Expert: Phillip Senn - 12/24/2011

Question
So I thought I was good to go as a Christian. I was comfortable. You see, I know I am a fallen sinner and I know that Jesus is the only way to the Father. Only faith in Jesus saves. Only his finished work on the cross saves. Prayer, church attendance and the like do not save. I even thought I had identified some fruit in my life that the Holy Spirit had been cultivating. I thought I had been hearing the Holy Spirit testifying to me that I was a child of God during my times of doubt and I thought He had been teaching me. But then I decided to examine myself and I read the commentaries on this page: http://www.preceptaustin.org/matthew_721.htm. I also read some of John Macarthur's stuff.

I am totally destroyed. So much of the stuff in those commentaries fits me. I am a huge hypocrite. During the examination [that I never finished because I couldn't bear it anymore] I found many sins that I had grown comfortable with and had made a habit of. For instance, I have a lack of love for the brethren. I have on many occasions criticized the pastor and my fellow church goers. I love others but not above myself. I have pride and only sometimes moments of humility. My parents tell me to do something and I either cut corners on it because I hate doing it and am lazy or I lie or deceive to make them think I am doing what I am really not. I see the needy and the lost and feel an aching for them but I don't always act on that. I know I should share the good news but I get all chicken about it and have rarely done so. My morning devotions to God have become a sort of chore and it is only occasional that I read a verse and have a "that is so applicable to me!" moment. I think about God in the morning and the evening but more rarely during mid-day. And there is so much more.

Joy is found in the Lord and His commands are not burdensome. I am now left wondering how that can be true. I must examine every motive, I must examine every action and area of my life. I found a lot of...crap and I fall way short of his Standard. He is perfect but He is to perfect for the likes of me. One must do the complete will of the Father to enter heaven. One must love the brethren or Jesus is not in him.

I can never completely do the will of the Father, I can never completely do all the sayings of Jesus. I can't overcome the world. I can't live 100% by faith - I always worry and try to come up with my own escape plan for the difficulties of life. It is impossible for me to love the Lord my God will all my heart, with all my soul and with all my strength. I always hold apart of myself back. I can never be completely be sure if my belief in Him is just head knowledge or saving heart knowledge. I can't die to myself and give it all up for Him completely all the time. I don't know how much of my life he is Lord of. I am just another stupid sinner who can't get a grasp of his complete will.

They say that if one truly believes in Jesus, following his commands and the will of the Father will come consequently, naturally. But it has not come consequently to me. I am still so fleshly. The process has been slow at best. I am so scared that somehow I have been deceived or that I am deceiving myself. All I can do is conclude that my faith in Christ must not be what I thought it was, since all of this crap is still here and still rooted firmly in.

I feel trapped. I want to give up. I feel like there is no hope because I doubt everything now and the sin just isn't becoming less. I display so many fruits that should not be present in a Child of God. But I know I can't give up because I sure don't want to suffer the eternal consequences. I have no desire to go hell and be separated from my Maker. We were created to worship Him - that is our purpose and that is where we find fulfillment. But it just isn't working in me and I fear for my soul. I am terrified that I on the wide road somehow. That few will enter verse haunts me.

Is there any hope?

Answer
Elizabeth,

Thank you for your earnest question. The simple answer is YES!!!

You have presented the case, very strongly I might add, that there are false teachers in this world that captivate men/women with their false teachings. The Apostle Paul dealt with this in the book to the Galations... Having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect through the flesh?

The righteousness that God sees in us is the righteousness that is imputed to us through our faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. None of us are righteous before God in our righteousness. The Scriptures say in Deut. 6:25, "And it shall be our  righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as he hath commanded us." But OUR righteousnesses are as filthy rags in his sight. The very best we can do still misses the mark of His righteousness. That is what the word "sin" means... to miss the mark.

You have so much that you can trust in. You have been taught well concerning God's salvation. You know there is nothing that can separate you from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus. You are secure in Him, and not in your performance. Will you ever reach perfection? YES!!! When will this take place? At His appearing. We (believers) shall all be changed, in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, and we shall be like Him. Until that time, the Scripture says that the whole creation groans and travails, awaiting the redemption that is found in Christ Jesus, even the redemption of the body.

The main thing I can assure you of is that God's Word stands sure, even when the word of men fails. In the passage in Matthew, it is speaking of those that say to Him, "Lord, Lord, Have we not..." Those are the ones that are trusting in their own righteousnesses when they stand before the Lord. He will say to them, Depart from me I never knew you, ye that work unrighteousness". It is not that their actions that they described were evil, but that they trusted in themselves, rather than in what Christ did for them on the cross of Calvary when He shed His precious blood to pay for their sins. It is clear that you know whom you have believed, and are persuaded that He is able to keep that which you have committed unto Him against that day.

Paul said to the Galations, "Oh foolish Galations, having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? The answer is a clear no. There is no need to trust anything more than what He did on your behalf. Once you have done that, having been justified freely, we are called upon to flee the things that would not bring honor to His Name. This is not so that we can be saved, but because we now have a real love for Him, because He first loved us. Do we love Him perfectly? NO! Does He love us perfectly? YES! We can look expectantly for His return, for it is then and there that we will be delivered from the "body of this death".

I hope this has served to encourage you in your walk with the Lord Jesus.

With Love In Christ,
Phillip Senn