Scriptural Comfort for 5 Things That Will Never Be Perfect in This Life: Part 3
Read Part 1: Imperfect People
Read Part 2: Imperfect World
For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.
Romans 6:4 NLT
Am I Too Messed Up?
I did not wear white on my wedding day. I intentionally wore ivory. Though I was a new believer, I still carried shame that made me feel too impure to wear white.
We may feel like we are unworthy, too dirty, or too messed up to be a Christian. Or we may feel like we’re just fine, that we’re moving forward in our own strength, that we don’t need God.
The truth is, we are messed up, and we do need Him—desperately (Romans 3:23).
Thankfully, our salvation is not dependent on what we’ve done or not done, or what has happened or not happened to us. It depends solely on the love of Christ.
God is a God of second chances, of new beginnings, and Jesus makes it possible.
From that first act of rebellion in the Garden of Eden, even before creation, Jesus was the plan to reconcile a holy God and sinful people (Ephesians 1:4-5 NLT).
Though our stories may be different, we all have a past.
We may have fond memories of being loved by strong Christian parents, attending church every Sunday, or having Christians in our extended family.
We may have had an uprooted, unstable childhood, with no talk of Jesus or God or the Bible.
We may have lived a “good” life, stayed clean, stayed out of jail, and never hurt anyone.
Or we may have a private rap sheet full of bad choices, abuse, pain, or addiction.
Whatever our past looks like, the effects of sin have been manifested in our lives somehow, either because of our own actions, choices, or thoughts, or those of others. Sin lurks in every human heart and permeates every life and there is no escaping that fact.
What if it’s Difficult to Forgive Myself?
I wish I could talk to my 22-year-old self now. I would pull her close in all her shiny satin and big hair and say, “Sweetheart! Because of Christ, you are pure! In the light of God’s grace, you can wear white on your wedding day without shame. You are free!”
Our past can burden us and weigh us down with regret, shame, and remorse. And it’s not just our sinful actions that need addressing. Our hearts are sinful because Adam sinned (Romans 5:12, 15). When we take that and confess it all to God, He cleanses us from our sins and forgives us immediately (1 John 1:9)!
Even after being washed clean, we may continue to re-hash the past, to carry guilt for our sins and painful choices, like I did. We may still be enduring their natural consequences. That doesn’t mean we are doomed to a life of misery. Second Corinthians 5:17 reminds us that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
Though we may find it difficult to “forgive ourselves,” unable to forget what we’ve done, the only forgiveness that matters is God’s.
And His is complete.
Final.
Ultimate.
Because God is trustworthy, we can walk in faith that our past has been redeemed as we fix our eyes on the author and perfecter of our faith—Jesus Christ (Hebrews 12:2).
What if Someone Sinned Against Me?
I don’t want to ignore the fact that some of our pasts include devastating trauma or pain inflicted upon us by others, against our will, and out of our control. We may suffer the burden of those memories with grief, bitterness, and shame.
When we accept God’s forgiveness, His salvation available through Christ, we are cleansed from our sins. When we experience God’s purifying grace and mercy, He also seals us with His Holy Spirit, whose indwelling power enables us to extend forgiveness to those who have wronged us—even if they never ask for it.
Forgiving those who have hurt us not only helps keep an environment of peace, but it is also for our own freedom. The reason the Bible's answer to an imperfect past is forgiveness is because it prevents a root of bitterness from poisoning our hearts and choking out all joy—and it's a powerful example to outside observers of God’s generous grace (Hebrews 12:14-15).
Doesn’t Forgiving Someone Excuse Their Sin?
No. God allows the natural consequences of our sins to teach us. His forgiveness for us does not excuse our sinful behavior, but it does allow us to be counted as righteous—because of Christ’s selfless sacrifice in our place on the cross (Romans 5:17; 1 Peter 2:24).
Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can forgive someone without excusing their behavior. We can trust that God will deal in the best, most effective way possible with the one who hurt us, to teach and grow this person, too (Romans 12:19; Hebrews 12:6).
Forgiveness is the answer to our own sins and the sins enacted against us.
Forgiveness is the antidote to bitterness and shame that can eat away at us.
No matter how imperfect or ugly our past has been, or how it has hurt us, the pathway to pure joy and freedom is to gather up God’s perfect forgiveness for ourselves and freely grant it to others.
You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away
by nailing it to the cross.
- Colossians 2:13-14
The Bible’s Answer to an Imperfect Past: Forgiveness
Questions for deeper reflection or journaling (find a printable version here).
What in your past do you feel hinders you from growing in your relationship with Christ?
Read the story of the apostle Paul’s conversion in Acts 9:1-31, then read what he wrote in 1 Timothy 1:12-17.
Now record what Paul wrote in Philippians 3:12-14.
What in the above verses gives you hope?
Look up Revelation 21:5. What is God doing in Christ? Do you believe this includes you?
Read the context surrounding 2 Corinthians 5:17, from verse 11 through verse 21. Who is the only one who can make us right with God (v. 21)?
Look up Colossians 3:13. Why must we forgive others?
List out three differences you see (or hope to see) in your new life vs. your old life. Write out a prayer thanking God for releasing you from your past and making you a new creation in Christ.
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