When we live our lives resting in the hope of the cross of Jesus Christ, we will not live under the weight of condemnation.
What is condemnation exactly? Here’s how
CJ Mahaney puts it in his book
The Cross Centered Life: Living with, “a sustained sense of guilt and shame over sins for which you have repented to God and to any appropriate individuals.” p 38
Living under condemnation works greatly against our spiritual growth in Christ! If we don’t learn to “unload” our condemnation onto Jesus and what He’s done for us on the cross, we will –
Despair or
Deny:
- Despair over our sin and quit seeking holiness (the pain of our guilt is too great to keep trying)
- Deny our sin and quit seeking holiness (the pain of our guilt is too great to acknowledge our sin)
Connected to denying - we’re more likely to focus on other people’s sins since this can temporarily distract us from the pain of our own guilt and shame
As Christians, our Father doesn’t intend for us to live with a sustained sense of guilt and shame when we’ve repented. The Lord doesn’t want us to despair over our sin or deny our sin. He wants us to humbly acknowledge it, turn from it, and rest in what Christ has already accomplished for us on the cross.
Repent and Rest. R&R. As we repent and rest in the cross, our joy and gratitude toward God will increase since we’ll see how kind He is to be completely committed to us is in spite of our daily battles with sin.