Sin is wrong and offensive. Those are two different terms with two different implications.
Imagine you are driving home today after work. It has been a tough day and your mind is all over the place. In your scattered thinking, you lose sight of your speed. What was a 50 mile per hour zone is now 35mph. Out walks a kid. You are cognitive enough to swerve and miss the kid, thankfully, because you were going 57mph. But a cop got you, saw it all. Who do you have to deal with? Who does your sin effect?
In this case, the state is coming at you with legal grounds. You will have a fine, community service and perhaps a loss of license. You also have an offended mom who saw her child nearly die. She is offended by what you did. You pay your fine, serve your community and get your license back. At that point, all is good between you and the state. But what about the offense? It takes more than just having your legal slate cleaned.
I love people and don’t want them to feel guilty, like my children. When they have wronged me, they may get a time out (do their time if you will) but after that, in my love for them, I don’t hold the offense. I don’t want them to feel shame. I want them to move forward. Other than that, I’m usually a supportive friend that helps people feel better when they have “really messed up,” but I’m not the wronged party in that scenario.
My point is this, although some exist, I can’t think of many scenarios where the wronged party is the one actively trying to remove the feeling of shame from the guilty.
"I can’t think of many scenarios where the wronged party is the one actively trying to remove the feeling of shame"
Please consider these two verses;
For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. 2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? 3 But in these sacrifices, there is a reminder of sins every year. 4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Heb. 10:1-4
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Eph. 2:1-10
Christ, as God, is the offended party. It would be like this; not only did you forget how fast you were going and not only did you nearly kill a kid, it was the judge’s kid! Now he is the one with legal grounds while also being the offended party.
"Christ, the offended party, died and removed our guilt. That is love."
Christ, the offended party, died and removed our guilt. That is love. He died on the cross. When that happened, the opportunity to have the penalty of sins removed became available. The penalty of sin is death. Jesus was perfect, so was not in the same legal bind you and I are in. So only He then could die in our place. He did. When we accept this gift, no judge has legal grounds over us anymore because you cannot force two people to pay the same penalty for an individual's wrongdoing. It requires one punishment to be handed down and settled. Christ did that.
However, He is also the offended party. Do you catch this? Jesus is the offended party of our wrongdoing. We wronged Jesus with our sin. That is why the Ephesians verse starts with trespasses and sins. Trespasses mean “to commit an offense against.” It carries an offensive connotation to it. So, if the one I offended is willing to pay the penalty I am to pay, do you know what is also removed? Shame and guilt. The legal case for you has been settled and you no longer face the shame of your sin. Christ could have taken away the legal grounds of your sin but left you in the shame of your sin. But no, He chooses to take away both! This is freeing. This is awesome. This is life changing. This is RICH IN MERCY.
So what now? GET ON MISSION. If our loving God was willing to do this for us, oh man, I want this for others. How many people do you know walking around with guilt? Shame? Despair? I know plenty. I know plenty who feel hopeless. Oh man, I want them to know Jesus. Romans 8 sums it up (read it). There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. Shame has been removed. Stop living in shame, stop shaming yourself, and get on mission for others to experience this as well.
"Stop living in shame, stop shaming yourself, and get on mission for others to experience this as well."
It’s time we take seriously Pray for One. The time is now. If Christ comes back tomorrow, guilt and shame are still present for many of our loved ones. We need to do this now. We need to hit the streets now. Time is of the essence. Don’t waste it. Love ONE Love ALL. Let’s hit the community of Toms River with the love of Christ. NOW.
Keep Praying for One,
Written by Pastor Jason Coache,
Lead Pastor at Wellspring Church
