romans10seventeen

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matt. 10:28)

Do you see how this passage relates to what is happening today?  People are in fear of what this virus is doing, they fear what they think the government is doing, they fear losing their jobs, their loved ones, their freedom.  There are some, actually many, who FEAR being without #toiletpaper!  There is so much fear.  But their fear is misplaced!  They are unaware that this FEAR is given to them by a loving and HOLY GOD! They FEAR because God has given them a conscience and they know they are in rebellion towards Him.  The fear they are experiencing is meant to lead them to repentance!

Many years ago, when I was still a practicing Catholic, I remember thinking, “Wouldn’t it be great if there was a Drive-up/Drive-Thru confessional?”.  At the time my sister thought I was crazy…she said it’ll NEVER happen…well, she conceded today as she waited in the drive-thru line at her church.  My heart aches for her and the multitude of others who joined her.  And now I’m sitting here remembering how at one time I had put my trust and my faith in the Catholic Church believing that the sacrament of confession would somehow cleanse me of my sins.  Confession to God is a good thing. The Bible says we should confess.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness 1 John 1:9.

When we’ve sinned, we are to confess immediately to God and even to the people we’ve sinned against.  But the Bible is clear, there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus 1 Timothy 2:5.

1. We confess to God.
2. We ask forgiveness in Jesus’ name.
3. We repent and turn from our sin and toward the Savior

…not a man on this earth representing Christ, but CHRIST Himself.  He is no longer hanging on the cross.  He is the Living and true God.  You might ask, “But where is Christ right now?” Well, the Bible tells us that He is at the right hand of the Father making intersession for us.

Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us Romans 8:34.

Not a priest, not Mary…Jesus Christ Himself!

It was a glorious thing when He saved me.  He turned my heart of stone to a heart of flesh; He granted me repentance (meaning I no longer have the desire for sin, but my desire is to live for Christ).  I confessed my sins and He was faithful and just to forgive my sins and cleanse me from all unrighteousness.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9.

I confessed them to Him! And HE CHANGED ME IN THAT INSTANT!!!  Now I can put on the righteousness of Christ. It is not MY righteousness…I have none.  I did not stop sinning in that instant, and He is still pruning away dead branches.  But He gave me new desires; my desire is to please Him now.  When I sin, when I fall short, I know His grace covers me.  His mercy endures forever. He is my refuge and my strong tower. HE is my GOD, and I am His child.  He clothes me in His righteousness. I can know that I have eternal life.

These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. 1 John 5:13

It is Christ alone who can forgive us of our sins.  The fear of what happens when we die is a good kind of fear.  It is from a loving and holy God.  I wonder, ‘Is fearing what will happen to them when they die possibly proof God is still being long-suffering towards them?’ I believe it is.

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness, but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance 2 Peter 3:9.

If you believe that you are basically a “good person” think again.  There is none good but God. You are a sinner and you need a Savior…just like I did.  The GOOD NEWS is that Jesus Christ died for my sins and He died for your sins too.  He was buried and He rose again.  He conquered death so that YOU can be born again, a new creature in Christ.  Born into the kingdom of God.  Because the Bible says unless you are “born again” you cannot enter the kingdom of God.

Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. John 3:3

A baby at baptism cannot be “born again” as I was told as a Catholic.  A baby cannot confess his/her sins, repent and turn to the Savior.  But a person who believes and puts their faith in Christ can.  You can put fear behind you knowing that God is on the throne.  He is in control.  Let Him replace your heart of stone with a new heart that desires to serve Him, a heart that knows Jesus as Lord and Savior.