Remorse

John Walsh, host of “Americas Most Wanted” television program and father of his child, Adam, who was kidnapped, molested and murdered, recently stated that he had studied pedophiles for years and interviewed scores of them and he has yet to find one that shows any remorse for their heinous crimes. They will strike again and again unless totally separated from children, and that is one reason that he advocates the death penalty for them when they are convicted.

I believe that one sure way to tell whether or not we can tell if we are true Christians is if we feel remorse when we sin. I often hear the Bible misquoted in that some folks advocate that if you believe that Jesus Christ is the living Son of God and that He lived on this earth and died for all of humanity’s sins and was resurrected again and now sits at the right hand of God the Father, then you will be saved.
Although that is part of the equation, there is more to it than that.
After all satan and all his minions believe that with all of their being and know for a fact that Jesus is the living Son of God and represents everything that he is portrayed as representing in the Bible. What is missing? In order to be saved we must also repent of our sins and follow Jesus. Part of that process is to feel remorse for our sins and then turn from them. Although it will be impossible to live a perfect life as Jesus did, we should exert our best effort, and when we fall short we should feel remorse.

I “hate” it when I sin. I am totally disgusted with myself and if I could pull it off, (with an out of body experience or whatever), I would periodically pull off my belt and beat the crap out of myself, occasionally wash my mouth out with soap, and possibly put my foot “where there is no sunshine”. I cannot understand grace, but I am glad that God does. I believe that Christians who have come from a background of having made many mistakes including very serious ones, are better off than those who did not. It sounds strange but when you think about it, it is far easier to appreciate the grace of God when you understand that you really need forgiveness. If you feel no remorse and think that you have no sin, or what you have is not all that bad, logically it is harder to repent. The Bible teaches that we are “ALL”
guilty of sins that must be severely punished, (yes even Mother Teresa).


Jesus took the terrible punishment for those who will follow Him. He paid the price for our sins. I feel very bad, (to tears), when I think that part of what he endured was because of me. He took my place when he was whipped, beaten, spat upon, a crown of razor sharp thorns beaten upon His head, brutally crucified and He willingly endured “my”
punishment to the end in order that I might be completely forgiven and that is what grace is about. I appreciate what he did for me and feel remorse when I let Him down. How about you?

__________________

Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but
the gift of God is eternal life in
Christ Jesus our Lord.





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