"Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross." Col. 2:14
The distinctive message of the biblical materials is the intrinsic necessity of the sacrificial death of the Iesous. It is upon this message that the entire bible holds fast. His death upon the Roman gibbet was not for crimes that he had committed; it was for an alienated humanity that God (Theos) loved. Even the word that is used in the Greek New Testament for the love of God has nothing to do with the inherent worthiness of God's love, but his complete selflessness for the object of his love.
Persons today have been raised in a milieu of selfish love. Selfish love has to do with manipulated behavior designed to seduce but not to honor or respect, and when manipulated love has exhausted its desire it moves on for new or other novel experiences of excess.
I have seen the brokenness of manipulated love, and its results many, many times, and I have seen the other side when persons are able to realize that there is someone who can love them holistically. I have experienced persons who cannot believe the message of the kerygma (the cross) of the Iesous, but as the Spirit of God reveals to them the love of God they are moved to confess that the new life given by God is powerful and amazing.
God releases us from the scripts that others have used to define us, and which we have internalized as 'true' of us. Such scripts were filled with fragmentation and self-loathing, or embedded with lies that twisted our perception of who we are.
The scripts are filled with destructive acts against us, and destructive acts that we have done to others. They are filled with blame, shame, regret, betrayal, revenge and denial, but God has read all of our scripts, and has seen us completely. He has never used a particular therapy to open our consciousness or to probe the mysteries of who we are. He knows us. He does not appeal to any annotated history that has had all of our sins redacted. His love has seen our worst and it remains the same for us.
For those of you who cannot sleep because of some dark deed that you have done, and that has enslaved your life; confess it to the God who loves you, and get peace. For those of you who cannot think of forgiving yourselves for some moral failure take your self-condemnation to the God who loves you.
When our hearts condemn us God is greater than our hearts. Let his word give comfort to your self-tortured soul. He has dismissed the legal opinion that held your life fast by the ravages of sinful living.
Sin (failure to live up to God's standard) is real. Sin has real consequences for your life. One of the most glaring manifestations of sin is the flight into unreality. But sins can destroy a life. In the Greek New Testament the bible describes a life destroyed by sin as lost. The word 'lost' is a powerful word that speaks of a life that has been cut off or ruined by the internal plague of sin.
Believe me, I realize that discussing sin is not popular, but a person must know his true condition before he can avail himself of the cure. The work of the Iesous is the cure of souls.
The good news of the bible is the removal of the power of sin to ruin life by the sacrifice of the Iesous. He can give a qualitatively new life to you. He can give you a brand new life script, but you must give up the old life to God.
Blessings to you.
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