By Ken Fletcher
“There is only ONE sacrifice for the remission of sin. It’s Jesus our Lord. God’s provided sacrifice for us. For all sins. For all time!
In this section, I want to share with you my own story. Perhaps it will help you. I had been trying to live for Jesus for about 5 years as a new believer. Being raised from birth in a church that taught believers could fall from God’s grace by practicing sin.
At that denomination, they taught that being with God meant one had to live pure. That God would not possess an unclean vessel. That the Holy Spirit would surely exit the backslider who was in sin. That it was not possible for one to go to heaven in that condition of practicing sin. That in that condition, they were lost just like anyone in the world was lost. That is what they believed.
That’s what I was taught and that is what I totally believed. They taught, if you sinned, you could come to the alter, pray and repent, and get back to God, and the Holy Spirit would move back in, and you were good to go to heaven then.
As a new believer I struggled trying to stay right with God like that. It was an inner struggle. When I missed it again, I would end up at the alter or kneel at home to get right with God, so I could have Him, and so I could be ready for heaven. I’m just telling you where I was inside then and why.
Condemnation would settle on me. After 5 years of this back and forth trying and failing, I finally just quit. I said to myself, I don’t know how these other Christians at church are living this, but I have tried and failed so many times, I guess I’m just destined to going to hell.
So, I had resigned myself to the condemnation of my sins and saw myself as rejected of God. That He had moved out. That He did not want me because I had messed up and because He is so Holy. That is where I was at! I was so very miserable and depressed. Believing I was lost because of my sins. Yes! That is where I was! In despair!
In those years, I was working for a large well known trucking company on the docks. I would load and unload the big 18 wheeler truck trailers full of freight. Around 2 AM in the morning as I was working unloading a trailer that was parked somewhat by itself near the end of the terminal, I was deep in the truck pulling freight. Miserable. Hurting inside. Depressed. Condemned.
As I worked, the presence of Jesus came into that truck trailer! I could feel His sweet presence all around me. I began to weep uncontrollably. I knew it was Him. I could not understand why He was there. I said Lord, what are you doing here?
(I really thought He did not want anything to do with me because of my sins. So, I was very surprised at what was happening.) He spoke to me so clear inside. He said, “I told you I would never leave you or forsake you!” I remembered it from the Bible.
I said to Him, trying to understand, so, you’ve never left me all of this time? (As I said above, I believed He had moved out on multiple occasions because of my sinning.) He said, “That’s right, I have been with you through it all.”
I had been so confused before that I then asked Him, so, when was it that I was truly born again? (I did not know which time because I had been to the alter so many times after sinning in some way.) He said to me, “The first time!” That made perfect sense to me.
I said, so you have been with me this whole time since I prayed in my brother’s kitchen when I was nineteen? He said, “Yes!” That changed everything for me! I saw the truth! He was so gracious to me. All I felt was love.
He proceeded to tell me a few other personal things that were getting ready to happen in a few weeks in my life. And, then, His presence lifted. I was changed. I now had instant hope. I began to see myself different after that.
I thought to myself, now, THAT is a true friend, Jesus! Who won’t leave you in the tough and rough times. Who will stick with you through thick and thin. When things look like all is lost, He will never leave.
When you and I have missed it so bad and messed up and sinned, He saw through it all right to our heart! He never left! What a revelation that was to me! He never left me! But, I had believed before that He did! And so, the devil kept reminding me how bad I had missed God. I felt so condemned.
But, Jesus showed me, I was just taught wrong about the truth of our relationship. There is nothing or no one that is greater than our Father. And, there is nothing or no one that can separate us from our Father. Do you hear me? Nothing! Nothing is greater than Him!
And, it is HE who has justified us by His own blood! Is there anyone who wants to dispute that their sins are greater or more powerful than our Father in heaven is? And, it is He that has declared us to be righteous in His presence. Why? Because we are created that way in Christ! We’re perfect inside in our soul and spirit. We are! And, the proof is that we have been given the precious Holy Spirit in our hearts to abide with us.
