Sitting in the darkness crying out to God, sulking in our sorrows and having our eyes fixed on the mistakes, the mess ups and the ways in which have fallen short.
It is like we are onions peeling back our layers of sin just to realize there are more layers underneath, leaving us with shame and guilt. We think that we are humbling ourselves before our Maker when it could be we are fixing our eyes on something that we have already been set free from.
The message we read in the Bible is clear.
“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” (1Peter 2:24)
It is simple, but when we go to church on Sunday we hear a teaching that complicates the whole thing. We get stuck trying so hard to peel back our layers in order for us to grow and become better. Almost as if we begin to feel good about ourselves simply because we think we are such a mess.
We call ourselves sinners (only human) and sit at the foot of the cross to make ourselves better instead of allowing God to make us better.
God views us as the exact opposite, in His eyes we are free from sin.
“This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” (Romans 3:22-23)
By Christ’s blood we have become righteous.
We are made right with God, to live a life that flows with Christ in us, a life that sees the beauty and the incredible things that can be rather than our past mistakes and failures. The price has already been paid, the battle is already won, and yet we try so hard to buy it all back.
We must finally die to sin and live with the understanding that we are now right with God.
We have complete access to Him and can approach Him confidently with courage and boldness (Eph 3:12). And the beauty of this is that we can do nothing without Him (John 15:5).
He simply wants us to walk this journey leaning on Him, understanding that it is Jesus who has made us righteous, free, and full of love.
When we come to know this love of His – this love that will surpass any knowledge or understanding, a love that can only be received – in receiving it, it transforms our lives.
We no longer will peel back the layers, but instead we will fix our eyes on Him and allow Him to tell us who we are – prince or princess, son or daughter, righteous and pure.
The more we grow in Him the more we realize that He has created us to be like Him. Because the fullness of God dwells in us!
He has chosen to make His home in you, not a sinner, but a beautiful temple that is spotless and without blemish.
When we gain such a perspective we will live differently; we will live as if God wants to change the world through us. As if we are His sons and daughters and He has given us freedom and life. A life that is meant to love – to re-present Jesus.
We have been called to re-present Jesus to the world, and because He has chosen to make His home in us, we have full access to do so.
When we let this sink into our hearts, we live as though it is true. We are not sinners. We are not onions. We are the vessels in which the world will be changed by.
We are the beloved, the sons and daughters, the prince and princesses, and we will be known by our love.
Responses