Grace Over Guilt

What if the problem isn’t just what you’ve done, but who you are without God—and what if that identity can be rewritten by grace? We open the Scriptures and our own stories to make a clear, compelling case that sin runs deeper than actions while hope runs deeper than shame. From 1 John’s honesty to Hebrews 10:14’s startling promise—perfected by one offering—we trace how a finished work can anchor an unfinished life.

We also wrestle with the demand for 100% proof. No one actually lives that way, and you don’t either—you trust pharmacists, universities, and the people behind you in a crowded room. Faith isn’t pretending to know; it’s making a reasoned commitment on solid evidence. We sift skepticism from cynicism, recognize the limits of certainty, and show why trusting Christ is not blind but beautifully sane. The result isn’t less thinking; it’s better thinking that stops letting feelings rule the verdict over your life.

Then we get practical. Don’t “follow your heart” when it’s untrained—follow the gifts God already hinted at through your results and other people’s feedback. Steward your skills like the talents in Jesus’s parable and multiply them for good. We map the Bible’s grand arc in a minute—he’s coming, he’s here, he’s coming back—and let Jesus’s blistering words to hypocrites wake us up to real repentance. If you’re stuck in cycles of addiction, porn, substances, or the letdown of placing all your chips on people and pleasures that fade, hear this: grace is not permission to stay stuck; it is power to walk out. The gospel in four words—Jesus took my place—turns the courtroom into a rescue, not a lecture.

If you’re exhausted by self-salvation projects, consider this your invitation to surrender. Put every chip on Christ and watch what happens when identity shifts from condemned to covered, from empty to rebuilt. If this spoke to you, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs hope, and leave a rating so more people can find a way out and a way home.

Chapters

• 0:47 Setting The Scriptural Frame
• 1:51 Is Sin Action Or Identity?
• 4:02 Perfected By One Offering
• 4:48 Trust, Skepticism, And Evidence
• 7:56 Everyday Proofs And Reasonable Faith
• 10:04 Gifts, Calling, And Using Your Talents
• 12:06 The Bible’s Grand Arc In A Minute
• 13:21 Hypocrisy, Justice, And Hard Truths
• 14:43 Courtroom Of The Soul And Grace
• 16:35 Freedom From Shame And Addiction

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:35

Hey guys, it's B. Robinson of Food for Thought Faith Cast, and it's a wonderful, lovely Thursday night, and I am so thankful that you are tuned in. First John chapter 1, verse 8 says, if we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. Verse 9 goes on to say, if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us of our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. Verse 10 follows up with if we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar, and his word is not in us. Powerful words. God bless you guys, and thank you for tuning in once again to the Food for Thought Faith Cast.

SPEAKER_07: 1:40

Johnny, do you know what sin is? And are you a sinner? And I'm looking at my body like, Pastor, come on now. You think I just drew on my body because I ran out of paper? We're gang members. Why would you ask me that question? Of course I'm a sinner. And he goes, Why do you say that you're a sinner? And I'm like, I say I'm a sinner because I did a lot of stuff, like evil things and doing bad makes me a sinner. You know what he said, the next few words blew my mind. He said, not so. He said, What you mean? I thought if I rob somebody, if I shoot at people, if I do X, Y, and Z, those are sins. And he goes, That's not true. According to the Bible, Romans chapter 5, verse 12 says that one man, sin entered into the world and brought death. For that reason, all are sinners. So he said, just like you, Johnny, did you choose to be Chinese? I was like, no. What kind of question is that? So if you eat more orange chicken and fried rice, then you're more Chinese. And if you eat less of it, then you're less Chinese. And I was like, yo, this guy got jokes. I'm like, nah, that's not what it is. I'm Chinese, whether I eat chicken and whatever or not. And he goes, likewise, Adam Sin passed it down to you and me. And I said, Man, that's the first time he broke it down that sin wasn't an action, but it was an identity. So that's why he said, You're empty. And I'm like, how did this guy know I was empty? Because I never told him that I was empty. I never told him I was depressed. He said, Because you're a person who's imperfect, trying to be perfect. You're gonna keep failing. He said, So you probably live happy, sad, happy, sad, happy, sad. When you feel happy, you're on the up. But when you crash, sad, happy, sad, happy, sad. Until when? Emptiness enters your heart. And that's normal. That's the first time I heard that I was normal. I don't know about you guys, but a lot of people probably told us, right? You ain't normal. There's something wrong with you, you crazy. I heard that all my life. But the pastor told me, Johnny, you're normal. There's one thing that you gotta do. You gotta understand that trusting in your thoughts is what's gonna lead you to sin. Because the way you think affects the way you feel, and the way you feel, behavior. So if I have angry thoughts, I'ma have angry feelings, and then I'ma have angry behavior. I never understood it like that. I just would react. So he told me, Johnny, did you know that God has already made you perfect? I was like, perfect? Wait a minute. I'm not perfect. That's what I was thinking. But he showed me a verse that changed my life. Hebrews chapter 10, verse 14. For by one offering, he has perfected forever them that are sanctified. One offering, he said, is Jesus Christ. Perfected, if you read it, is in past tense. And then it says forever. So it's already done. And I'm sitting here and I'm like, wait, I don't feel like I'm perfect. But the word of God is telling you you're perfect. He said, Who do you think is right? So I was like, okay, God is right. He's telling me that I'm perfect, but my thoughts are telling me, nah, you're not perfect. Now let me ask you guys something. Every time you guys followed your thoughts, overall, how did it work out? Was it good or was it bad? Bad, amen, right? I'm gonna go rob this dude. I'ma come up. Every time I followed that, ended up in prison. I was able to see that my mind was my biggest enemy. I was able to see that all my thoughts were leading me to misery.

SPEAKER_04: 4:37

I want 100% evidence that Jesus raised from the dead, because if you cannot give me that, then that makes the Bible incredible.

SPEAKER_02: 4:42

Okay, let me show you why you're intellectually dishonest. Give me 100% evidence that your mom is not just fighting you up to drop arsenic in your tea when you go home for Christmas vacation.

SPEAKER_04: 4:51

This is possible.

SPEAKER_02: 4:51

You can't 100% prove that.

SPEAKER_04: 4:53

Because I don't live with my mother. Of course I can't. She's not standing up for you. I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_02: 4:57

Okay, if you're not gonna see your mother for Christmas, obviously she won't be able to drop arsenic in your tea. But if you happen to see your mom for Christmas, can you give me 100% proof that she's not gonna drop arsenic in your tea? No. Alright, here's another one. Give me 100% proof that the University of Illinois is gonna give you a diploma on your day of graduation.

SPEAKER_04: 5:13

Give me 100% proof that they didn't after I got it. Jesus died 2,000 years ago.

SPEAKER_02: 5:19

I don't base my life on 100% proof.

SPEAKER_04: 5:21

I'm sorry, he died through if you're talking about something in the future. Yes, you can't give me 100% proof. But 2,000 years ago? I'm pretty sure that by now we would figure out if he rose from the dead or not.

SPEAKER_02: 5:31

Ma'am, I don't I can't. I don't base my life on 100% proof.

SPEAKER_04: 5:35

Well, maybe that's your problem.

SPEAKER_02: 5:36

Oh, you do? You base your life on 100% proof? Yes. Oh, really?

SPEAKER_04: 5:41

That's why I'm skeptical of everything.

SPEAKER_02: 5:43

Really? So that means you take a chemistry kit to the pharmacy. And when the pharmacist hands you that bottle of medicine, you chemically analyze it to make sure there's no poison in there, right?

SPEAKER_04: 5:53

That's why I do it.

SPEAKER_02: 5:53

Because unless you have 100% proof, you would never dare take that pill and put it in your mouth. Because maybe the pharmacist put poison in there.

SPEAKER_04: 6:01

Yes, I don't base it on 100% proof. Thank you.

SPEAKER_02: 6:03

But don't tell me you base your life on 100% proof. You don't. None of us do. That's not it's not possible. You can't. You can't do that. You can't do that, ma'am.

SPEAKER_04: 6:13

I'm sorry. That's why I go to the pharmacy and I research it. I go to my doctor and I ask, what is this person giving me and why should I take it? That's what I do. I'm sorry, I misstated, yes, I do take my life in 100% skepticism. I do not go around and say, hey, I'm gonna open my book at the University of Illinois and just take everything they say and take it as the truth. Of course I have questions. Of course I look at everything.

SPEAKER_02: 6:37

You've got your back right now turned to a lot of people. Maybe they got a knife in their pocket, they're gonna stick you in a bat. And if I die at that. You cannot be 100% skeptic. If I die, I died. You've got to learn to trust. You've got to learn to trust. If you don't trust, you're gonna be a very lonely person. Now you've got to make reasonable decisions, but you can't be a hundred percent skeptic. You can't be a hundred percent proving.

SPEAKER_04: 6:58

Didn't you just tell us to be skeptical?

SPEAKER_02: 7:00

Yes. But then you've got to be reasonable when it comes to your skepticism.

SPEAKER_04: 7:04

Oh, so now there's a reasonable that you you're gonna draw the line for my reasonability. I'm not, I'm asking you to be reasonable.

SPEAKER_02: 7:10

You're obviously reasonable. You've not checked all these people to see if they've got knives in their back pockets. You say, no, I'm here at the University of Illinois. The University of Illinois does not accept murderers in the student body here, usually. No, I understand because you have to examine everyone's pockets. I can't prove Christ, but the evidence is that Christ is reliable. No proof. Evidence. What's the evidence? An amazing wife. I got a younger brother who transplants kidneys and livers at Duke University Hospital. He's far more intelligent than me and the majority of us here. And he chairs his faith in Christ with people as a doctor. His name is Stuart. And you know who Stuart and I have? We got a younger sister named Grace. She's 63 and she's at about a third-grade educational level. She's special needs. I don't know what happened. Something happened to her brain. And so she bags groceries at Stop and Shop. She has a little track that explains the gospel. And she says to people, you know, I can't read. Could you read this to me? Wow. And that's how she shares Jesus with people. Now, if God can use my special need sister to call people to himself, I promise you he can use you.

SPEAKER_01: 8:32

I can't stand when people say, follow your heart. That's bad advice. Don't do that, okay? I'm going to do what I love. Don't do that. Do what you're good at. Every single one of you has a God-given skill. Every single one of you. So you might say, Well, Charlie, I don't know what my skill is. What do people compliment you on? That is different. Maybe you're good at noticing, good at writing, good at speaking, good at organizing, good at empathizing, good at whatever it is. Find that skill that you don't truly hate. Whatever it is for me. My number one would be college. It's not something I'm best at. I enjoy what I do, and obviously I've learned a lot of it. I'm good at educating. I'm good at communicating. I'm good at writing. I'm good at doing these things. And so in the parable, the challenge is Christ wants you to identify what God has given you and to take it and make more of it.

SPEAKER_06: 9:32

You're gonna learn the Bible in less than 60 seconds. You ready? Genesis to Malachi, Jesus Christ, God in human form, is coming to earth. Bam! You just got that whole section. You got the point. So, well, wasn't there a law when it tells the Christian? Yeah, it was the law. What was the law here for? To prove that we're all flawed. You can't do it. So what? So Jesus Christ is coming to earth. I'd love for you to clap at that. Matthew to John. Jesus Christ, God in human form, is on the earth. He's here. So then you have X to the revelation. Anybody want to take a shot at it? He's coming back.

SPEAKER_03: 10:30

You make him twice as much a child of hell as yourself. Jesus! Stop this at once! Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees! Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and all uncleanness! For you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. You build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, saying, if we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets. But in your actions, you now and will reveal that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets, you serpents, you crude of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? Every one of your words will be recorded and reported to the high priest! By all means, follow in the footsteps of your ancestors! He's inviting them to kill him.

SPEAKER_01: 11:30

Here I am. Every single one of us goes through times of tests and trials. And you say, God, use me. What do you want from me during this trial? For those of you that are not yet believers, it's very simple. Uh you're gonna have a court date, we all die, and you're all gonna meet the supreme judge of the universe. Justice is getting what you deserve, which is going to a not so good place. We're all sinners and we all fall short of the glory of God. But thanks to the cross, a perfect loving God who came down in human uh form, human flesh, lived a perfect life and died for us so that we can live forever. At that moment, we're about to get that sentencing into eternal damnation. Somebody says, No, no, no. I know him. I know her. Welcome to eternal life. You have an opportunity. The gospel in four words is Jesus took my place. Three words is him for me, two words is substitutionary atonement, and one word is grace. Grace you cannot earn. Grace you do not pay for. It doesn't matter how much money you give to the hospital, it doesn't even matter how many doors you knock on for Trump, but I hope you knock on a lot of doors for him. You can't earn it. It doesn't matter if you're a good person, it doesn't matter if you have always done the best you can because what's different about Christianity is that it's a gift for all of humanity to receive, regardless of everything that we have done. And your life will be transformed. You will be born again. Grace is not earned, it is given by a God who loves you and wants to spend eternity with you. It is the most important decision you can make in your life. Here I am. God bless you guys. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_05: 13:13

What you're bringing to the table is nothing in comparison to what God has on the table. I mean, if you read Mark chapter 4, what does that guy have to bring? He has 5,000 demons inside of that guy. Like, what does that guy bring to the table? 5,000 demons? And Jesus does what? Sets him free. It doesn't matter the baggage you have, the sin you have, the shame you have, it really doesn't matter what you did last night. The grace of God, this free gift that God is giving you and me, empowers us to leave that lifestyle. And we're living in a day and age right now where sin is ramping up. I mean, you can access anything on your phone and you can do things that that separate you from God. We're living in a day and age where we need this heart posture to repent and turn, where we need to look at a passage like this and say, okay, Jesus, you came for those who are sick. If you're healthy in this room, did you call your doctor this morning? So hey, bro, I was just seeing how you're doing, man. You doing good? Yeah, okay. Yeah, man. I'm just feeling good, man. I don't need any medicine, bro. I'll just I'll just call and say, hey. Who does that? No one does that. I call my doctor when I'm in desperate need of help. You and I are sick, in desperate need and help. We're in need of a savior, which is Jesus Christ, this perfect almighty being, because your sin, the drug addictions, the alcohol addictions, the substances, the porn, all that stuff isn't eternal and perfect, so it's gonna let you down. You put all your poker chips in on your friends, they do something small, it hurts you really bad. You put all your poker chips in on the drugs and the alcohol, you get a buzz, you feel good, then it goes away, and then you have to go back to that thing to get the buzz and it lets you down once the buzz goes away. Or maybe it's your family. Maybe you put all your eggs in one basket with your family, and then your mom does something or chews you out in the kitchen, and it's so awful, and and it hurts you, and and then you're super hurt because you put all your eggs in your basket on things that will never satisfy you, that aren't eternal, and that won't make you feel any better about yourself. So, what's the difference? If you already hate your life, then why wouldn't you give your life to Jesus? If you already hate the junk that you're doing, why wouldn't you give it to Jesus? You've got absolutely nothing to lose. What a better way to start the school year, to start your life by saying, Hey God, I'm living in full surrender to you. God, all my poker chips are in on you, all my cards are on the table, I've got nothing to lose. It's you or nothing, that's it.