Psalm 103:8-12. 8 The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 He will not always chide,
nor will he keep his anger forever.
10 He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
13 As a father shows compassion to his children,
so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.
How do you relate to God? When you’re with God, what do you spend most of your time thinking, meditating, and praying about? If you’re like a lot of Christians, the answer is your sin. Do you deal with God according to your list of sins? Do you believe that is how God will deal with you today? According to your sins?
Christian, here is the most glorious of truths and the foundation for all growth in Christ: God does not deal with us according to our sin. God keeps no record of our wrongs. God holds no grudges. God is done chiding us. God will never repay us for our offenses.
GOD’S NOT KEEPING SCORE.
How do we know? Because Jesus Christ has carried our sins far away. Like in the movies when the superhero swoops in and grabs the bomb that is about to explode and carries it off into space, this is what Jesus has done for us. He has carried the bomb of our guilt far, far away. As far as the east is from the west. That’s infinite removal. Because of your forgiveness in Christ, your sins will never be held against you by God. Not today. Not on judgement day. Never.
Hebrews 9:28. so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.
So wait. If my relationship with God is not all about dealing with my sin, then how do I relate to him today? What else is there to talk about with God when we’re together?
Have you ever stopped to think that when you spend time with God and are constantly reviewing all your sins with him, that he is probably thinking, “I don’t want to talk about those; I already died for those. Let’s talk about me instead.”
God wants to talk to you about his mercy and grace. His slow anger and steadfast love. He wants you to know that he loves you to the universe and back again. He wants to relate to you as a compassionate father. He wants you to know that he has given his life for you and to you. He wants to talk about your life being hidden with Christ. That you have everything that Jesus has.
So does God not care if I sin?
No, he cares deeply. He knows how much pride and self-righteousness are tearing you apart. He knows how your mistakes and rebellions bring so much pain and sadness to yourself and others. He wants you to live in freedom from sin. But he wants to deal with your indwelling sin, not your individual sins.
Most of us think God is dealing with us individual sin by individual sin. And so desperately try to remember each failing and confess it to God. We start to attribute our daily trials to our daily sins. Or we assume God won’t hear our prayers today because we sinned yesterday. We try to keep “short accounts of sins” so that we don’t fall out of fellowship with God. But none of this thinking reflects the freedom of the cross. Instead it’s the bondage of guilt and shame.
Christian, God has dealt with every sin you have and ever will commit. By dealing with the source of those sins, the force of indwelling sin within us, and by killing the power of sin in us, God has dealt now and forevermore with each specific sin. They’re gone. Removed. Crossed off. Debt paid. Nailed to the cross. Cast into the sea of forgetfulness. Praise God!
“To live is Christ” means we can spend each moment in God’s presence beholding the wonders of his love. Relaxing. Enjoying. Gazing into his beautiful face. Knowing that by our union with Christ, God’s indwelling infinite love and forgiveness are removing the indwelling force of sin in our hearts little by little, as we deal with God, not according to our sins, but according to his grace that has already dealt with all our sins.
You
How do you relate to God? As sinner, or as his child?
You in Christ
Praise God for the removal of all your sin in Christ Jesus!
Christ in you
What might guilt free living look like for you today?
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Playlist: East From West.
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To Live is Christ 