Free From Guilt and Shame

September 15, 2023

In John 14:6, Jesus says that he is the way, the truth, and the life. Several chapters earlier, in John 8:32, he says, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (NIV).

Two of the things that Jesus sets us free from is guilt and shame.

Many people think that Jesus is the one who causes guilt in our life.

This is not true at all. Jesus is our advocate. He didn’t come to

condemn the world, but to save it. To set us free from guilt and shame. 

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:17)

You know what guilt feels like. Guilt robs you of happiness. It

causes depression. It can make you physically sick. Shame keeps you

stuck. Shame can make you feel totally alone and isolated. Neither of

these are God's plan for your life. 

The Bible says in 1 John 1:9, “If

we tell Him our sins, He is faithful and we can depend on Him to

forgive us of our sins. He will make our lives clean from all sin” (NLV).

If you turn to God, you are fully forgiven. He is faithful to

forgive. He isn't sitting there waiting to pile on guilt and shame. He's

ready and willing to forgive you. God wants you to turn to him, so that

you can feel free from guilt and shame. 

God tells us, “I will forgive their sins and I will no longer remember their wrongs” (Jeremiah 31:34 GNT).

Not only does he forgive, he decides to “no longer remember.” This

means he won’t bring up your past every time you make a mistake. He

forgives you fully, then never uses your past against you. That's great

news. 

Satan wants to keep you weighted down under the burden of guilt. He

wants to keep you bound up so you can’t live in God’s freedom. But

that’s not how God works.

Here’s how God works: You ask for forgiveness. Then God forgives you.

But then, he goes a step further and actually forgets what you’ve done

wrong.

It’s like God takes your sins and puts them in the deepest part of

the ocean—and then he puts up a “no fishing” sign. God won’t pull up

your sins again, and he doesn’t want you to, either. He wants you to be

free.

Are you feeling the burden of guilt today? Remember that Jesus has come to set you free.

If you ever feel guilty as a Christian, you should only feel that way

for about 3 seconds. Because, when you confess your sins, he will

forgive you and set you free from your guilt... immediately. 

Then, you can live in the true freedom of knowing your past is forgiven and you are no longer bound by it.