Misunderstanding Forgiveness can Lead to Emotional Living and Wrong Motives!

I was going to end this series on Christ by discussing the difference between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant, however some questions came up the last Devotional on Forgiveness. I felt led by the Lord to address several issues before we move on.

Emotions are so important to every human being; they are an essential part of the whole being. I would never down play trying to understand how you feel about something or even listening to your emotions. I know there were times on the mission field where I felt unsafe, and it was important for me to dissect what I felt and act on it. Either by dismissing those emotions as not real in the sense of a real danger, or understanding that the situation I was in could be volatile, which then I should act on. God created us to not only know Him, through our intellect, but to also experience Him through our emotions.  

We get into trouble though when we allow our emotions to be the only thing in charge of the “rudder” of our life. Our whole being needs to be involved in guiding the direction of our path; spiritual; intellectual; emotional and even physical.

The appropriate way to wrap up our thoughts on Christ being the “Perfect” Sacrifice and segue into our next Devo concerning God’s Covenant is to look at this section of Hebrews:

Hebrews 10:13–18 There he waits until his enemies are humbled and made a footstool under his feet. ¹⁴ For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy. ¹⁵ And the Holy Spirit also testifies that this is so. For he says, ¹⁶ “This is the new covenant I will make with my people on that day, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” ¹⁷ Then he says, “I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds.” ¹⁸ And when sins have been forgiven, there is no need to offer any more sacrifices.

Many individuals seem to become confused with how God sees us

eternally versus how He sees us as we are right now.

“Forgiven” yet still in the fallen nature of the flesh. This dilemma causes problems with three realities: Eternal Security, Assurance of Salvation and Sanctification.

For a complete explanation please go to the “search” box on my blog and type in, Eternal Security – about 15 devotionals will appear. You will see this Devo about 7 down from the top…it is a loooooong read, but many I have discipled have shared how much it helped.

Suffice it to say; if we want to understand how God views us once we have trusted in Christ, He sees us eternally secure! Salvation is His gift, and once given He states we NO LONGER BELONG TO OURSELVES. (1 Cor 6:19-20) He won’t take the gift back!

However “Assurance of Salvation” is exactly that, an “assurance” that is affected by our emotions. When we fall into sin, especially for a little while, and I have, emotionally we might not “feel” like a child of God. Again, that is exactly what it is…a Feeling! When we feel that way we should not act on that emotion as far as condemnation, guilt and depression, which will lead us down the wrong path. Instead we should do what Jesus, Paul, Peter, John, James, Jude and the author of Hebrews exhorts us to do…examine ourselves to validate if we were truly converted. If you have any doubt, just acknowledge the Gospel again and trust in Christ! Don’t let pride keep you in fear. Live what you “know” not what you “feel”, yet use what you feel to be a thermometer of what God’s Spirit is saying to your spirit. 

A Child of God is “Perfected Forever” (Positional Holiness) as they are being made holy by yielding to the Holy Spirit. (Progressive Holiness) This is the whole picture of Sanctification. God sees us completely set apart and holy because of Christ, yet He knows that we are still living in a fallen world and fallen flesh, which is why He has made promises like 1 John                                                          1:9 throughout the Bible.

Look how Hebrews 10:14 states it:

For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy.

Lastly, if you begin living on an emotional roller coaster, it will change your motive in serving God. God’s Spirit leads us to serve Him because we know and sense His love, in turn we serve Him flowing from the love we have for Him. But if your emotions are in control of your heart, much of your service can easily become a way that you “pay back” God for your sin. It’s your sacrifice to God for your failure. Your emotions will convince your thoughts, that God accepts you now based on what you do, instead of what Jesus has done!

Obviously our lives affect God emotionally, we can grieve the Spirit, Jesus was angry at the hardness of the Pharisees’ hearts and God “takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked,” but we are an accepted child of God based on what God did, not what we did! God’s grace and mercy…which includes discipline to warn us of the deadliness of sin…flows from His heart of continual unconditional love!  

The So What: When you think of your sin, what happens? Guilt? If so you are being controlled by your emotions. Do you try to justify or excuse it? If so you are still being controlled by your emotions, but now you are treating God’s grace with contempt, like sin does not matter. If you feel conviction, your mind is balancing your emotions, which is what God desires. Now you need to confess it to God and turn away. (repent) Then get back onto the race and enjoy your relationship with your Lord.