Sunday, March 6, 2016

The Guilt That Binds Us

Every human being is born with the same sin nature we inherited from Adam, the first man created by God. As we grow up, our growth as individual persons is nourished, developed and molded either for the kingdom of God or a kingdom without God, and the kingdom without God belongs to Satan.  Every human being is born with a heart, I am not talking about the physical heart that pumps blood, for this post, I will be discussing the spiritual heart. Craig von Buseck from CBN provides a simple description of the heart:"Man was created with spirit, soul and body...Genesis 2:7 states that Man was created as a loving soul.  The soul consists of the mind, the conscience, will, and emotions. The spirit and the soul mysteriously combine together and make up what the Scriptures call 'the heart'. "

The Bible has a lot to say about the heart of man whom do not know God, and none of its good as shown by just a couple of verses:
"The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; Who can know it?" Jeremiah 17:9
"From within, out of the heart of man, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness." Mark 7:21-22

It's really mind blowing that so many try to ignore God, His Word. They proclaim that we don't need God.  They foolishly believe that man will 'evolve' into some Utopian Star Trek society. You don't have to be a rocket scientist or fortune teller to see what the world would look like if God did not exist.  Just look now at the world, the cities, the countries now and since the beginning of time.  After thousands and thousands and thousands of years, centuries, MAN IS DOING THE EXACT SAME THING IT HAS BEEN DOING! Why? should we not be 'evolved' into a better society by now? Oh, wait, there are some who blame it on religion. If the religions would go away, then society would be perfect.  This is another stupid belief.  Most religions, (not the ones who tell their followers to kill/destroy other people) promote harmony, giving, civility, peace, humility, obeying the law, being a good person. So what then is the real reason we can't get away from wars, poverty, crime, abuse, and all other problems that plague the human race?  Why are we not at peace with all the technology we have? It's a HEART issue!

One truth that is irrefutable, from all the histories of mankind, the stories in the Bible, one fact that is true about mankind, we are IRREVOCABLY incapable of saving ourselves! We are so deeply in need of  a savior, it is ludicrous to think we can get better without God.  The hearts of man are evil.  Why are we surprised at the murders, the rapes, the abuses, the hatefulness, the selfishness.  The Bible says that these type of behaviors are because of the heart. A heart that is closed off from God. But the killer part is that we are all born with a desire to know God too. It is this war within, commonly pictured as the devil on one shoulder and God on the other. Our sin nature battles against God's nature. Paul talks about this internal battle in Romans chapter 7, how he battles within himself to do the good thing but ends up doing the bad/evil thing even though he knows the law. He notes that is the sinful flesh that dwells within him and the only thing that can deliver us from wicked selves is through Jesus Christ our Lord! Because God gave us freewill, we choose which nature to nurture. Now the truth that many don't want to accept is that the battle is not on equal grounds and we have to have help from God to change our hearts.  The devil is not as strong or stronger than God. The devil is just another created being, but he is powerful. The heart is powerful as well. It can't be changed by human will alone.

Why do you think it's so hard to change? Every New Year, millions declare their New Year's Resolution. A majority will go back to the same old within a few months. Most statistics about change rate that only 10% of people actually change when they have set out to change some behavior. The United States has the highest prison population,and those on parole in the entire world.  The US, where food, entertainment, all kinds of pleasures are available, and yet millions of men and women are in prison for various crimes.  The US is the largest consumption of illegal substances and alcohol. Any product sold is about supply and demand.  The only reason the drug cartels make and sell their drugs is because there is a demand for them, especially in the US. If a life without God is so wonderful, why are the young people still trying cocaine, heroin, and the other drugs? If life is so good with all the food, entertainment, and pleasures, why are millions depressed, anxious and many take their lives?

The reason is simple. Man was made in the image of God, and even though man sinned, God still offers man a life with God, but God is a gentlemen, He does not coerce or force Himself on anyone, He wants a willing and humble heart. He offers fellowship and blessings and a new heart and new mind. This heart and mind is able to live righteously as is best for human beings. This is a free offer, you don't have to work for it, you accept and receive.  But most reject this offer.  And although they do have a part of them that does want God, their conscience leads them either away or towards Him. But when they walk away from Him, the guilt and shame that arrives from living a life without God, chains up the heart.  The behaviors that one knows is wrong, leads to more guilt and shame.  And instead of turning to God, they try to ignore the guilt, they try to distract themselves from the guilt, many drown the guilt away with alcohol or disconnect from their feeling with pills and other drugs. It's not just with drugs, mental issues develop as well: rage, criminal pursuits, bitterness, hatred, pride, this drives a person to work more, get rich, climb the social ladder, have the most sex partners, but the more they get the unhappier they become. It does not matter how much someone smokes, drinks, injects, how big their bank account, how many partners they have, IT WILL NEVER FILL THAT PART OF THEMSELVES THAT WAS MEANT FOR GOD!

Only God can help a person to truly change. It is the supernatural, mystical help of Jesus Christ that is available to anyone who will believe.

The Good News is there is going to be a Day of Judgment, and God will judge everyone who has ever lived, His wrath is going to poured out on all the wicked and ungodly. Believing in Jesus saves us from the righteous wrath of God. But that is not all, He gives us a new heart and mind NOW, and we receive some of His blessing from heaven NOW and are equipped to be able to live a life that is holy and acceptable to Him NOW.
1. Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is real, He lived and died and rose from the grave.
2. Believe that you are a sinner, repent-turn from your sins and realize and accept you need Jesus.
3. Confess that Jesus is your Lord and God
4. Find a local Bible preaching church that does obey the commandment for water baptism for the remission of your sins and to identify yourself with Christ.

This is just the first step to a lifelong journey of growing in truth and love with the God who created this earth and everything in it, including every human being that has ever lived.
Bible verses related to this post: Genesis 2:7, Romans 5:12, Romans chapter 7
resources: http://www1.cbn.com/questions/what-are-the-three-parts-of-man