Tag Archives: Guilt

The Freedom of Forgiveness

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As Christians, we should find great peace in the fact “…there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8.1 NASB), or as J.B. Phillips put it in his inspiring version of the New Testament, “No condemnation now hangs over the head of those who are ‘in’ Jesus Christ. For the new spiritual principle of life ‘in’ Christ lifts me out of the old vicious circle of sin and death.” God has taken our sin and cast it as far as the East is from the West (Ps 103.12). Knowing God has removed all of our shame, guilt, and blame gives us restful peace.

This peace, purchased by Christ, comes with an added blessing–forgiving others as we have been forgiven. The Apostle Paul put it this way, “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you” (Col. 3.12-13, NASB). We are commanded to forgive as Christ has forgiven us.

Jesus didn’t wait for our apology, repentance, grief, or for us to start living a godly life before He made a way for our forgiveness. He gave His life for us while we were still dead in our trespasses and sin. He showed grace, mercy, compassion, and love long before we ever repented of our rebellious nature or sought His forgiveness. That is the way we are to act toward those who hurt, betray, or wrong us.

While summarizing a sermon by Jonathan Edwards, Tony Reinke shares some of the reasons we hold on to grudges in his post “On Grudges and Generosity.” This isn’t a comprehensive list; however, it should give us a clear picture why we hold on to our hurts instead of modeling Christ’s example of forgiveness toward others.

Reinke writes:

Envy. Envy is withholding blessings from others in order to preserve my own joy-stature. It is “a spirit of opposition against another’s comparative happiness.” We like to be distinguished. We like to be superior to others. We want to stand out. We seek happiness and that often means we want to be happier than others, and so we begrudge others, lest they match or exceed us in happiness. Or we can twist our envy in the other direction. Others have more happiness than me already, so what need is there for me to share? Either way, envy cuts off our generosity.

Contempt. Contempt is more personal, a withholding of blessings from others because they are too lowly, or too unworthy of the blessings I have to offer them. It is revolt at the thought of my blessing resting in their unworthy hands. Of course, we would never say it that way. This subtle contempt, this looking down on others, cuts off all hopes of generosity.

Resentment. Resentment is withholding blessings from others because they have wronged me or, merely by some known offense or guilt, are unworthy of my generosity. Once we have been wronged, we may not look for opportunities to return wrongs, but we often stop looking for opportunities to bless. Thus resentment is effective at cutting off generosity.

We are “naturally selfish and pernicious in our benevolence,” writes Edwards. We are quick to begrudge.

We could beat up on ourselves all day long. We are envious, contemptuous, sinners quick to resent, and we find it hard to let go. But Edwards is not interested in beating us up. He’s interested in gospel theology, and in turning our attention to the God who holds no envy, contempt, or resentment against his children. And to that end, he lets our eyes adjust to the darkness before turning our heads to the glory.

God has every right to hold our sin against us. We deserve for Him to give us the cold shoulder, to talk bad about us to others, to hold a grudge for our rebellion; nevertheless, He shows grace, forgiveness, and mercy. In the midst of all we deserve, He cries out, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rm 8.1, NASB).

If God, Who is perfect, forgives and forgets our sin shouldn’t we do the same to those who wrong us? Take it from me, there is great joy in obeying the indwelling Spirit’s leading to forgive others regardless of whether they are repentant or not. The joy comes from being transformed into the image of Christ!

No Shame, Guilt, or Blame

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In his post “More, Not Less,” Tullian Tchividjian shares how we are no longer under condemnation. As Christians, we are free to enjoy complete forgiveness and eradication of all our past, present, and future sin. We stand before God JUSTIFIED!

Tullian Tchividjian writes:

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1)

However deep and wide you think the freedom offered to sinners in the gospel is–it’s more, not less. As my friend Dane Ortlund says, “It’s time to blow aside the hazy cloud of condemnation that hangs over us throughout the day with the strong wind of gospel grace.”

Robert Capon expounds on this:

Saint Paul has not said to you, “Think how it would be if there were no condemnation”; he has said, “There is therefore now none.” He has made an unconditional statement, not a conditional one–a flat assertion, not a parabolic one. He has not said, “God has done this and that and the other thing; and if by dint of imagination you can manage to pull it all together, you may be able to experience a little solace in the prison of your days.” No. He has simply said, “You are free. Your services are no longer required. The salt mine has been closed. You have fallen under the ultimate statute of limitation. You are out from under everything: Shame, Guilt, Blame. It all rolls off your back like rain off a tombstone.”

It is essential that you see this clearly. The Apostle is saying that you and I have been sprung. Right now; not next week or at the end of the world. And unconditionally, with no probation officer to report to. But that means that we have finally come face to face with the one question we have scrupulously ducked every time it got within a mile of us: You are free. What do you plan to do? One of the problems with any authentic pronouncement of the gospel is that it introduces us to freedom.

So, what are you going to do now that you don’t have to do anything? The secret of worship is that it’s only when you deeply grapple with the pride-smashing fact that you can’t do anything for Jesus, you begin wanting to do everything for Jesus. True discipleship happens when you come to terms with the fact that you are so unconditionally loved, forgiven, pardoned, and free that you say “yes” to whatever God wants.

Stop Beating Yourself Up!

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If you are like most people, you have already begun working toward fulfilling your New Year’s resolutions.  Most of our resolutions lead us toward being a better person this year than last.  I would like to share a little bit of my background hoping that it will help you achieve your personal goals.

From the age of eighteen until I was twenty-four, I made a mess of my life. If there was a bad decision to be made, I would choose it every time. I had been raised in church, became a Christian at age nine, tried to be a leader in the youth group, and was growing in my knowledge of Scripture and the Christian life. However, just after graduation, I started making foolish choices. Eventually, I found myself so far away from God that I couldn’t find my way back.

In the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15.11-32), Jesus makes it clear that all we have to do is show our repentance, that is turn away from sin, by returning to God. He is always ready to restore us to a right relationship with Him, continue our Christ-like development, and use us for His glory. It is that simple.

I was too smart for all that. I knew I had been too wicked for God’s grace, and therefore, couldn’t accept God’s forgiveness, love, mercy, and grace. I couldn’t accept God’s gifts because I couldn’t forgive myself. I was beating myself up for my own sinful behaviors. I couldn’t hear what the Bible was saying about God because I was too busy trying to fix myself. Needless to say, I was miserable! No matter how frustrated I was with my backslidden life or how determined I was to make myself live the Christian life I continued down the wrong path. I was convinced that I was a hopeless case. I didn’t know it, but that was right where God wanted me—consciously aware of my inability to change on my own.

I realized that relief wasn’t going to come by my ability to control myself. In my own flesh I was always going to make the wrong decision.  My frustration was caused by trying to live up to the standards I thought was expected of Christians. However, in confessing my inadequacy to live out the Christian life on my own, God was then able to live through me. The only way I was going to be truly restored was to come to God broken and contrite. It was then that I was showered in God’s grace and restored into a right relationship with Him. Immediately, I realized I could never let guilt hold me back from enjoying my relationship with God.

Now when I fall short of God’s plan, I am quick to run to the throne of grace, admit my failure, thank God for His forgiveness, and joyfully move on with my life all the wiser. If guilt has driven a wedge between you and God, it is time to run to God, confess your sin and guilt, then enjoy His forgiveness, mercy, grace, and love. Trust me, as someone who has been there, living a life resting in what Jesus has done brings about your best life now!