John R.W. Stott, in his book Confess Your Sins, quotes the head of a large British mental home as saying: “I could dismiss half my patients tomorrow if they could be assured of forgiveness.” Deliverance from guilt, shame, wrong doing, a charred conscience, and a self condemning spirit, are at the heart of our deepest longings. Why is it then, that so many Christians live in the swamp of their own sin, believing that because they are not living the perfect Christian life, God must hate them, disown them, abhor them?
God is not Sid, the malicious monstrous little boy from Toy Story, seeking to dismantle, destroy, and harm his children. He is Father. Holy, perfect, sinless, ever loving, all compassionate father. Again and again we read in Psalm 78 how Israel failed because they were a “stubborn and rebellious generation, whose hearts were not loyal to God, whose spirits were not faithful to him” (v 8). They failed in battle, they failed in conduct, they failed to remember the great deeds of God in Egypt, they failed to trust him in the wilderness, they failed to claim the promised land, they just plain failed. Then we read this:
38 Yet he was merciful; he forgave their iniquities and did not destroy them. Time after time he restrained his anger and did not stir up his full wrath. 39 He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return.
As Christians face sin we too fail. As a Christian fails over and over and over again, they often become defeated and filled with hopelessness. It is at this point that we must reclaim the promise of God’s forgiveness in our justification (i.e. Judicial forgiveness): “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1). When God looks at us as Judge, it is not that we have simply been begrudgingly acquitted, we have been legally declared innocent, made right with God, righteous in his sight IN CHRIST, and because of that, God is pleased with us because IN CHRIST we are in fact sinless.
So our PRAYER becomes, “Heavenly Father, despite my daily struggles, help me to become what you have declared me to be. Jesus is, right now, already advocating for me at the throne of grace (1 John 2:1-2) and because of Him and what He did I can approach the throne with confidence (Heb. 4:16; Eph. 3:12) despite how I feel because my salvation is not based on my emotions. And yet, while I stand confidentially in Christ in my justification, I realize that in my sanctification I have grieved you because of my sin (Gen. 6:5-6), I have grieved the Holy Spirit who dwells within me (Eph. 4:30), and I have grieved your Holy Son who saved me and intercedes for me even now (John 11:33, 38). I refuse to feel guilt for my sin and will not dwell upon it after I have left your presence, but I do feel godly sorrow (2 Cor. 7:10), not simply for what I have done but whom I have ultimately offended, my righteous king. And so, I am led to repentance, turning away from sin. I hold your promise of parental forgiveness tight (John 1:9) that I may not lose your presence or power or love or joy in my life, for your Word tells me, “Come near to God and he will come near to you” (James 4:8). I am only flesh, but I am here, fight for me in my weakness and empower me for your glory. Amen.”
Further Resources on understanding Judicial and Parental Forgiveness:
•In depth article looks at a bunch of commentaries on the Lord’s prayer, Bible.org.
May the Joy of the Lord be your strength this week!
Pastor Corey
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