Bible Studies

Part Four

Guilt, from divine viewpoint, is the result of any action or inaction that violates or contradicts what the Bible actually has to say. Guilt is a fact, and may or may not be accompanied by intense feelings.

Biblically-guilty individuals with a 1Tim. 4: 2 seared conscience can do what they do without feeling guilty and or the need to repent.

At the same time, holding oneself responsible can produce strong feelings of guilt, even when there is no actual moral or legal accountability in view.

Some religions classify the degree of guilt based on two different types of sin, menial vs. mortal, with mortal sin(s) requiring more human remedy to receive divine forgiveness.

This teaching sounds reasonable to Man who would expect to receive a harsher punishment for committing a felony than for committing a misdemeanor under the laws of Man.

But in the spiritual realm, sin is sin. The remedy for one sin is the remedy for all. Note however, that divine forgiveness does not mean that one is free from governmental penalties or lingering consequences for our negative choices.

James 2:10 teaches that by breaking any ONE of God’s laws, we stand just as guilty as the one who has broken them all. 1John 2: 2 tells us that ALL pardonable sins were PAID IN FULL on the cross. God would not be true to His own word if He were to require (as some religions teach) any further payment for a sin debt that has been stamped PAID IN FULL by the very blood (atoning Work) of the Lord Jesus Christ.

To require ANY further action in addition to God’s one and only remedy for sin amounts to blasphemy, as this implies that faith in the atoning Work of the Lord Jesus Christ is not enough, and that His claim to have paid the entire sin debt in full is NOT true!

As of the Church Age, after reaching the age (or stage) of moral accountability and then being presented with the unadulterated Gospel Message, EVERY soul that leaves this world is 100% saved or completely condemned, based on his or her faith (or lack of faith) in the atoning Work of the Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing more; nothing less.

We go out on a slippery slope when we go beyond what the Bible actually has to say. The Bible (John 3: 16 ) clearly says what the eternal destiny is going to be for all who believe in the unadulterated Gospel Message, and what the eternal destiny (Rev. 20: 15) is going to be for all who disbelieve it.

The Bible does NOT specifically say what becomes of a soul that, for one reason or another, never reaches the age or stage of moral accountability, or is never presented with the unadulterated Gospel Message during their time here on Earth.

Scripture (1) teaches that the biological parents produce the physical bodies that are destined to decompose and return to dust after the soul, that God creates, departs the body at the moment of physical death, and returns to God, to face judgement or evaluation.

It is my personal opinion, that ALL souls are judged, based on their chosen response to whatever truth they DID receive, beginning with the concept of eternity that God places (Eccl.3: 11) in EVERY soul that He creates. Throughout the course of Biblical history individuals were accepted by God through their faith in whatever degree of truth they did receive.

At the death of David’s infant son, David believed and declared that the baby cannot come back to him, but that he (David) would go to be with him when his (David’s) time came (2).

One thing is certain, and that is, as of the Church Age, it is through believing in a presentation of the unadulterated Gospel Message, that one is assured of eternal life and residency in Heaven. The desire to share this message with as many people as possible is what having the heart of an evangelist is all about.

1John 1: 9 confession and the John 8:11 forsaking of post salvation sin is for the purpose of restoring and maintaining fellowship (not salvation) with God, throughout the course of one’s post salvation spiritual life HERE, on Earth. The integrity of a born-again believer’s salvation is NEVER in jeopardy, but eternal security is NOT a license to sin.

Post salvation sin has its own set of consequences, but the loss of salvation is NOT one of them.

Eternal life is an unearned, irrevocable (Rom. 11: 29) GIFT from God that He bestows all who believe when presented with the unadulterated Gospel Message.

Post salvation sin opens the door for Hebrews 12: 6 divine discipline. Divine discipline can involve anything from living with a guilty conscience, up to and including, physical death.

Presenting, or being presented with, the unadulterated Gospel Message, encapsulated in John 3: 16, 18 is serious business, as it removes the “nobody ever told me” excuse from the table in the Court of Heaven.

Some are hesitant to share the Gospel Message in fear that the ones they present it to will not believe it, setting the stage for their condemnation. Even if that were to be the case, I believe that would be better than for those in Hell being able to say (about us), that, “You knew where I was headed, but said nothing to save me!”

Consider a similar encounter taking place in Heaven with those who find themselves there, but without reward or privileges that are reserved for born-again believers who advance the post (after) salvation life of discipleship. They could say, “You knew what was in store for me, but said nothing to edify me!”

(1) John 3:6/Gen.3: 19/Gen. 35: 29//Heb. 9: 27/Eccl.12: 7/Rev. 20: 13, 15/1Cor, 3: 12-15 (2) 2Sam. 12: 23

End of Part Four