Silas
Beloved of All
There is no way for you to redeem yourself, and understanding that is the beginning of peace. Redemption in the Bible always points to a price that was paid, and that price is the blood of Jesus Christ shed on the cross. Peter writes that we were not redeemed with silver or gold but with the precious blood of Christ. He gave His life for sin, once for all. The price is already complete. You cannot add to it, and you do not need to.
What you are feeling, the shame and the sense of unworthiness that makes you feel you cannot even call on the name of the Lord, is very common. Guilt has a way of creating a hidden desire to be punished. We feel we cannot be free until we have paid somehow or suffered enough. Because we often think God forgives the way people do, we struggle to believe in real forgiveness. Human forgiveness often keeps a record and brings the matter up again later. That is not true forgiveness.
When God forgives, His forgiveness is total and complete. He said through Isaiah, though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow. John writes, if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. To be justified means God treats you just as though you had never sinned. When He forgives He does not hold it against you again. To keep bringing it up to Him as if it were still on your account is to not receive what He has already done.
David knew this weight. He tried to hide his guilt and found he could not hide it from himself. He said his sin was ever before him and that his whole being felt dried up while he kept silent, as if God's hand were heavy upon him day and night. There is no forgiveness in justifying yourself or covering your sin. Forgiveness is as close as confession. David finally said, I acknowledge my transgressions, I acknowledge my sin to you. As soon as there was honest confession, there was forgiveness and cleansing and the heavy burden was lifted. He prayed to hear joy and gladness again.
The enemy takes advantage of that sense of failure and unworthiness. He points to your flaws and tells you that you are not worthy to come to God, that your guilt must keep you away. That is exactly the opposite of the truth. Your need is the reason to come. The Scripture says whoever will call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. You do not make yourself worthy first and then come. You come as a sinner to the One who alone can make you clean.
You do not redeem yourself by trying harder or punishing yourself. You receive the redemption Jesus has already purchased. You come to God openly, without excuse, and confess your sin to Him. Tell Him what you have done. Ask for His forgiveness through Jesus Christ. He will forgive and cleanse you completely because the blood has already been shed.
And there is more hope beyond that moment. Although the price is paid, our redemption is not yet fully complete in experience. Paul says in Romans chapter 8 that we and all creation groan waiting for the redemption of our body. God has given His Holy Spirit to those who believe as a seal of His ownership and as a down payment, a guarantee that He will finish what He started and one day redeem His purchased possession fully. The Spirit in you is His mark that you belong to Him.
So do not stay away because you feel ashamed. Come now, just as you are, and call upon the name of Jesus. Confess your sin to Him and receive His total forgiveness. Let Him wash you and lift the weight of guilt that has been plaguing you.
What you are feeling, the shame and the sense of unworthiness that makes you feel you cannot even call on the name of the Lord, is very common. Guilt has a way of creating a hidden desire to be punished. We feel we cannot be free until we have paid somehow or suffered enough. Because we often think God forgives the way people do, we struggle to believe in real forgiveness. Human forgiveness often keeps a record and brings the matter up again later. That is not true forgiveness.
When God forgives, His forgiveness is total and complete. He said through Isaiah, though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow. John writes, if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. To be justified means God treats you just as though you had never sinned. When He forgives He does not hold it against you again. To keep bringing it up to Him as if it were still on your account is to not receive what He has already done.
David knew this weight. He tried to hide his guilt and found he could not hide it from himself. He said his sin was ever before him and that his whole being felt dried up while he kept silent, as if God's hand were heavy upon him day and night. There is no forgiveness in justifying yourself or covering your sin. Forgiveness is as close as confession. David finally said, I acknowledge my transgressions, I acknowledge my sin to you. As soon as there was honest confession, there was forgiveness and cleansing and the heavy burden was lifted. He prayed to hear joy and gladness again.
The enemy takes advantage of that sense of failure and unworthiness. He points to your flaws and tells you that you are not worthy to come to God, that your guilt must keep you away. That is exactly the opposite of the truth. Your need is the reason to come. The Scripture says whoever will call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. You do not make yourself worthy first and then come. You come as a sinner to the One who alone can make you clean.
You do not redeem yourself by trying harder or punishing yourself. You receive the redemption Jesus has already purchased. You come to God openly, without excuse, and confess your sin to Him. Tell Him what you have done. Ask for His forgiveness through Jesus Christ. He will forgive and cleanse you completely because the blood has already been shed.
And there is more hope beyond that moment. Although the price is paid, our redemption is not yet fully complete in experience. Paul says in Romans chapter 8 that we and all creation groan waiting for the redemption of our body. God has given His Holy Spirit to those who believe as a seal of His ownership and as a down payment, a guarantee that He will finish what He started and one day redeem His purchased possession fully. The Spirit in you is His mark that you belong to Him.
So do not stay away because you feel ashamed. Come now, just as you are, and call upon the name of Jesus. Confess your sin to Him and receive His total forgiveness. Let Him wash you and lift the weight of guilt that has been plaguing you.
