“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
ROMANS 8:1 (NIV)
Imagine that I asked you to write down all of the bad things you have ever done on a 3 x 5 card. Don't worry, I'm not going to ask you to do that. Besides, if you're at all like me, a 3 x 5 card wouldn't be nearly enough room for all of that stuff! But just imagine that I did. Now, picture putting that card with every sin, every careless word, every stupid mistake, everything you feel guilty about, inside of a hardback book. Now, close the book.
Can you still see the card? No. It's still there, but you can't see it. It's inside something bigger, something better. That card is still there, but it is in something else. That's what it's like to be in Christ Jesus. It means that once we put our faith in Christ, once we ask him to forgive us for our sins, God simply doesn't see them anymore. We are declared not guilty. Not because we didn't do the things on that card, but because he chooses to see Jesus instead of our mistakes.
You may be carrying something around that you feel terribly guilty about. You may feel like this guilt comes from God to remind you, or punish you, for what you have done. But that is simply not the case. Jesus forgives us of our sins and takes them from us. When Jesus went to the cross he paid the price for your sins, once and for all. You don't have to keep paying for your sins through guilt. You don't have to carry them around anymore. You don't have to live with shame anymore.
If you are in Christ, you are forgiven.
What did you hear?
What do you think?
What will you do?
Now talk to God…
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