As believers we encounter people everyday who are still enslaved to the sin, guilt, shame, and belief that they are unworthy of God's love. They are chained to their past and we have the opportunity to show them the same grace and mercy God showed us.
The greatest gift we can give those who are bound to their sin and guilt and shame is to help them see that they don't have to live that way. We can show grace and mercy and then they can begin to believe that there is someone who loves them inspite of their sin - GOD. Christ's death on the cross was so that God could now love us because the sin was paid for and we are no longer bound to that sin.
The thing we can do is tell them the truth - God took care of their sin and He has set them free in Christ. He sees us through Christ's righteousness and because of that we are no longer sinners, but saints saved by Christ to new life - a life without guilt and shame and hiding and chains. We are new creatures that are made to live out of the reality of who we are in Christ and no longer bound to the shame and the guilt that we have known.
In addition - the Holy Spirit - Christ - lives in us and empowers us to live out of our new reality and to never have to suffer the pain of our sin anymore. We can live in the new life Jesus bought for us and we can face everyday knowing that we are new in Him and nothing can ever change that. We can never be separated from the Love of Christ - it is forever and always and no power on earth or in Heaven can ever change that.
Rom. 8:37-39
37* But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.
38* For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things
present, nor things to come, nor powers,
present, nor things to come, nor powers,
39* nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love
of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
This is what we have to offer those who are living in bondage to sin and guilt and shame. Mercy demands that we share this and help them see that there is another way to live and Christ made it possible by His death and resurrection.
This is the something we must do - tell the truth and watch God change lives because we were faithful and were bold.
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