowship with God; and he is the forgiveness for our sins, and not only ours but all the world’s 1 John 2:2 TLB

17 And then he adds, “I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds.” Hebrews 10:17 TLB

Is God holding your sins against you? How could He? How could our God charge your sins to your account when He said your sins I will remember no more? How can He keep track of your failures when He declared He is no longer counting people's sin against them? Did Jesus tell a lie? Was Father God fibbing? Tradition seems to think so.

 Traditional religion has yet to grasp the fullness of the goodness and greatness of God's New Covenant. They seek to pepper this New Covenant with a pinch works. A dash of self effort. A sprinkle of performance and achievement. In traditional religion, His presence, power, provision are mere rewards for good behavior. So bad behavior means He can't respond otherwise God is rewarding bad behavior. Thank God the New Covenant is so much better than religious tradition.

 God's provision isn't a reward for good deeds. God's presence, blessings, favor, and salvation are demonstrated in our lives because of His goodness and love, not ours. It's because of the Father's faithfulness and kindness, not our good works. Jesus Finished Work purchased our complete redemption, not our achievements or sustained goodness.

 Thank God for this New Covenant. If God did account our sins we all would be in trouble. Because no one has it all together, (not saying we can't find triumph over temptations and addictions, but reminding us that God's standard is absolute perfection.) Grace has it all together and in this New Covenant, He is the mediator between God and man. He is the covering and cleansing of all our misdeeds and sins. We are complete in Him, lacking nothing. 

 In summation, disregard tradition. God is not keeping track of our sins. He isn't tallying up our good days and bad days. He isn't holding our sins against us and withholding answers to prayers until we get things right. In this New Covenant, we've already been made right. We have a mediator, the person of Grace Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ. Receiving anything from God comes by Grace through faith, not our behavior. When in prayer don't look within yourself to see if you measure up and end up disqualifying yourself and shrinking back. Look to Jesus, He is your completion and He Finished the Work and His blood already purchased the provision. 

Image courtesy of iosphere at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Good News vs. Fake News: God punishes you when you sin

15 Now let me remind you, brothers, of what the Gospel really is, for it has not changed—it is the same Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then and still do now, for your faith is squarely built upon this wonderful message; 1 Corinthians 15:1 TLB

13 making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do. Mark 7:13 NKJV

 We've been in a series examining the Good News versus the fake news of religious tradition. We've been exposing the differences between truth and tradition. Whenever we shine the light of the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ on the traditions of men revealing their error, we are not attacking people. We are simply highlighting wrong thinking in light of the revealed will of God, the truth of the Word.

  One major area tradition abounds in is the subject of sin. In the next few posts, we will expose the truth over tradition in this area. When we speak of sin it seems to some, sin is much more powerful than Grace. Sin is the proverbial "kryptonite" of God. Meaning God sees sin and He is weakened, unable to help or heal you, to move on your behalf, or to answer prayer. Others see God responding to your sin the same way the movies show vampires reacting to sunlight. God sees it and He flees. He must disconnect from you. He must break fellowship from you. 

Is God Punishing Me When I Sin?

 This is a very real concern for many Christians. This is where so many of us live. Often it isn't sin in general that concerns us. Moreso than not its the frequency of our failures and misdeeds. It is that one sin we seem to be struggling with and keep repeating.

 We can get into fear, worry, and concern about our relationship with God. At times we create a scale from bad to worst sins. If we commit a real bad sin just once we fear instant judgment. Then we go to the other extreme looking at the same sin we keep struggling with. We wonder if we keep repeating this behavior will God really forgive us? We wonder if we can cross some proverbial line and then God will say "that's it, you've sinned once to often you're gonna get it!"

 What is the truth? Does God punish us? Is He angry with us and disappointed in us when we sin? Is He standing by just waiting to strike if we blow it?

 To answer this, let's look at Christ's redemptive work at the Cross. What did He actually do on that Cross? What did He accomplish? 

But the fact is, it was our pains he carried—
    our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.
We thought he brought it on himself,
    that God was punishing him for his own failures.
But it was our sins that did that to him,
    that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins!
He took the punishment, and that made us whole.

    Through his bruises we get healed.  Isaiah 53:4-5 MSG

 Jesus bore our sins. He took the pain, punishment, and judgment for our sins. If God is punishing you for your sins then God would be saying Jesus' sacrifice and Finished Work wasn't enough. It didn't complete the payment for sin and redemption. That would mean our salvation is not complete, the work is unfinished, and we, therefore, have no eternal hope. 

 Thanks be to God, Jesus did Finish the Work. Thank God the price was fully paid and completely accepted by Father God. There is no more punishment for sin. Jesus paid the price. God isn't going to charge your sins to you and expect you to pay for them when Jesus already paid for them. How just is it for a merchant to expect additional payment for an item that has already been purchased and paid in full? 

 Tradition has some nonsensical ideas about God. They can't grasp the goodness of God. They can't understand His mercy. They fail to comprehend the very nature of Grace.

 Does this mean God is ok with Christians living in sin? That He merely winks at those who abide in sinful living? That He is celebrating our moral failures, misdeeds, mistakes, and sins? That our Father isn't grieved when He sees the pain and hurt and misery sin causes?

 God is absolutely perfect and holy. He is purity. Certainly, He doesn't celebrate sinful choices and habits. Sin grieves His heart because He doesn't want us hurting ourselves and others. He doesn't desire us to live and act contrary to our true identity in Him. 

 We need to see this issue from God's perspective. Nothing you could ever do will cause God to love you less or make Him want to distance Himself from you. Look at the newborn infant. The parents love that child unconditionally. All that child does is sleep, eat, spit up and urinate and defecate. It cannot perform in any way. Yet the parents continually show love and affection. Even when the baby messes up the furniture, the floor, the vehicle or their crib, good parents are right there cleaning up the mess and still showing love, acceptance, affirmation, and adoration.

 Do parents withhold food or shelter or warmth when the infant spits up staining the furniture or carpet? We know parents that have done such things because they make front page news. We call them loveless, abusive people. Even lost sinners condemn this behavior. Sadly, religious tradition views God as being this way. Withholding blessings, affection, and love because of people's sins. 

 They say God will get you for sinning too much. They say God is punishing you. They will cite Hebrews 12 to substantiate this claim. In the complete context, this Epistle to the Hebrews who were on the fence about fully receiving new life in Christ and embracing Grace or staying with the Old Covenant Law. The writer is correcting their thinking about Grace and Law, the Old and New Covenant, and the supremacy of Jesus and the Finished Work. In doing so the writer reveals that those whom God loves He corrects.

 Correction and instruction are not punishment. When we look at New Covenant correction we see it is God by His Spirit reminding people of who they are and whose they are. God corrects and instructs with His Word, not with punishment or harsh circumstances. He lovingly reminds us of who we are and He never stops loving us or distances Himself from us. It's His goodness that brings us to change not punishment. 

 When we miss it or keep sinning that same sin, often we look at our life and can see bad days or trying situations and conclude we deserve it. That God is punishing us and we are displeasing to God. Often the result is we back away from God. God doesn't want our behavior to determine our identity, but who He made us in the Finished Work. He wants us to awaken to Him and our new identity in Christ and not distance ourselves when we sin. 

 The truth is there is only one punishment for sin and that is death. It is not unanswered prayers or God breaking fellowship with us. Jesus already paid the price. He died so we wouldn't have to. We need not fear or shrink back from God. If we think God is punishing us for our sins, we are not fully receiving and abiding in His perfect love for us. 

17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. 18 Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. 1 John 4:17-18 NLT

In summation, God isn't punishing you when you sin. He isn't angry with you. He isn't seeking ways to get you or make your life harder. He isn't creating harsh and destructive circumstances to punish or teach you. Sin may have harsh consequences here on Earth, but that isn't God punishing you. Focus on God's love. God will love you before that sin, during that sin and afterward. His perfect love will lead you out of sinful ways and bondages and addictions. He is a good Father who loves and cherishes you and this love never fails. Sin loses it's appeal when we embrace His perfect love, for He alone is the satisfaction and fulfillment we long for in all areas of this life.

Image courtesy of iosphere at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Good News vs. Fake News: A Christian can be Disconnected from God

15 Now let me remind you, brothers, of what the Gospel really is, for it has not changed—it is the same Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then and still do now, for your faith is squarely built upon this wonderful message; 1 Corinthians 15:1 TLB

13 making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do. Mark 7:13 NKJV

 We've been in a series highlighting the differences between truth and tradition. When distinguishing truth from tradition understand we aren't against people. We aren't attacking other churches, denominations or ministers. We are simply examining the teachings, the theological perspectives some hold to in light of the Word and the New Covenant. People are not our enemy. In Christ, we are all brethren. All sincerely born-again Christians belong to the family of God.


 Today, I sensed the leading to examine an idea that seems to be prevalent in the Body of Christ. I'd like to ask you a question, to begin with. Have you ever sat in a Christian assembly and after listening to the worship and sermon came to the conclusion that as a believer it must be possible to be separated, divided, even disconnected from God? What do I mean exactly? Look at some of the lyrics of some popular Christian hymns and worship songs.

 "Draw me close to you, never let me go."

"Open up the doors to Heaven and let us enter in."

"Savior, while on others thou art calling, do not pass me by."

"Come by here my Lord, come by here."

"I just want to be where you are."

"I just want to be near your heart."

 Let me first say this. Music is an artistic expression. It is a beautiful gift God gave mankind. Perhaps many of these songs sung are just an extension of the artist's expression during times when their emotional state sensed a separation or divide. So we aren't attacking the artists. The problem is too often we take these hymns and songs as truth and build a theology around them. 

 There exists in the Body of Christ today an idea, a concept, a theology, if you will, that connotes the idea that a believer at times is somehow apart from God. That they are far from the Father's heart. That they need the Spirit of God to usher them back to God's presence. That our sins, our poor performance, our lack of spiritual fervor removes us from our Father's fellowship, communion, and presence.

 In many Christian circles, it seems the presence of God is like some magic trick. Now you see it, now you don't. That God is so temperamental, so easily offended, so quick to depart if we don't have our program just right. This stems from the traditional concept that God merely tolerates us and is often displeased and disappointed in us and our lack of faith, commitment, and passion.

 Because of this, we must work hard to ensure we create an atmosphere for God to be "comfortable" in. We strive to create the perfect mood. In our meetings, we turn down the lights. We demand children sit still. We demand certain songs be sung. We pray or rather beg for a half an hour or so before a service begins for God to show up. What are we doing? We are hoping God finds us pleasing enough and the atmosphere conducive enough for Him to come and visit us. 

 What are we doing Church? We are reinforcing a concept and idea that God doesn't want anything to do with us until we satisfy His impossibly strict standards or He won't be in our midst. We are creating the concept that if our own spiritual life is in disarray or out of order in any way He won't want to be with us, that He will be far from us. 

 These concepts have become a prevalent stronghold in the minds of so many in the Body of Christ. This is why we see so many fasting, abstaining from food and foregoing natural pleasures such as watching movies, listening to music or engaging in a hobby. They aren't taking time to fellowship with God and celebrate the intimacy He already made possible. Instead, they are striving and performing in order to be found worthy of God's presence to visit them. In their mind, we can only visit His presence. It is not something we abide in. 

Is a Believer ever disconnected or separated from God?

 The truth is so much better than this tradition. The good news is you are His beloved child with whom He is well pleased. The truth is you are not far from Him. You don't need to be "taken into the Father's heart." In Christ, you are already in the Father's heart. You're engraved in the palm of His hands. He loves you with an everlasting unquenchable love. He isn't looking for ways to disqualify you from His presence. Your Father rejoices over you with joy. Because of Jesus, He is in you and is with you always.

 We need to uproot this stronghold from our thinking. Allow the washing of the water of the Word to renew your thinking in this area.

13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation Ephesians 2:13-14 NKJV

It is clear, we are never separated from God. He already tore down that wall of separation and we are drawn near by the Blood. Has the Blood lost its power? Then know we are always near. This passage in full context outlines how the fulfillment of Law and ushering in of the New Covenant made us one with God, see here.

3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God Colossians 3:3 NKJV

 If our life is hidden in Christ, how can we ever be separated or apart or divided from God? Only religious tradition can disregard the Word and believe such nonsense.

 Tradition will shout what about when we sin? That's for sure when He leaves us. Is it? If you believe this let me introduce you to Grace.

...And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20b NLT

He is with us always. Not just when we obey, or live sin free. He is ever with us and we with Him. We are never divided, or separated from God. 

  In summation, I want you to know and understand God is for you and you're never apart from Him. Once I was listening to a worship album, it had a catchy tune and passionate singers. They kept pleading bring us into the Father's heart. Suddenly, the Lord spoke up within my heart. "You're already in my heart. You don't need to be drawn into my heart." Relinquish tradition rooted lyrics and teachings that leave you thinking you are apart from God and must strive to get back into His presence. You're His beloved and He is pleased. Celebrate His presence, and rejoice in the intimacy all Christians have with their Father. You are never abandoned, alone or apart from Him. You are in Christ and He is with you always no matter what.

image courtesy of Stoonn at FreeDigitalPhotos.net