2 Corinthians 5:19 “that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.”
“How do I know God isn’t punishing my friend now for sin he committed 20 years ago?” she asked me.
“Did he repent of that sin?” I questioned.
“Yes, not long after it happened.”
“So what you’re wondering is whether God held on to that sin—that repented sin—until an opportune time to punish him?”
“I guess I am.”
“It seems to me the God you’re picturing bears little resemblance to the God of the Bible. Scripture tells us God does not count our sins against us. No strings. No delayed punishment hanging over our heads. Jesus paid the price for every sin, from our ugly thoughts to our dastardly deeds. The God of the Bible desires more than anything to reconcile us to himself.”
I think shame from our past traps a lot of us. It’s hard to imagine a God of grace who accepts our repentance. A God who so generously offers us new-every-morning-mercies. What kind of God is it who refuses to use our guilt to manipulate us into better behavior? A God who says I want your good works to be done in gratitude for forgiveness, not as a means to obtain it?
We’re much more accustomed to our human tendencies. We hold grudges and secretly hope our enemies receive their just due. Sadly, our judgments tend to boomerang. The grace we deny to others, we deny to ourselves. So we end up working our fingers to the bones, thinking if we try really hard God will overlook all our bad stuff. It’s a standard no one can meet. God designed something far better.
Friend, don’t let your past keep you from enjoying the freedom of today. And don’t waste your time trying to trust in a god who looks more like you than the God of the Bible. He calls you to be a messenger to others about this great gift of reconciliation, but you can’t unless you first say goodbye to that guilt and so long to that shame.