You Need This

You need the gospel to free you from sin's grip, guilt, and filth.

Grip
Sin has all of us in its grip from birth. We can't stop worshipping ourselves and living for our own benefit, even though God's two most basic commands are to worship him alone and live for the benefit of others. Without the gospel, even our expressions of worship to God and service to others are really about ourselves.

Sin keeps us locked into ourselves. The gospel releases us.

Guilt
Take this quick test to see if you need forgiveness from guilt:

1. Have you ever viewed anything as more worthy of your time, energy, passion, and resources than God?
2. Have you ever used God's name casually and/or disrespectfully?
3. Have you ever ignored God's gift of sabbath (a day each week to rest from work and focus on God)?
4. Have you ever dishonored your mom or dad?
5. Have you ever hated anyone?
6. Have you ever looked lustfully at anyone?
7. Have you ever taken something not rightfully yours?
8. Have you ever spoken falsely about someone?
9. Have you ever felt discontent because someone had something you didn't?

How many 'yes's and 'no's did you get? To be acceptable before a perfectly holy God, we need to have gotten ALL 'no's. Even just one 'yes' means we're guilty before God - law breakers. We deserve justice.

Filth
This guilt also makes us morally unclean before a morally spotless God. Like an otherwise clean bottled water with a drop from the toilet in it - we're totally nasty.

The Gospel
Jesus lived the perfect life we've failed to live and died the sinner's death we've earned so that we can be freed from the grip, guilt, and filth of sin. Believe it. Rest in it. And look to Jesus as your King.

Be freed. Be forgiven. Be cleansed.