Are you “guilt waiting to happen"? Our strong consciences set us up sometimes for self-loathing. Tim Sheppard sang, “I’ve failed you once again . . . I promised that I wouldn’t Lord. How can I be your friend, when all I seem to do is hurt the ones I love the most?” Confession leads to forgiveness, but wallowing in guilt over past sins does us no good.
God’s answer for our guilt is always the gospel of grace. Paul described the Christian life with the characteristic phrase, “in Christ.” How much condemnation do we bear in Christ? None. The law of the Spirit of life has set us free from the law of sin and death. Eugene Peterson writes, “When we sin and mess up our lives, we find that God doesn’t go off and leave us – he enters into our trouble and saves us.”
Much of our inability to forgive ourselves stems not from our overestimation of our sinfulness but from our underestimation of God’s love. Tim Sheppard’s song continues: “But still you let me know. You love me. You love me!” God forgives us as we confess our sins to him. Who are we to doubt his love? Trust him and find confidence in his grace today. Let God’s kindness lead us to repentance today.
