What if there was no Jesus? Help for selfrighteousness or denial for hell

[shocks7377]

So today I was thinking about how I struggle with self-righteousness and truly seeing the heinousness of my "respectable sins". Its like my whole life I have grown up around Jesus that I almost grow accustomed to the fact we have been forgiven and God loves us. So often I fail to see my sins under the veil of morality I grow accustomed too and I get I sense I am a good person. The problem as I grow in my walk and my old more "obvious sins and ways" diminish is I have a tendency to not see my need for Grace as much. As those big sins die it is hard for me to realize how serious my "minor sins" are. Then I thought well what if Christ had not come in our place? Everyone one of those little sins we commit that we don't think are too terrible and we don't even think of confessing would still be enough to send me straight into hell.

It really did wonders to knock down pride and pharisee in me when I start to boast in my own ability, accomplishments or righteousness. Imagine Christmas, Easter, Church wiped away and a happy and ignorant world each day heading straight toward eternal punishment w/o any second chance. Imagine for a minute if humanity was treated like the angels (just hypothetical) and God was perfectly just in condemning each human who had ever rebelled and Jesus never came to earth. No hope for heaven, no way to make-up for any of the crimes we've committed before God, and no hope for eternity with the Lord. It really sends shivers down my spine to really imagine if Jesus never was and we all were living on borrowed time before we were rightly judged. I would just ask you to take 3 minutes and picture your life, friends, hope if you never heard the name Jesus and He hadn't come, how even the small sins in your life would send you to judgement. Praise God for His gift and that we can be forgiven and renewed.

[Faithful]

After one has died on the cross with Christ putting to nought the deeds of the sinful side of the flesh should be relatively easy. But then there is a life of overcoming, bearing our own cross daily, to overcometh and receive our reward. According to the Bible the works of the "flesh" are of two kinds (though both are of the flesh): the unrighteous and the self-righteous. The flesh can produce not only defiling sins but also commendable morals: not only the base and the ignoble but the high and noble as well: not only sinful lust but good intention too: not only sin but the power of sin too. It is this latter side to which we must address ourselves now.