For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23)
We all have our countless sins. Not a one of us is without it. Not one of us is pure. Not one of us is worthy. Yet, we inherit that right through Jesus! Only through His blood are we redeemed before God. Without acceptance, we will suffer the agonies of hell.
I've recently read a book by Billy Graham, "The Key to Personal Peace". It's a short book (about the same length as mine). Within the pages designed for the new Christian, this "old" Christian found a few gems to polish up and use. We are never too old or too mature in our walk with Christ that we cannot discover new views and truths. In Chapter 3 of his book, Mr. Graham tells the reader what sin is. He gives five descriptions taken from the Bible and explains each one. The one I found particularly helpful for my friends whose "beliefs" take root in their intellect rather than in their soul. Mr. Graham puts it like this:
Fifth, sin is unbelief. Unbelief is a sin because it is an insult to the truth of God. The Bible says, "Anyone who believes in the Son of God has the truth that God told us. Anyone who does not believe makes God a liar, because that person does not believe what God told us about his Son" (1 John 5:10) Unbelief shuts the door to heaven and opens it to hell. Unbelief rejects the Word of God and refuses Christ as Savior. Unbelief causes people to ignore the gospel and deny the miracles of Christ. So, unbelief is a sin.
You cannot walk through life with your own interpretation of something guiding you if you know nothing about that which you are supporting. In other words, if you don't read your Bible, if you don't educate yourself on what's in it, how can you assume (yes, I know the definition of the word "assume" and that is precisely why I am using it here) to know enough to make a determination that it is not what we are told it is - the Word of God! Your opinion does not count here. Your opinion is just that, and opinion (once again, I know the phrase that follows that one as well).
We will all agree that there are certain foods that are good for you - some of them are vegetables. I eat two - carrots and potatoes (and tomatoes - but we aren't getting into that discussion here). I cannot stand the rest of them, I gag on them. How absurd would it be of me to tell anyone who would listen that the nutritional values of the other vegetables are just someone's opinion and not fact? I know absolutely nothing about nutrition other than I need it to live. How the "values" are determined - not a clue! That doesn't make me ignorant, it just means that I trust that those values are accurate based on the educated analyses of those who put the numbers on the boxes.
So, take the uneducated opinions of those who will attempt to tell you that they are not "sinners" and that they don't need to read "someone's interpretation of what God says" and put them in the same trash can that I put my distasteful veggies in. Listen to the word, read the word and know the word! Unbelief is as dangerous to a Christian as a loaded handgun is to a child. Too many horrible things can happen. Hold on to your faith, trust in God and remember that we all fall short! Only through the acceptance of Jesus (who is God) can we ever hope to walk through the gates of Heaven. When those tiny little receptors in your brain fire off and you see but a glimmer of understanding - know that your soul is being satisfied and that your eventual destination will bring forth a complete understanding of what your human mind can only hope to grasp. What is beyond our understanding now will be illuminated and that light will shine more brilliantly than we can imagine! Hold on to the truth ~ it will set you free!!!
