Wipe Out

“Repent [guilt], then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out [grace], that times of refreshing [growth] may come from the Lord.” (Acts 3:19, NIV 1984).

My Musings – Been listening to a book on Creeds, Councils and Catechisms.  Not a familiar topic in the evangelical community I was raised in, but quite interesting.  Today it was the Heidelberg Catechism.  The author summarized it with three words — guilt, grace and growth.

• Guilt – The guilt over our sin should lead us to repentance.  Not a very popular topic these days.
• Grace – This Godly sorrow paves the way for receiving Christ as our personal Savior, available only through God’s grace.  It cannot be earned by living a “good” life or doing “good deeds,” which seems to be the prevailing opinion.  That and multiple “paths.”
• Growth – A genuine conversion experience cannot help but result in a transformed life through spiritual growth, becoming increasingly like our Savior.  Lack of growth and lack of a transformed life is likely an indication that the so-called conversion experience was not genuine.

My Advice – The only way to deal with guilt is repentance.  The only way to come to God is through His grace.  The only possible result is a transformed life.  These may be “only,” but they are available to all.

Author: thebrewisamusing

I was raised in a Christian family and my earliest childhood memories include regular Sunday school and Church attendance as a family. I was taught that our Judeo-Christian values were not just a part of our Sunday routine they should be part of our character and influence all aspects of our lives. I was also taught that as important as these values were they could not save us. We must also be “born again” by accepting Christ. View all posts by thebrewisamusing