Goodboy
Just waiting for the Rapture at this point!
Seeking Innocence
Did you ever notice that people want to be blameless and guiltless? Almost everyone will become very defensive if they think they are being accused of something, even if they did it. It will usually bring up a strong emotional response as well. So why is this?
I believe that it all started in the Garden of Eden. Both Adam and Eve were sinless and in full fellowship with God. After they disobeyed God and ate the forbidden fruit they learned of good and evil, lost their fellowship with God and were ashamed of their actions. From that time on man has been trying to gain back both the fellowship with God and the innocence they had before.
It is clear that man is trying to gain back his fellowship with God, as every culture throughout history has believed in some type of deity. It is not as clear unless it is pointed out that man has also been constantly seeking innocence. This need I believe may be just as strong as our need for fellowship with God. So what does seeking innocence cause us to do?
Well for those who do not believe in God, part of the reason they don’t believe is so they won’t have to be guilty of sin. You will also notice that they are not content with just ignoring the fact that God exists, but want everyone to accept their sinful ways. Why do they need everyone to accept their sinful ways? So that they will not feel the guilt that they rightly should feel, meaning they are seeking innocence.
For those who do believe in God, they have this need to be less guilty than others. While this does not make them feel completely innocent, they do feel better as they are less guilty. This is one reason it is so hard for Christians to fully accept the grace message as a totally free gift. How can I be better than you if there is nothing that I am doing that covers my sins? We would all be just as guilty as each other, which we are.
What is the solution? We need to fully understand that if we accept Jesus Christ as our savior, God has completely forgiven us for all of our sins. We then need to forgive ourselves and not feel guilty. Now don’t get the wrong idea here, I said not to feel guilty but that does not mean you are not sorry for sinning. To make the point, if you hit me I may hit you back and knock you out. I may then be sorry and apologize, but I would not feel guilty. Sorry is for a moment, but guilt can last forever.
Stop seeking innocence and just accept Jesus Christ as your savior and know you are forgiven. Knowing this as a fact should enable you to forgive yourself, meaning you should no longer feel guilty. Sorry for sin, yes absolutely! Guilty no!
Goodboy
Did you ever notice that people want to be blameless and guiltless? Almost everyone will become very defensive if they think they are being accused of something, even if they did it. It will usually bring up a strong emotional response as well. So why is this?
I believe that it all started in the Garden of Eden. Both Adam and Eve were sinless and in full fellowship with God. After they disobeyed God and ate the forbidden fruit they learned of good and evil, lost their fellowship with God and were ashamed of their actions. From that time on man has been trying to gain back both the fellowship with God and the innocence they had before.
It is clear that man is trying to gain back his fellowship with God, as every culture throughout history has believed in some type of deity. It is not as clear unless it is pointed out that man has also been constantly seeking innocence. This need I believe may be just as strong as our need for fellowship with God. So what does seeking innocence cause us to do?
Well for those who do not believe in God, part of the reason they don’t believe is so they won’t have to be guilty of sin. You will also notice that they are not content with just ignoring the fact that God exists, but want everyone to accept their sinful ways. Why do they need everyone to accept their sinful ways? So that they will not feel the guilt that they rightly should feel, meaning they are seeking innocence.
For those who do believe in God, they have this need to be less guilty than others. While this does not make them feel completely innocent, they do feel better as they are less guilty. This is one reason it is so hard for Christians to fully accept the grace message as a totally free gift. How can I be better than you if there is nothing that I am doing that covers my sins? We would all be just as guilty as each other, which we are.
What is the solution? We need to fully understand that if we accept Jesus Christ as our savior, God has completely forgiven us for all of our sins. We then need to forgive ourselves and not feel guilty. Now don’t get the wrong idea here, I said not to feel guilty but that does not mean you are not sorry for sinning. To make the point, if you hit me I may hit you back and knock you out. I may then be sorry and apologize, but I would not feel guilty. Sorry is for a moment, but guilt can last forever.
Stop seeking innocence and just accept Jesus Christ as your savior and know you are forgiven. Knowing this as a fact should enable you to forgive yourself, meaning you should no longer feel guilty. Sorry for sin, yes absolutely! Guilty no!
Goodboy
