Ever had the feeling you let God down? That your iniquity kept you miles from the person you want to be? Well if so you fell short of the glory of God. The Bible says we all have because God’s standard is nothing but perfect holiness. The truth is even if we lived well and sinned only once in our latter years (which in itself is not possible) it would not be sufficient. There is an aspect of God’s nature that cannot tolerate dwelling with sin. And if one entered His presence without the cover of grace, that individual would be consumed. Throughout the Old Testament, prophets and priests were given a kind of grace that foreshadowed Christ’s new covenant. It was based on faith and sacrifice. They were justified because of their faith in God. These men would have believed in Jesus if he was physically present in their time.
Today we are under the New Covenant and therefore all believers are justified by their faith in Jesus (Romans 5:1). Yet for many there’s still a struggle with shame and guilt.
Sin almost always comes with feelings of shame and unworthiness especially when it has been exposed. Think of the woman the Pharisees caught in adultery. They dragged her through the street as people who knew her watched: she was overcome with shame–and fear of course. They threatened to stone her to death, they set her before Jesus to approve.
It is amazing that after he challenged the Pharisees to consider their own shortcomings he assured the woman that he would not condemn her. He then added, “Go and sin no more”. In other words sin is bad for you and could have led to your death, stay away from it. As far as Jesus was concerned her value or worth did not diminish because of her sin. And I am certain, this woman came to believe in Jesus and lived her life differently from then on.
From time to time believers will fall into grievous sin and no longer feel worthy to be called a child of God. Yet the Lord is willing to forgive us whenever we repent. The next thing He says is let’s try again, let’s move on, the debt for all your sins was already paid when I died on the cross.
God knows us better than we know ourselves. It is the reason He sent Christ to give us the opportunity to be perfect in His sight. We do not have it in us to live flawless lives, so in His mercy, the Lord provided a perfect righteousness that comes through our faith in the Son He sent.
We sin everyday when we do things our way, hold grudges, tell lies, have wrong thoughts or do anything contrary to what Scripture tells us is right. Our part is to always ask for forgiveness and resolve to do better.
Will He still love us when we do sin: YES
Will He hold us accountable for our sin after we’ve asked for forgiveness: NO
You will receive the grace of God always, He will always love you and will never leave nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). Let this encourage you whenever you feel bad about anything you may have done. Do not feel guilty. Be sorry that you sinned but know God has forgiven and forgotten: yes He chose to forget your iniquity (Hebrews 8:12). As far is He is concerned, it does not exist, because of your faith in Christ.