Good morning and welcome in everybody. Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.
There are many people in this world who have some type of criminal record. Maybe they did something stupid in their youth and greatly regret their past behavior. But did you know that everyone has a criminal record in the sight of God? Many legal scholars will claim that a criminal is someone who has been formally convicted of a crime in a courtroom, but a criminal is basically a person who has sinned in the eyes of God. As much as people don’t want to accept it, if you rebelled against your parents, then you are a criminal. If you went out and did evil to your neighbor, then you are a criminal. This is because we are held to a higher standard in the sight of God than in any Earthly courtroom. Every person who has ever lived, including judges, police officers, sheriffs and leaders of law enforcement already have a criminal record before God. This is because God has concluded that this entire world is under the condemnation for our own sinfulness.
This reminds me of a Christian Life.
It’s a hard thing for people to accept that they are just as sinful as the next person, but it’s true. This is the reason why Jesus came into this world, to deliver us from our sinful condition. No matter how moral or upright you might claim to be, apart from the grace of God found in Christ Jesus, you still have a criminal record in the sight of God; and the only way to have it completely expunged is to obtain complete remission for your sins, something that can only be obtained through the faith of Him.
Psalms 14:2-3 (KJB) The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
The Apostle Paul was a man of God chosen to be in the service of Christ Jesus, but how many people do you actually know who would come out and tell others that they were the chief of sinners? It’s almost like a defendant standing up in a courtroom and explaining to everybody that he was a complete idiot in the past. But the truth is that we are all in the same boat together, whether they are in the highest place of government, or living with the poorest of beggars. Apart from the redemption that is in Christ, all of us are miserable sinners, which is why we all need to come to Christ Jesus, and have our entire past life washed away in baptism.
1 Timothy 1:15 (KJB) This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
Psalms 53:2-3 (KJB) God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God. Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
The religious leaders and doctors of the law were always trying to find fault with the Lord Jesus, but many of them didn’t come to the final conclusion that they were just as guilty as everybody else. Nobody kept the law perfectly, and it was only put forth to produce guilt in the hearts of men. This is why Jesus came to the Earth, to redeem us from the transgressions of the law. Jews and gentiles are all sinners in the eyes of God, and the only way that any of us can be saved is by coming to Christ Jesus for forgiveness and the expiation of sin.
Romans 3:9-24 (KJB) What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes. Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
There are two different types of righteousness spoken of throughout the scriptures. The first type is when people try to be justified by attempting to keep the Old Testament law, which nobody did in the first place. The second is called faith-righteousness, which is imparted to you when you call upon the name of the Lord and repent of your sins. (Remember that Abraham never had the law, which only goes to show that he didn’t need it, because he was justified by faith), but the point is that the law was added because of transgressions until Jesus came to free us, and forgive us for all of our sins. All of us are sinners who have come short of the glory of God, and the path to our own redemption is faith toward Christ Jesus and repentance toward the will of God. We are now under the law of love, and just like the angels in heaven, mercy rejoices against judgment, even if it’s only one sinner who repents.
James 2:10-13 (KJB) For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
So no matter how upright or moral you may think that you are in this world, apart from Christ Jesus, it only amounts to filthy rags.
Isaiah 64:6 (KJB) But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
None of us are better than the next man, simply because all of us have sinned at one time or the other. So turn to Christ Jesus and wash away all of your sins in the name of the Lord, because in the sight of God, every single one of us has,……
…….A Criminal Record
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you all, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.
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