1 John 3: 20 « For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.»
Psalm 32: 5 « I
acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will
confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my
sin. Selah.»
Psalm 32: 1-2 « Blessed
is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man
unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no
guile.»
Psalm 86: 5 « For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.»
If we were to
list all the Bible verses that remind us of God's mercy, His love for us, whose
greatness and purity means that He forgets our faults as soon as we sincerely
repent, a single article would not suffice. He has shown this mercy to us since
the fall of the first men, through His plan of redemption for mankind which He
had established. Even today, we benefit fully from this plan of redemption,
which Jesus Christ accomplished by dying on the cross and by His resurrection.
Although all this is common knowledge, many of us still allow ourselves to be
consumed by guilt, even after asking for and receiving God's forgiveness. Guilt
makes us forget that we are not saved because we are righteous, but because we
have been made righteous in Jesus Christ. It makes us forget that God is not
interested in our perfection. For our perfection would imply that we no longer
need His salvation, which is impossible. Indeed, the Bible tells us that all
have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). But what
interests Him is this great and sincere willingness to obey Him to become more
like Christ day by day. And from this willingness, the Holy Spirit takes over,
guiding, inspiring, teaching and instructing us along the way.
1 Corinthians 2 :
11 « For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man
which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of
God»
Romans 8 : 16
« The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the
children of God: »
Guilt makes us
think the opposite. We think we have to be perfect like Jesus to be saved. This
salvation is not based on merit. It is the result of God's grace and love,
found in Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:8. But when guilt sets in, we
lose faith in God's love and eternal salvation. It makes us think God's love is
like human love. We start asking ourselves: "Will God forgive me? "
How can He forgive me? Who would forgive
such a thing? One verse answers all these questions: Isaiah 1: 18 « Come
now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as
scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they
shall be as wool. » No matter
how serious our fault is, God's forgiveness will always be available. And the
only thing required to obtain it is sincere repentance.
Guilt not only
weakens our faith in God's love, but it also distances us from his presence.
Indeed, it leads us to believe that we are not worthy to be called His children
and do not deserve to be in His presence. But, as we distance ourselves from
Him, we also distance ourselves from the Holy Spirit; thus, leaving more room
for the whims of our flesh, which in turn distances us further from God.
However, God reminds us in Luke 15:4-5 that He watches over each
of us as a good shepherd watches over his sheep, and even if we stray, He will
always be ready to pick us up and bring us home with joy.
However, there is
a powerful weapon against guilt: the knowledge of God. Indeed, the one who
knows God, when he sins, sincerely repents for having offended his Father; and
never forgets that, above all, his Father's love is even greater than his sin,
no matter how serious. He therefore has a firm assurance that he will be
forgiven. He who knows God cannot doubt His mercy, His love and eternal
salvation. John
6:47; Ephesians 3:12 and 1 John 3:20.
When we know God,
no shame can drive us away from God's presence. Through this knowledge of God,
we experience the kind of rest and peace in our hearts that only intimacy with
God can bring. Through it, we come to love God, with a love that drives us to the
desire to dwell in His presence at all costs, in all circumstances. This
knowledge, then, brings us to the dimension of David as God's servant, of whom
He said : « I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own
heart, which shall fulfil all my will»
Romans 8 :
38-39 : For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor
principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height,
nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love
of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
