Heaping condemnation upon our own heads rarely solves our problems. Perhaps our insensitivity toward someone was wrong. Or maybe we made a mistake, offending someone in the process. Guilty feelings – real or contrived – have a way of taking the life out of us. They divide our minds, drain our energy, cause us to punish ourselves, and stir up feelings of insecurity.
Following our rebirth in Christ, the guilt of our past sins is taken away. But guilty feelings – conviction from the Holy Spirit – return when we sin against God. However, we must learn to be a repentant people, understanding how to accept the forgiveness of God in our lives.
No matter how mired we are in our sin, God will cleanse us when we ask. There might be consequences associated with our actions, but the sin is not held against us. God has forgiven us, and we must accept it, refusing to condemn ourselves any longer.
Like the lady caught in the act of adultery, we must learn to accept God’s forgiveness. Regardless of how dirty and guilty she felt, Jesus wiped away her sin.
“Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?’ She said, ‘No one, Lord.’ And Jesus said,, ‘I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.” (John 8:10-11)
