Sinning Saints…are they Guilty as Charged?

Have you ever wondered…How could God love someone like me?

You may reason; I have failed so many times in this relational journey with God. Not only have I failed I have sinned the same sin for more times than I care remember. I am constantly badgered from over the pulpit, from fellow believers that I have to try harder, read my Bible more, get involved   more, go to church more, pray more etc. etc.. The list of do’s and don’ts seem to be never ending. How can God really love me…I mean, I have had so many blessings, I own a dozen Bibles of which I am very knowledgeable in, I know what to do yet, It is impossible for me to keep doing it and my failures set me sailing on a guilt trip and results in me trying harder to do the doing so as not to fail and the port of guilt and condemnation is ever before me.

Listen to the verse Romans 8:33, “Who will bring a charge against God’s elect?" God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns?

Notice what this verse doesn’t say. It does not say; there is no one who will not try to condemn. Make no mistake about it, there are some who try…that is the devil, his fellow evil spirits and people who live in his deception and preach guilt and condemnation as the gospel.

And if we’re honest, we will have to admit that when he starts condemning us believers through the self-righteous of other believers…who by the way fail as much as we do…with our sin and failings, sometimes we allow the accusations from people who are to exhibit the love and forgiveness of our loving Father, to get under our skin, and make us feel like that their siding with the great deceiver is right, and that God maybe hasn’t justified us, or declared us righteous, or at least is upset with us for failing

Revelation 12:10 reads, "Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the ACCUSER OF OUR BRETHREN has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night."

So clearly the person behind the accusing of the brethren is Satan himself.

When does he accuse the believer?...Before God day and night.

Just imagine, there is no end to the accusation. Let’s face it, there’s no shortage of sins among us believers and Satan knows it. The sad thing is, that he has deceived self-righteous believers to join him in the accusing role As believers should we not practice what Jesus taught…”Let him who is without sin cast the first stone”.

If that was adhered to…NOT ONE…not the man behind the pulpit, not the people in their ivory hierarchical offices, nor the people who sit in the pews would allow judgment and condemnation roll over their lips for there is NO ONE who is without sin!

Although we are believers that does not negate the fact that we are humans and we are prone to sinning. Now, I’m not advocating sinning. I’m against it. But I’ve lived more than a few years in this human body and knowing how humanoids think, act and react I am fairly confident that there has not been one who could claim perfection as of yet, excluding the God Man, Christ Jesus. If such a person exists…a believer who doesn't sin…I haven’t met such a species.

In fact even if I did meet such a person, who claimed that they had not sinned since becoming a believer, I wouldn’t believe him? Listen we have got to be honest if we’re going to make any headway in this Accuser of the Brethren guilt condemning warped view that is accepted and demonstrated as part and parcel of the gospel presentation, we need to understand more fully our position in Christ.

The accusers accuse us of our individual sins. If we ever find ourselves unable to remember them, they will be happy to remind us. And Satan will take every opportunity to remind God and the “godly” people he has deceived into believing His lie that we are guilty and if it was in our humanity that established our position in God, we would definitely be guilty. 

He accuses us regarding our specific sins, and he also accuses us of our standing in God. We are prone to believe his accusations because we have been fed the lie that God cannot look upon sin and turns His back on us when we do sin and some even teach that when we sin we are under God’s judgment and punishment is in store for us.

There is one place where there is no shortage of the devils little helpers. Where is that? Ironic enough some of them are found behind the pulpits and sitting in the pews of the buildings called churches. 

It seems the continual day and night accusation by Satan is not enough for some Christian brethren, so deceived believers agree with Satan and become believers accusing the believer.

I am talking about the kind of condemnation which is carelessly heaped on other believers, by laying down rules and laws, and making believers think that God will only love them if they measure up to some standard and are subject to the code of conduct established by the religious group they belong to. 

These people are quick to condemn, but slow to forgive. 

They are quick to build guilt and condemnation cesspools, but slow to build a relational bridge of forgiveness love and grace over the cesspools. 

They are quick to accuse believer when a mistake is made, but slow to put their arm of understanding and  a heart of forgiveness and love around a believer in gentle restoration

Their version of the gospel is one that is quick to load their self-righteous gun with their out of context bible knowledge to accuse and criticize, but slow to fill their heart with God’s mercy and love in order to understand, forgive, and demonstrate grace.

Let me say this. Satan doesn’t need these parrots to parrot his accusations. He has enough to do his work already. They abound, and some are teachers, preachers and believers, who have been hoodwinked to believe his deceptions…believe it or not! And what they teach, the Bible calls “doctrine”...doctrines of man and doctrines of demons.

The good news of the Gospel is:

Our sins are forgiven…past, present and future, “never to be remembered against us any more! That means that our sins have already been judged, past, present and future! That means we will not be judged for them again. The price was paid for our sin was paid for by Jesus, past, present and future…that means we will not pay for them ever again! The decision has been made not by the law keepers, not by you nor by me, but by God and God alone. Your sins are paid for in full!

I am not so naive as to believe that is OK to sin and there are no repercussions for continuing in sin, we will reap what we sew”, but we are to honor God by believing His word, and His word to us is that our sins ARE …past tense…forgiven.

We should meditate on the wonder of that truth. They are forgiven. All of them. All that we will ever commit. This is part of what Jesus meant when He said on the cross, “It is finished.” Paid in full. Forgiven.

Satan’s accusations may  be true, but what of it? We cannot be accused of our sins because they are forgiven! We’ve been declared the righteousness of God. Jesus became sin for us, so that we might be made the righteousness of God in Christ.

Satan can say, “You are unrighteous. Who are you kidding? Look what you did. You call that righteous? You fool! 

The fact is, we are not good enough to earn righteousness. And so it’s been given to us as a free gift, the gift of God’s own righteousness, through our precious Lord Jesus Christ.

1 John 2:1 says, “My little children, I am writing these things to you that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”

The accuser approaches my Father and says, “Your honor…Glenn has sinned and here’s the list of his offences. Now I demand justice. You call yourself a just God…bring justice on this good for nothing sinner who is guilty these sins.”

Ah, but  my Defence Attorney is also my Propitiator, taking the wrath of God on Himself, in my place. 

My Defence Attorney is also my Sacrificial Lamb, slain before the foundation of the world. 

My Defense Attorney is the one who cried, "it is finished.” 

And although He gave up His spirit on the cross, He rose again from the dead, and is now at the right hand of the Father, the righteous Judge, as my Defender, my Defense Attorney. 

And when Satan accuses me at the before the great Judge, and demands justice, my Defence Attorney, the Alpha and Omega, the Son of God, our Advocate, speaks up, ”Your honor, Abba, Father...those sins have already been judged. They are paid for, your honor, Abba, Dad. I paid for them on that cruel, but awe-inspiring day."

And the Judge...my Defence Attorney’s Father...my Father, says, “I see this man through the righteousness of my Son and he is guiltless and without condemnation"…Case dismissed! 

I the defendant may draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, to receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (See Hebrews 4:16)

Now Mr. and Mrs. believer condemner…put that in you pipe and smoke it!

And the Accuser of the believer loses another case. In fact, he never had a case to begin with. 

So who will bring a charge against God’s elect that will be upheld? “No one.” For it is God who justifies. It is God who has declared us righteous.

And that’s enough to make sing, my sins are forgiven, dead, buried and never to be risen…that’s enough to make me sing!

Such is His Amazing Gospel of Grace! Praise His Holy Name.