Cornerstone

Psalm 51:1-19 (14)

 [14] Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.

The idiot lights on the dashboards of our car are placed there for a purpose and yet often they are ignored.  Maybe you like others have taken a piece of electrical tape and covered up the light so it would not be so annoying.  Guilt is like the red warning light on the dashboard of the car. You can either stop and deal with the trouble, or cover up the light.  The only way to find peace in the matter is with the cry of the Psalmist, “Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God”  Coco Chanel a French Fashion designer though not a Christian understood the dynamic of guilt when he said, “Guilt is perhaps the most painful companion of death.”  He probably was describing the pain of his own soul.  One of the rewarding advantages of salvation from sinfulness is a complete dissipation of guilt.  Minnie A Steele expressed this divine relief when she penned the immortal words to her hymn.

 I remember when my burdens rolled away;
That I feared would never leave, night or day.
Jesus showed to me the loss,
So I left them at the cross;
I was glad when my burdens rolled away.

Dr. Gayle Woods

Galatians 4:6

Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.”

The idea of slavery is a concept that though understood is foreign to our experience. Total submission and commitment were demanded of a slave. A slave was property rather than a person. He was at the mercy of his master. He was completely disposable. If age, sickness, weakness, or disobedience became a source of irritation to the slave owner, the master would not hesitate to sell or take the life of his slave.

There have been cases, however, where slaves have been freed by their masters. Although it has not been a common occurrence, some have even been adopted into the master’s family. In the Roman culture if a slave was adopted it meant that he became a citizen, his debts were paid, his family alliance was changed, and he became an heir to the master’s wealth. He was no longer a slave. He was now a son.

This is what takes place when we are delivered from the slavery of sinfulness. We become a citizen of heaven, the judgment of sin against us is cancelled, our allegiances to our former life and associations are changed, and we become a joint heir with the Son of God. We are no longer slaves but children of God.

Dr. Gayle Woods