This podcast covers Lesson 5 of Healthy Living Bible Study by Melanie Newton.
Conquer the “Manipulation by Guilt” Infection
The two most common false teachings are that Jesus was not God and that salvation is not by faith alone. Therefore, Jesus’ death was not sufficient to pay for all your sins and salvation is achieved by your own good works. So, you can never get rid of the guilt of your sin or the guilt of not doing enough good works to achieve salvation. This is the Manipulation by Guilt infection.
What makes a woman susceptible to the “Manipulation by Guilt” infection?
[They] gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth." (2 Timothy 3:6-7)
- Women become susceptible when they are loaded down with guilt from their sins and when they are in a steady search for the latest new thing to satisfy the restlessness in their hearts.
- When you stay firmly rooted in who Christ is and what He finished on the cross for you, you can conquer the manipulation by guilt infection.
Christ’s finished work on the cross
As a direct result of Christ’s finished work on the cross, our relationship with God is changed because of our faith in Jesus Christ. What Jesus’s death on the cross accomplished for us are described by six truths we can know and claim to conquer any infection, especially the Manipulation by Guilt one.
Word of the Cross #1 is Propitiation.
- God’s holy wrath against all sin is fully satisfied by Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross. Because of that, God is able to extend mercy to every believer in Christ. Romans 3:25; Romans 5:9
- There is no longer any sacrifice that anyone can ever do to satisfy God’s wrath against sin apart from what Christ has already done. It’s done, finished!
- Because you’ve trusted Christ and are now found in Christ, you can know and live with confidence that God is satisfied, no longer angry at your sin—ever!
Word of the Cross #2 is Reconciliation.
- God restored our broken relationship with Him by reconciling us to Himself through Jesus’s death on the cross. Complete reconciliation, never to be broken again. Colossians 1:20-22
- God chose to do that out of his love for us. Romans 5:10
- Because you’ve trusted Christ and are now found in Christ, you can know and live with confidence that your relationship with God is restored…no longer broken because of sin and guilt!
Word of the Cross #3 is Redemption.
- Every human being born on this planet is born into bondage to the kingdom of darkness, sin, and the empty way of life we get from human traditions. Colossians 1:13; 2:8; Romans 6.
- Jesus paid the ransom price for you to be released from that bondage. When you trust in Jesus, you become the possession of a loving, merciful God and are able to live a life that pleases God.
- Because you’ve trusted Christ and are now found in Christ, you can know and live with confidence that you’ve been released…no longer in bondage to sin and guilt. Forever.
Word of the Cross #4 is Forgiveness.
- God stepped in and did for us what we couldn’t do for ourselves. He transferred our sin to a substitute, Jesus, and it was taken away.
“When you were dead in your sins…God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; He has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.” (Colossians 2:13-14)
- Once you trust in Jesus Christ, what you’ve done wrong in God’s eyes from the time you were born through the time of your death has been canceled. All of it. Past, present and future.
- Yet, as long as you live in your earthly body, you will sometimes sin. As an already forgiven Christian, the biblical process for dealing with recognized sin is to remember first that your identity is child of God, agree with God that you’ve sinned against Him, mourn your sin and depend on the Holy Spirit to help you obey God in the future. Then, trust in Him to help you overcome the consequences of any sinful choices you’ve made in a way that brings glory to Him. That’s living a life that pleases the Lord in every way.
- Because you’ve trusted Christ and are now found in Christ, you can know and live with confidence that you’ve been forgiven…no longer burdened by your sin and guilt. Cling to this truth.
Word of the Cross #5 is Justification.
- Because of Christ's finished work on the cross, God chooses to give a “not guilty” status to anyone who places their faith in Jesus Christ. Then, you get His righteousness. Colossians 1:22
- When God looks on you, He sees His Son’s righteousness taking the place of your sin—even your sin after you’ve been a believer for a long time.
- When you are tempted to think that God could not possibly accept you because of your weaknesses and guilty past, declare this to yourself: “Because of my faith in Jesus Christ, I am declared righteous no longer guilty in God’s eyes.” That’s a fact.
Word of the Cross #6: Sanctification.
- By faith in Jesus Christ, God declares us holy in His sight. His love chooses to do that for us.
- Every believer has also been set apart as God's special, beloved possession for His exclusive use. Psalm 4:3
- You are also “being made holy” in your thoughts, words, and actions by the Holy Spirit so that we become in thought and behavior what we are in status—holy as God is holy. Colossians 3
- Because you’ve trusted in Christ and are now found in Him, you can know and live with confidence that you are set apart by God, for God. In His eyes, you are perfected, no longer flawed.
A spiritual infection takes you captive to something other than Christ. The “Manipulation by Guilt” infection is bad. Knowing and believing these 6 truths about Christ’s finished work on the cross will give you an immune system that conquers this spiritual infection.
Let Jesus satisfy your heart needs with His truth and His love so you can get well and stay well.
Joyful Walk Bible Studies by Melanie Newton are available through Amazon and Barnes and Noble.