By: Rob Marshall

I was feeling very heavy and burdened, or as some people put it, I was depressed. The weight of my sin was hanging on me and I felt that I had to do something about it. My wife suggested that I meet with our pastor, so I called him and set up an appointment.

The pastor and I sat at the table as I began to outline to him why I was certain that God was punishing me. I had committed some sins and felt that God had allowed our son to die because I had been such a sinner. I had scripture references all lined up and I fully expected him to agree with me that, yes, I was a rotten, horrible sinner and God was angry with me.

But instead of agreeing with me, he looked across the table and asked, "What, wasn't Christ's death good enough for you?"

It hit me pretty hard, but I realized that he was right. God wasn't punishing me, I was punishing myself. God had forgiven me, but I had not forgiven myself.

In Galatians 3:3, Paul writes, "Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?" He was confronting the Galatians because they were falling into the mistake of believing that they needed to be circumcised and obey the Law of Moses. And when we look at Paul's statement, we can see that it has broad implications for us.

We may not be looking to be circumcised, or obey the law, but we might find ourselves believing that God only loves us when we read our Bible for an hour a day and pray for at least two hours each day. And while those things are good, and we should always want to spend more time with God, those things do not make us more righteous.

Ephesians 2:8-10 says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."

In his letter to the Philippians, Paul talks about the righteousness that we have by faith in Christ (Philippians 3:8-9). Our righteousness is not our own, it is God's gift. God gives us His righteousness when we put our faith in Christ. There is nothing that we can do to earn it, and there is nothing that we can add to it, it is already perfect and complete.

We come boldly before God's throne because Jesus died for us and paid the price for our sins. We never have to be afraid, and we never have to try and earn His love. He loved us while we were still sinners, and as His children He loves us even more.

If you are in Christ, you have been given the most incredible gift, God's righteousness. Let the knowledge of His saving grace sink deeply into your heart, and know that God is working in you both the desire and the ability to do what pleases Him (Philippians 2:13). We never have to struggle and wonder about being good enough, because Christ was perfect, and we are perfect in Him.

When you feel that you have to try and earn God's love, or His favor, just ask yourself the question: Was Christ's death good enough for me? The answer should be a resounding: Yes!

About The Author

Rob Marshall is the author of "Taking On Goliath - How to Unleash the David in All of Us." Learn how you can unleash your faith and overcome any "Goliath" that may stand between you and your dreams. Get two free chapters from "Taking On Goliath" when you sign up for our free newsletter. Just visit: http://www.TakingOnGoliath.com

By: Sustines Laplana

Meeting with a devout Catholic cousin who knew that I abandoned my Catholic faith for the Church of Christ sometimes ended up into an argument which also lead him to realize a truth recorded in the Bible. He knew that the Church of Christ upholds the teaching that Christ is not the God but He's only the Son of God. And because of this, he called me a Christian who has no God.

He's actually insulting me with that way of persecution. But I didn't mind his insults. Instead I asked him a question: "What do you think? Is God invisible or not?"

"Of course God is invisible," he immediately answered.

"Well, that's true, " I said. "If God is invisible, then Christ would be invisible too, isn't it?

So, here's the point of asking him something like that...

He agreed that God is invisible. And that is true because Apostle Paul said this:

17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise,[a]be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. (I Timothy 1:17, NKJV)

It is because God is spirit;

24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." (John 4:24, ibid)

And the Spirit according to Christ has no flesh and bones:

39 Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have." (Luke 24:39, ibid)

And since he believe that Christ is God, so I asked him if Christ is also invisible because God is invisible. But He answered no or that Christ is not invisible.

Actually, he is again right, that Christ is not invisible because according to the Gospel written by Apostle John, the Apostles saw Christ and even touched Him. And then Christ even said that He is not spirit but someone who has flesh and bones.

39 Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have." (Luke 24:39, ibid)

From here, we can already tell the difference between Christ and God. God is invisible while Christ is not. God is spirit while Christ has flesh and bones. And one thing that we should know, that no one has seen God at any time, just like what Apostle John said:

12 No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. (I John 4:12, ibid)

If Christ is really the God then Apostle John wouldn't say that, because he was with Christ even before Christ ascended to heavens. We all know that saying that "no one has seen God at anytime" means from the very beginning until the time the Apostle John wrote that part of the Bible, no one has ever seen God physically.

So, accusing me as Christian without God just because I believe that Christ is not the God, is something that should be refrained, because it is only based on his own belief not on the truth recorded on the Bible. My belief on the true God that Christ taught me remains in me and will not be moved by such persecution because this belief means the eternal life through Christ:

1 Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, 3 And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. (John 17:1,3, ibid)

About The Author

Sustines E. Laplana (SELaplana: http://www.selaplana.com ) is the first Pinoy Blogger and EMarketer in Southern Leyte, Philippines who blogs on Technology, Society and Reviews/Promotions of products and owns the Cellphones For Sale blog ( http://cellphones-for-sale.blogspot.com ). Writing articles is his passion. And writing religious articles is his love, so that everyone will learn the truth taught by the Bible.