In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.
Ephesians 1:7
The past has a cruel way of clinging to our present. Even when we have claimed the forgiveness offered through Jesus Christ, it can still be difficult to completely free ourselves from lingering thoughts of past deeds and omissions. As long as these thoughts abide in the deep regions of our mind, they will affect how we see ourselves, and how we believe God sees us. In his book The Christmas Miracle, Jack Hayford shares the following:
“I have often discovered that the residue of a person’s past sins, though forgiven by God, can still somehow lurk in the soul, like rubbish swept under a rug, or garbage crammed in a corner and rotting. Such “collections” all too easily become a breeding place for the flies of hell—Beelzebub’s minions. Where the past festers in this way, however greatly heaven’s forgiveness may have been accomplished, something is still souring a soul on earth.”
Psalm 103:12 says, “As far as the east is from the west, so far He has removed our transgressions from us.” These are powerful words. I would ask, do you believe it is true? Do you believe, as Paul states in Romans 8:1, that “there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus?” No matter how recent or distant our sins, Christ’s atonement breaks the link between ourselves and the consequence of those sins. The sins, in God’s eyes, are no longer counted against us. And because they are no longer counted against us, God sees us in a different way and bestows upon us a new status. We are saints! It is a status not achieved through merit, but through calling (1 Corinthians 1:2).
Our status as saints (literally “holy ones”) of God is a gift to us. It is a gift in the sense that Jesus Christ paid for it and freely gave it. It is also a gift in the sense that it is to our benefit to embrace it. Many people in the church exhibit discomfort at the notion of being called a saint. This is understandable, given that the modern church tends to think of saints only as the “superstar Christians.” This largely comes out of a keen awareness of our own shortcomings, something that is difficult to shake when we get our eyes fixed there. Immense spiritual and emotional weight is ours to carry when we focus on the brokenness of our nature rather than the redemption of it. A huge blessing is revealed to us when we learn to see ourselves as God sees us. And when we are in Christ, God does not see our sinfulness, but rather Christ’s holiness. This is at the heart of the Gospel.
In this world status and titles are usually earned. They may also be awarded for good cause, like an honorary degree might be. Sainthood, though, comes not through merit, but by undeserved favor. Someone else has actually accomplished the work; he just lets you walk the stage and get the diploma. Whenever you hear me rank myself among the saints of God, don’t think it is because I think highly of myself. The truth is completely the opposite; I think that highly of Christ. He has done the work, I just receive the title.
See you along the Winding Path.
(This entry was originally posted on February 16, 2018. It has been edited from its original version.)
The Winding Path 