JESUS REDEEMS US AND REMOVES THE GUILT OF OUR SIN
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Bring your sins, and He will bear them away into the wilderness of forgetfulness, and you will never see them again. – D. L. Moody, Evangelist –
What happens when our guilt keeps us from walking in the freedom of divine forgiveness?
Guilt and regret can well up within us when we feel we have failed God or others in our lives. Perhaps we question whether our Lord has truly forgiven us. It may seem impossible… yet we are promised that He not only forgives, He removes the guilt of our sin. He desires that we walk free and unburdened by our past.
Living in guilt implies that we have not accepted the mercy of our Savior. We may think that our sin is too great. Yet no sin is so great that Christ is not greater still. His perfect sacrifice covers all.
Perhaps we believe our guilt is a kind of penance for our sin… that we need to suffer for our sin in some way. If that were true, then Christ died for nothing. Our God is not a God of punishment and condemnation, but of grace and redemption. We need not punish ourselves when He is not. He forgives our sins and remembers them no more.
‘Truly I tell you,.. today—yes, tonight—before the rooster crows twice, you yourself will disown Me three times.’
‘Even if I have to die with You, I will never disown You.’ – Mark 14:30-31
The apostle Peter experienced deep guilt and remorse. Jesus had professed this prophecy to him… a prophecy he vehemently refused to accept. How could he ever disown the One he had just recently proclaimed to be the Messiah, the Son of the Living God (Matthew 16:16)?
One evening in the Garden of Gethsemane, a crowd arrives armed with swords and clubs, sent by the chief priests and elders, to arrest Jesus. As they take Him away, Peter follows his Teacher into the inner courtyard of the home of the high priest. The trial before the chief priests and Sanhedrin is set to begin.
Around the warmth of a fire, Peter is accused by a servant girl of being a follower of Jesus. He denies the claim. Yet twice more he is recognized as one being with the Teacher. Twice more he denies the claims, each time becoming more emphatic in his refusal. At his final refusal, a rooster crows twice… to the fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy.
The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: ‘Before the rooster crows today, you will disown Me three times.’ And he went outside and wept bitterly. – Luke 22:61:62
As Jesus is being led through the courtyard, He sees Peter just at the moment of his third denial. The look He gives is one of compassionate conviction. Guilt pierces the heart of Peter when he sees his Lord. He breaks down and sobs in deep regret and repentance. How can he ever recover from his grief and remorse at having denied his Teacher, his Messiah, his Lord?
I acknowledged my sin to You and did not hide my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,’ and You forgave the guilt of my sin. – Psalm 32:5
After Jesus’ death and resurrection, He appears to His disciples. The Lord approaches Peter and asks three times if this apostle loves Him. Each time, he responds more vehemently… yes, he surely loves his Lord. Jesus is showing Peter His great mercy in completely forgiving him. For these three professions of love and loyalty counter his three earlier denials. Peter needs no longer experience guilt… for he has been redeemed by his Savior.
Is guilt weighing you down, holding you back from the wonderful plans God has for your life? No amount of guilt can change the past. Only Jesus can redeem us from this bondage. He cancelled our guilt at the cross. Our sins are cast away as far away as the east is from the west. The baggage that weighs us down is lifted off only by our Redeemer.
Christ is the perfect sacrificial Lamb who died for the sins of all mankind. When we accept absolute His atonement, His blood shed on the cross for us washes away all our sin and guilt. In His redemptive grace, He grants us the freedom to walk in divine forgiveness.
† Eternal Takeaway – Jesus mercifully frees us from the captivity of our guilt †
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Lord… I believe in Your perfect atonement for my sins. I believe in my complete forgiveness in You. I accept Your righteousness in exchange for my sins. I ask that you wash away every sin, every regret, every failure of my past. I ask you to free me from the shackles of my guilt. By Your mercy, I step out of this captivity into a new life of freedom. For the only thing I have to lose is the guilt of my past. Thank you for Your redemptive grace in my life. Amen.
