Pastor Phil McCutchen

Therapeutic Spirituality

Leviticus 5:4 If anyone thoughtlessly takes an oath to do anything, whether good or evil, even though they are unaware of it, but then they learn of it and realize their guilt …

Guilt is not merely a function of the emotion but a legal standing before God. This should lead us to understand the very real power of the cross. The effectiveness of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross is not only psychological but actual. Most people turn to religion for therapeutic reasons. These therapeutic conversions tend to be weak and short lived; however, once we feel better, we go back to whatever we were doing before. It’s like one would go back to eating bad food, once they no longer have a stomach ache. The sacrifice required to exonerate us is not just so we can feel better but so we can have an eternal death sentence removed from our future. Years ago, I would hear people pray, “oh God make Calvary real;” that’s still a valid prayer but for it to work, judgment has to be real.