Letters from the Beloved – Condemned or Confident?
Let’s be clear, if we repent and ask forgiveness, God forgives us. In fact, Psalm 103:12 [NKJV] tells us that, “As far as the east is from the west, [So] far has He removed our transgressions from us.” Our sins are gone. Outta here!
So then, why would John, the Beloved, need to say this: 1 John 3:20 [KJV] “For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.”?
The New Living Translation put is this way: “Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything.”
The fact that I may feel condemned or guilty, even though God has pronounced me innocent by the sacrifice of Jesus, must be perplexing to the heavenly beings. The fact that I would retain a feeling of condemnation or guilt after my sins have been removed as far as east is from west, might feel like a bit of a slap in the face to Jesus, who went through a horrible death to remove my sins from me.
Do I think I know better than God? Do I think the sacrifice of Jesus is not enough for me – for my sins? That’s not logical. It is, however, all too human.
The love of God is unfathomably great, generous – even reckless as the praise song “Reckless Love” (Cory Asbury) describes it. We don’t deserve it, could never earn it. So, sometimes we can get tempted by Satan to doubt it – to feel condemned in our hearts.
Perhaps our doubts stems from the fact that it takes so little to receive God’s forgiveness. He is not like the many false gods who require human sacrifice – passing sons and daughters into the fire to appease him. Instead, our loving Father sacrificed His son for us.
Unbelievable. Incredible. I know my sins. I am undeserving. But, when I repent, confess, and call upon the sacrificial blood of Jesus, God gives forgiveness to me anyway.
Sweet sisters, as incredible, expansive, endless, and reckless as the love of God may seem to us, we must give His forgiveness the respect it is due. That is, we must accept it, leave those sins far away (where God put them) and walk confidently forward in forgiveness.
We must let go of guilt and condemnation. Satan doesn’t want us to. But our Heavenly Father insists that we do.
The Beloved Disciple tells us in 1 John 3:21-22 [NLT] “Dear friends, if we don't feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence. 22 And we will receive from him whatever we ask because we obey him and do the things that please him.”
Did you catch that? We know that if we don’t forgive others, God will not forgive us. But John seems to be saying that if we want to receive our petitions, we can’t languish in unforgiveness of ourselves either. Nothing can stop our faith in God like holding on to the guilt and unworthiness that Jesus has washed away. We are holding up our own answered prayers when we hold onto guilt and condemnation.
Let it go! God wants to put it as far from you as the east is from the west. Hand it over. As we said as children, “no takesies backsies”!
If our prayers feel stuck, it might be because our hearts still condemn us for what the Father has sought to put away.
“Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything.”
Every human is a mix of good and evil. We will struggle with sin until the day we die. But we, as believers, have a resource for removing condemnation and guilt, giving us the freedom to walk in obedience and bold confidence – giving us the potential to receive whatever we ask.
Let me leave you with the potent words of Dara Maclean in her song “Suitcases”:
You can't run when you're holding suitcases
Yes, it's a new day, throw away your mistakes
And open up your heart, lay down your guard
You don't have to be afraid
Just breathe, your load can be lifted
There's a better way when you know you're forgiven
Open up your heart, lay down your guard
You don't have to be afraid
There's nothing holding
You back now, just run
Drop the baggage of past condemnation and run your race with the lightness of forgivenes, sweet sister.
I welcome your comments and questions. You can write me in the comments section or at Nancy@DynamicChristianMinistries.org