Hebrews 10:12 (KJV) Struggling With Guilt?

Hebrews 10:12 (KJV)

But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

Having pastored for many years, I have known a great many people who, though professing to be Christians, wrestle with what Hebrews 10:2 (KJV) calls a “conscience of sins.”

That’s the trouble with religion. It promises something it cannot deliver. It cannot free a soul from the guilt of sin.

I’ll confess that many a child of God struggles with this very issue, but it is because of the entrenched nature of religion. When we come to Christ, we cast off any hope of finding forgiveness in our own goodness, our hard work, or the rituals of religion. We come to acknowledge what Hebrews 10:4 (KJV) says:

For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.

But these ideas have been drilled into us from our youth. Everywhere we turn, we are given the same message: Do good works, go to church, give to charity, be kind to your neighbors (and there is nothing wrong with any of that), and do enough of it so that God will be pleased with you.

The problem is, we all know we haven’t done enough.

So much of the wrestling we experience between the flesh and the spirit is really a struggle to rest in Christ. We labor to let go of the religious idea of earning forgiveness and to rest in the forgiveness that Christ has already provided.

Picture that Old Testament priest. 

The worshiper approaches with a sacrifice, and the priest faithfully performs his duty. But before he can even catch his breath, the worshiper is back again.

The Bible says of Christ that He offered one sacrifice for sins forever. That’s final. Finished. Never to be repeated. Then He sat down at the right hand of God. The work is done. He will never again offer a sacrifice for you.

But He is at the right hand of God. What are we supposed to do when our conscience troubles us?

Hebrews 4:16 (KJV)
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

#OneSacrificeForever #RestInChrist #FinishedWorkOfChrist #NoMoreGuilt #BoldlyToTheThrone

Struggling With Guilt? Religion Can’t Clean Your Conscience—But Christ Can

Still wrestling with guilt or trying to earn what Christ already finished? This truth changes everything.

Leave a comment below—what helped you most, or where are you still struggling? Let’s talk about it.

For more Bible teaching that points you back to the finished work of Christ, visit marvinmckenzie.org and explore the resources there.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 7100 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Hebrews 10:12 (KJV) Struggling With Guilt?

1 Chronicles 23:27 (KJV) You Can’t Trust Leaders, Time, or Culture

1 Chronicles 23:27 (KJV)

For by the last words of David the Levites were numbered from twenty years old and above:

David had his faults, to be sure. One of the evidences of the supernatural nature of the Bible is that it is honest about its heroes. Every one of them was as human as we are—warts and all. Every one of them, that is, except Christ. He is as human as we are in the temptations He experienced—yet without sin.

David had his faults. But there is very little question about his calling, his devotion, and his greatness as a leader. His final years were spent dedicated to the advancement of the faith among the people of Israel. I can’t help but think of how far his nation strayed from the standards he instituted.

• Some of it was caused simply by human failing. Even Solomon strayed enough that things were set up for a fall.
• Some of it was caused by the passing of time and the handing off of leadership. Rehoboam, the first king anointed without David’s immediate supervision, witnessed the nation divide into two.
• Some of it was caused by international affairs. I don’t suppose there has been a time in history, since the age of government, that nations haven’t tried to take over others. The battle to maintain or gain power, as it has in every nation, had a huge impact on the direction of Israel—politically, economically, and spiritually.

Nothing has changed—for Israel, for the nations of the world, or for the United States. The failings of men, the passing of time and administrations, and the pressures of international affairs demand that governments change. Politics, economics, and even spiritual influences are subject to change.

So here’s the personal application. You and I cannot depend upon any of those to maintain our walk with God. If we are to have a growing, true, and vital relationship with the Lord, we’re going to have to see to that personally.

I do not mean that we do this alone. God has never endorsed that. But He has instituted a place whereby we may grow together in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

That place is small congregations of believers of like faith and practice, organized independently of an outside headquarters and committed to carrying out the one commission Christ gave.

That place is the local New Testament Baptist church.

#FaithfulToTheEnd #LocalChurchMatters #StandStrongInTruth #WalkWithGodDaily #BiblicalLeadership

You Can’t Trust Leaders, Time, or Culture—Here’s What You Can Trust

Are you guarding your walk with God—or just assuming it will hold?
Leave a comment below and share what helps you stay faithful in changing times. Your insight could strengthen someone else.

For more Bible teaching, resources, and encouragement, visit marvinmckenzie.org and stay anchored in truth.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 7100 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

1 Chronicles 23:27 (KJV) You Can’t Trust Leaders, Time, or Culture

1 Chronicles 22:8–9 (KJV) Private Interpretation or Plain Truth?

1 Chronicles 22:8–9 (KJV)

But the word of the LORD came to me, saying, Thou hast shed blood abundantly, and hast made great wars: thou shalt not build an house unto my name, because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight.
Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about: for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days.

I’m thinking just now of Adonijah assuming the throne of his father without consulting the king. I’m thinking of the prophet Nathan and of Bathsheba approaching the aging David with the problem. They not only knew that it was David’s wish that Solomon be the next king, but that it was Solomon who had been instructed to build the Temple, and that it had been God who told King David that it would be Solomon who was to succeed him on the throne.

Though I know of no other place in the Bible where God is said to have told David it was specifically Solomon who would succeed him, I need no other reference than this. I believe the Bible, and I believe David. Further, it is obvious that this message had been communicated to Bathsheba, and likely through Nathan the prophet. It is not a private interpretation.

I am reminded once again that the Bible is a whole book. One must take into account all the Word of God and not cherry-pick verses without considering the whole. So many doctrines I believe to be false (i.e., baptismal regeneration, certain reformed or Calvinistic doctrines, modalism, etc.) are built upon an almost stubborn, tunnel-vision interpretation of isolated passages. There is value in sometimes focusing on what one passage says about a thing, and it is wise to remember that, in our human limitations, we probably never tie things in perfectly. Still, we must not allow ourselves to force a passage to mean something that is inconsistent with the Bible as a whole.

#BibleStudy #WholeCounselOfGod #KingSolomon #RightlyDividingTheWord #BiblicalTruth

Private Interpretation or Plain Truth? What the Bible Really Says

What do you see in this passage—did God make His choice unmistakably clear, or do you see it differently? Drop your thoughts in the comments—I’d like to hear how you’re connecting Scripture with Scripture.

For more Bible studies, teaching resources, and full lessons, visit marvinmckenzie.org and explore the material available there.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 7100 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

1 Chronicles 22:8–9 (KJV) Private Interpretation or Plain Truth?

Hebrews 7:3 (KJV) Who Was Melchisedec?

Hebrews 7:3 (KJV)

Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.

The Bible is both a supernatural book and one of great practicality. (Which I believe is also true of Christ. He is 100% God—supernatural in every way—but He is also man, and as a man did very manly things in His life on earth.)

One has to remember that the book of Hebrews speaks of the body and the shadow. In that respect, Melchisedec serves as the shadow, and Christ as the body. The Word of God seems to be very clear that Christ is a priest after the order of Melchisedec and that He is not Melchisedec in fact.

Melchisedec is said to be:

Without father and mother.
Simply, there is no record of them. The Jews attempted to maintain careful records of genealogies, but Melchisedec came before those records and, appropriately, is skipped in them—making him a type and foreshadow of the Lord.

Without descent.
Simply, he has no offspring. There are no descendants of him. He did not father a family of priests, as the family of Levi did. Truly, those priests “after the order of Melchisedec” (if I may place the New Testament believer in that camp) are not priests through blood, but through faith.

Having neither beginning of days nor end of life.
Simply, we have no record of his birth or his date of death. In the case of Christ, His birthdate is a matter of speculation (though I believe the December date is accurate, if not confirmed), and the date of His crucifixion is attached to the Passover, which in itself lends some obscurity to the exact date. But in Christ’s case, the real issue is that He literally has no beginning of days nor end of life.

Made like unto the Son of God.
Simply, he is set as a likeness to teach us the pattern—both of the Christian and of those who would follow after Christ in New Testament ministry.

Christ’s priesthood is continual, both in that He ever liveth to make intercession for us and in that 

He makes His disciples to be kings and priests.

John 14:12 (KJV)
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

#OrderOfMelchisedec #ChristOurHighPriest #BibleDoctrine #ShadowAndSubstance #KJVTruth

Who Was Melchisedec? The Truth Behind Christ’s Priesthood

What do you believe Hebrews 7:3 is really teaching about Christ’s priesthood? I’d like to hear your thoughts—drop a comment below and join the conversation.

If this helped you see the connection between Melchisedec and Christ more clearly, you’ll find many more Bible studies just like this at marvinmckenzie.org—practical, Scripture-centered, and designed to strengthen your walk with the Lord.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 7100 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Hebrews 7:3 (KJV) Who Was Melchisedec?

Hebrews 6:2 (KJV) Empty Religion?

Hebrews 6:2 (KJV)

Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

The Apostle, speaking to a Jewish audience (or rather, writing to Jewish readers who have trusted Christ as Saviour), desires to lead them out of the rituals of their old culture and religion. Jesus came, at least in part, to confront what had grown into the grievous errors of Judaism. The last thing that a Jewish believer ought to have done was merge faith in Christ with those old errors.

Jewish tradition all had sound roots:

• The ceremonial washings (he uses the word “baptisms” here—not to be confused with the singular “baptism” of the Christian faith)
• The laying on of hands
• The resurrection of the dead
• The eternal judgment

In this context, all referred to parts of Jewish teaching that had lost their true intent through the corruptions of current Judaism.

Paul’s great “crime” against the Jews—the one they hated him for, and the one people still resist today—is his insistence that faith in Christ demands separation from meaningless religion. A Christian believer is to leave those things behind, no matter how entangled one has become in them. No matter how many family members may be hurt by that decision. No matter how deeply rooted those practices are in one’s culture. The Christian is to lay them aside and move into a brand new, free relationship with Christ through a local New Testament (I am convinced) Baptist church.

Leaving those traditions is challenging, to say the least. In some cultures, it can even be life-threatening. I do not want to judge anyone who struggles with it. I understand, at least in some small measure, the weight of that struggle.

But it can be done by the grace of God.

That is the ultimate interpretation of Hebrews 6:3 (KJV):
And this will we do, if God permit.

#FoundationsOfFaith #LeaveDeadReligion #ChristOverTradition #BiblicalSeparation #GrowInGrace

Empty Religion? True Faith in Christ Demands Leaving Tradition Behind

What do you think—have you ever had to step away from tradition to follow Christ more fully? Leave a comment below and join the conversation. I’d love to hear your experience. 

For more Bible teaching, resources, and books to help you grow in your walk with the Lord, visit marvinmckenzie.org. 

Let’s keep moving forward in truth together.

To my readers:

Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

For this and, more than 7100 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Join me at Daily Visits with God Podcast
https://marvinmckenzie.substack.com/

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Hebrews 6:2 (KJV) Empty Religion?