Don't beat yourself up over something in your past
- Michelle Wood: SWCD
- April 23, 2018
- 1491
Remember the Bible story of the woman caught in adultery? The famous age-old story has one of the greatest lines in history at the end when Jesus told her, “Neither do I condemn you. Go now and sin no more.”
The Bible doesn't give us much detail. There was a crowd of men who were ready to stone her for her sins. Jesus wrote something on the ground with his finger and said, “Let anyone of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Some of the most powerful words ever spoken, words that will forever echo throughout the ages.
Now I feel that everything I write is given to me by God. When this story popped into my head, something stood out to me. Jesus said he didn't condemn her and told her to go and sin no more.
This doesn't mean what she did was acceptable or Jesus winked at her and told her he will look the other way. No, I think she knew it was a sin, and maybe Jesus saw she was remorseful (only a guess on my behalf).
Jesus never told her to cry for three months, feel like trash for the rest of her life or be cut off from the outside world. He simply forgave her and told her to go and sin no more.
We should be sorrowful over our sins. After all we violated God's laws and distanced ourselves from him. We must repent to be right with God. We must always remember that sin is sin and God by his being holy can't stand sin. Always remember as well that if we truly repent, he will wash away our sin.
We don't have to keep beating ourselves up again and again. Only by accepting the work that Jesus did on the cross can our sins be forgiven. If we do that, we must be willing to let it go. No matter how big the sin is, God no longer holds it against us, so why should we? “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).
I dare say probably 95 percent of us will not commit unspeakable acts during our lifetime. We might have inappropriate thoughts about someone, cuss someone out or tell a white lie.
We can be mad at ourselves and use it as a reminder to not do it again, but we should never beat ourselves up over it. If we ask Christ for forgiveness, we need to keep reminding ourselves that even Jesus doesn't hold it against us anymore.
Romans 12:2 tells us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. We do that by reading his word, focusing on him, meeting with other like-minded people and keeping on the lookout for what he is doing in our life and the lives of other.
Finally, maybe you never trusted in Jesus' work on the cross, and you would like to. It's so simple. In fact you can do it now. All you must do is ask Jesus into you heart and ask for forgiveness of your sins. Just say it in your heart and read and obey the word of God. That's all you need to do in order to be a Christian.
If you did that, I would ask you to talk to someone, read the Bible every day and start going to church. These things will help you grow in your new relationship with Christ. Don't beat yourself up over something in your past. Remember, Christ payed for it all.