A recent "Question of the Week" at Bullets & Butterflies listed five of the devil’s lies which sound close enough to the truth to make them believable. This week addresses them in more detail:
• Monday – "You'll never be worthy of God's grace or love."
• Tuesday – "If you have faith, it doesn't matter if you sin."
• Wednesday – "Following Jesus solves your problems."
• Thursday – "Problems indicate God's condemnation."
• Friday – "If you love others then you're loving God."
: : : : :
"His love for me is utterly realistic,
based at every point on prior knowledge of the worst about me,
so that no discovery now can disillusion Him about me."
~ J.I. Packer
Lie of Hell #1: You’re Not Worthy of God’s Love
For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.
~ James 2:10 (NKJV)
This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.
~ Timothy 1:15 (NKJV)
Does the devil tell you your sin is so bad that you'll never be worthy of God's grace or love?
The truth is that we are not deserving of God's grace or love. We deserve something as a entitlement—perhaps because we earned it—when we are wronged by not receiving it.
The Lord's love and grace are not our right, but His gift to us. And like any true gift, they are freely given regardless of our lack of merit.
We are all undeserving sinners. The penalty for being a sinner is eternal death—end of discussion. The payment for all sin of all the world for all time has been paid by Jesus' blood. His sacrifice is greater than whatever could be called the greatest sin. The only unforgivable sin is to blaspheme, or deny, the testimony of Holy Spirit which speaks to us of salvation's power.
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
~ Romans 8:31 (NKJV)
To be worthy is completely different than being deserving. God has made us in His image, desires fellowship with us, and delights in our love. He offers forgiveness from the sin which separates us from Him because He declares us worthy of forgiveness. No matter how horrific our sin is in our own eyes, the blood of Jesus is sufficient to cover it.
Father in Heaven, thank You for declaring us worthy of the cost of Your precious Son's blood. Please help us not to argue with You and say we are less. Please open our eyes to the truth of Your declaration that we are worthy of Your love, that we may resist the lies of satan.
Your feedback is appreciated. Post to BuildingHisBody.com Comments or e-mail to BuildingHisBody@gmail.com. Copyright 2010, Anne Lang Bundy, all rights reserved.
"Please help us not to argue with You and say we are less." Often done and point taken. Can't wait for the next post! Great series.
ReplyDeleteSome day I will tell you how timely this post was for me. I'm so grateful for your "pen", which brings such comfort, truth, and blessing, dear friend.
ReplyDeleteMay God bless you richly this week--can't wait for this series.
Sometimes I wrestle with frustration when I see people with such a strong sense of entitlement--not just about salvation (pretty much the greatest thing) but about small things--insignificant things. It baffles me.
ReplyDelete~ Wendy
Praise God for the precious gift of His love, that I gratefully unwrap each morning sis. I love you, and oh how He loves us both.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many people who struggle with this sin. The sin of believing they are so different, special, that "their" sins cannot be forgiven. For a few, at a deep level, it becomes a convenient excuse to reject the Gospel and continue with their life in the world. - I've definitely been there myself.
ReplyDeletei'm pondering and remembering! see one post in particular that i will be chewing on. fact of the matter is, i've been chewing on it already for the past week or so. and last night i had a dream concerning it. this one seldom dreams. guess it's related here in this post too. (Nov. 12, 2009) you had written something in that post that totally astounded me. yeah, i can't wait until tomorrows post!
ReplyDeleteAmen
ReplyDeleteI remember when the impact of the fact that the Father tenderly loves us soaked my heart ... it is a powerful thing.
ReplyDeleteMy apology to everyone for the delayed replies to comments.
ReplyDeleteNatasa ~ Thank you for the affirmation.
T ~ Yeah, as if that's the only thing we argue about—right? :/
Gwen ~ I'm sending you a huge hug right now. I'll confirm it in person first chance I get.
Wendy ~ You've hit the nail on the head! I think our sense of entitlement lies at the root of most sin. I don't think it can be overstated how much we need to lay it down.
Denise ~ You give me more reasons to smile, girl!
Rusty ~ Your comment intrigues me. Like shyness being a form of pride, I hadn't recognized the sin and pride of "I'm special" in this attitude. Thank you for pointing it out. (I'm glad I got it right away and you didn't make me think hard. :D)
Bud ~ You're awesome. I'm grateful for you.
Shark Bait ~ Thank you. Good to see your smile.
Susan ~ His love is the most wonderful way of being overwhelmed there possibly is. Knowing it fully will be sufficient to make Heaven heavenly.