Teleios

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Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Why do I feel guilty?

Welcome again to my blog. I am grateful you have taken the time to visit.

These last few weeks we have discussed our secure position before God as believers in Jesus Christ. These are powerful promises! Please review them if you have not read those blogs.

Scientific research has shown that Christians generally have better wellbeing and less depression than non-Christians.¹ Why then are Christians known for feeling guilty? This week let us discuss the problem and next week the solutions.

Teleios conducted 2 surveys: one at a major secular college campus and another in a well instructed evangelical church. Approximately 70% of participants in both surveys felt guilty! Fortunately, the level of guilt was mild.

All the causes of this affliction are not known. Indeed, in the church based survey of adults the overwhelming reason for guilt was due to a believer thinking their current sin(s) had somehow separated them from God and hurt their relationship with Christ; they felt badly about it! In my experience, it is very common for almost every person I teach to have felt some level of guilt.

Why is this the case? Well we do not know all the causes but below are some potentials:

We inflict it on our selves

We induce it in each other

Some churches induce it through legalistic regulations. Indeed, one pastor once sheepishly told me it can be good for motivating people!

Why do Christians feel guilty? Our sins are forgiven! Can you name a verse in the Bible that says we should feel guilty? I certainly cannot.

An example I often tell my students is that I have studied Greek, the original language of the Bible, for 25 years. Until recently I did not even know the Greek word for ‘guilt’ despite all my studies! The Bible does just not discuss it!

Of course, because I told the story several times I learned it destroying my example. However, my wife kindly pointed out that the few times it's used in the New Testament it is not related to believers’ guilt. She made a good point. We are not to feel guilty!

The problem of guilt can be a big one because it:

Teaches a lie about God

Robs us of our joy of salvation

Captures our emotions in incorrect thinking and takes us away from positive role of the Christian life

Minimizes the actions of the church

So, what is the cure? Let's discuss this next week. Thank you for joining me as always.

WC Stewart

1. Stewart WC, Reynolds KE, Jones LJ, Stewart JA, Nelson LA. The source and impact of specific parameters that enhance well-being in daily life. J Rel Health 2016;55:1326-1335.

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

God’s own possession, what a marvelous promise

Welcome again to my blog. I am grateful you have taken the time to visit.

Six weeks ago, we began a discussion regarding the results of personal salvation in Christ and why it might be associated with enhanced wellbeing as found through Teleios research.^1,2 The blogs are describing what happens at the time of salvation, as taught in the Bible, resulting in a steadfast new and wonderful position of a believer.

This week let us discuss the great promise of our eternal possession by God.

The wonderful story of our being the possession of God starts in Exodus 19:5-6 when God told the Israelites that He intended them to be a kingdom of priests, a holy nation and His peculiar possession. They failed in their commitment to God and sinned against Him. Therefore, they did not become a kingdom of priests or a holy nation. However, God will keep His promise to Israel that the nation would be His eternal possession (Psalm 89, and 132:11-17, Romans 11:26-29).

As we know, the sin of Israel under the law was to show us our need for Christ (Galatians 3:24). He has come and died for our sins, that through Him, those who believe on his death on the cross by faith will have eternal life. As believers, God has enabled us to become a kingdom of priests, a holy nation and His peculiar possession (I Peter 2:9).

How can Christians do this when the Israelis could not? It is because we have the Holy Spirit given to us as a seal to our redemption and to mark us as His eternal possession (Ephesians 1:13-14).

Christ noted that as His chosen, we are in His hands and cannot be removed. We are also in God’s hands and cannot be removed (John10:28-30). Several other Scriptures also note that we are God’s possession (I Thessalonians5:9, II Thessalonians 2:14 and Hebrews 10:39 [word ‘possession’ in Greek])

We have in general, God’s promise that He will secure us in His power unto salvation (II Timothy 1:12, Philippians 1:6, I Thessalonians 5:23).

Over the past six weeks we have covered marvelous promises of our position as a believer that cannot be overturned, either because of legal, morphological reasons or through the direct power of God. These promises include: spiritual baptism, membership in the universal church, sealing by the Holy Spirit, adoption, justification, and now being made God's possession.

Thank you for joining me this week and please come again next week as we continue to discuss the amazing power of God's word in our lives.

WC Stewart

1. MacIlvaine WR, Nelson LA, Stewart JA, Stewart WC. Association of strength of community service to personal wellbeing. Community Ment Health J 2014;50:577-82.

2. MacIlvaine WR, Nelson LA, Stewart JA, Stewart WC. Association of strength of religious adherence to quality of life measures. Complement Ther Clin Pract 2013;19:251-5.

Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Justification…wow, we are legally without sin!

Welcome again to my blog. I am grateful you have taken the time to visit.

Five weeks ago, we began a discussion regarding the results of personal salvation in Christ and why it might be associated with enhanced wellbeing as found through Teleios’ research.^1,2 The current blogs are describing what happens at the time of salvation, as taught in the Bible, which results in a new and wonderful position for a believer.

This week let us discuss justification. There is no other more important result of Christ’s work on the cross than our justification by faith. Let's examine in some detail the meaning of this great promise.

Meaning of the New Testament word - This word is vital because the complete meaning in Greek of the word, “justification” (δικαιος, dikaios) is not fully conveyed by the English. As you know, Greek is the original language of the New Testament. The word dikaios carried a legal meaning that still exists today in modern Greek. The word reflected then someone who was found innocent in a court of law of all charges against them. Just like now, in ancient times in the Greek and Roman world there was no double jeopardy.³ This important legal concept means once you have been found innocent you cannot be charged again for the same crime.

Christ’s work in justification - The Bible indicates that each of us has sinned and “fallen short” of what God requires of us (Romans 3:23). Because God is just, He demands punishment for our misdeeds. However, because He is loving, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to take the punishment in our place (Romans 3:24-26).

It's as though Christ acted as a courtroom judge and found us guilty of our sins and gave us the death sentence but afterwards, stood up, removed His judicial robe, came around in front of the judge’s bench and took the punishment for us. This satisfied God's demand for righteousness but also showed His great and gracious love for us.

Importantly, Christ is a sufficient sacrifice for our sins as He is perfect, holy and without sin (Romans 3:25, Hebrews 7:26, IICorinthians 5:21). Therefore, Christ was a sufficient sacrifice to satisfy God's judgment. Accordingly, He died once for all sin, for all time, and He does not need to do this again as did the Old Testament priests (Hebrews 6:1-14; 10:10-18).

Our legal position before God was pronounced “innocent” when we trusted Christ for forgiveness of our sins. We do this only once and our sins are forgiven for all time. Since Christ’s sacrifice was sufficient for all our sins for all time, nobody can charge us again. There is no double jeopardy!

WOW! We are secure in our position before God. We can come to him boldly because there are no limits on our access after we believe and become a Christian (Hebrews 10:20-23). What a great promise we have in our justification!

Indeed, God has given us, as Christian believers, a marvelous salvation and a wonderful secure eternity with Him (Romans 10:9-10; I Peter 1:4-5). Come back again next week and we'll complete this exciting overview of the results of our salvation.

WC Stewart