- The Wrong Diagnosis –

Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?”
Ephesians 2:1, “You He (Christ) made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins”
__________

I read an account in a Toronto newspaper sometime ago where an Arab woman was brought to a hospital emergency unit screaming and pulling her hair. She spoke no English and no interpreter was available. The doctor examined her, and then admitted her to the hospital’s psychiatric ward. Three days later she died. An autopsy revealed a malignant tumor in an advanced stage. The doctor had made a wrong diagnosis! I submit to you that spiritual ailments are often misdiagnosed also. Today there are many people hurting deep within because of guilt and the effects of sin in their lives.

In an attempt to ease the pain, well-meaning specialists may recommend covering the wounds with the band-aid of reform or the salve of pleasure; or they diagnose a spiritual problem as being only a mental disorder. However, unless sin is recognized for what it is, they can’t help cure the real trouble. Even the best among us, young or old, think and act in sinful ways.

Long ago the Lord Jesus Christ correctly put His finger on the sin of Judah when He said, “The heart is deceitful … and desperately wicked.” My brethren, we have the same problem as Judah; our heart is also deceitful and desperately wicked. As ambassadors of Christ, when we recognize someone’s problem with sin, we must introduce that person to the Great Physician, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will respond directly to the sin problem, the heart.
__________

Further reflection:

In the Gospel of Luke, specifically chapter 7, you can read the dramatic story of what happened when Jesus encountered a large funeral procession. A widow was on her way to the cemetery to bury her only son. With a heart full of compassion, Jesus spoke to the woman, touched the coffin, and with a command brought her son back to life. My brethren, what happened to that young man is an illustration of what happens to a person who accepts Christ as Savior of their life? Until we accept God’s gift of salvation in the person of His Son, Jesus, we are “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1), and on our way to the cemetery of what the Bible calls the second death (Revelation 20:6), and will be eternally separated from God’s love.

But when Jesus speaks to the needy sinner through the convicting power of the Holy Spirit, and the person puts their faith in Him, instantly they receive a new life. My friend, have you heard the life-giving words of Jesus Christ? He alone can take away the deadness of your soul and give you a thrilling awakening that brings forgiveness and joy right now, and the guarantee of heaven forever.

Thus, faith in Christ brings about a radical change in the heart, which transforms our behavior (2 Corinthians 5:17). Sinful habits drop off and new desires replace the old ones. If you want such a change in your life, receive Jesus as your Savior and Lord, and then ask Him to use you to tell others of the One who gives new life, which is eternal. So, let’s not deceive ourselves. No matter how bad or how good we may think we are, we all need Jesus Christ.
__________

If you’d like to know the love of God the Father,
Come to Him through Jesus Christ, His loving Son;
He’ll forgive your sins and save your soul forever,
And you’ll love forevermore this faithful one. - Gelten
__________

Salvation is an unearned blessing given to an unworthy sinner.