Those who should take center stage in your life are those who are humble enough to realize all have sinned, and when someone has repented, they are forgiven by God and free from the guilt of that sin.
Galatians 6:1-5 "6 Brothers and sisters, even if a person is caught in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual are to restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you are not tempted as well.
2 Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.
3 For if anyone thinks that he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
4 But each one must examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting, but to himself alone, and not to another.
5 For each one will bear his own load."
4 But each one must examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting, but to himself alone, and not to another.
5 For each one will bear his own load."
The key to a restored life for every sinner is sorrow for sin and a desire to be cleansed of it by Christ in us. Without confession of sin, there can be no cleansing or spiritual and emotional progress.
1 John 1:9
"9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Those who are hell bent on keeping us in bondage to guilt over past forgiven sins have no place in our lives. And, often those who love to hold others' feet to the fire for past forgiven sins are those who have many unconfessed sinful habits that remain in themselves.
The reason we witness so many Christians who don't seem to grow in maturity in their walk is that they are neglecting humility, which requires acknowledgment of sin that changes our character.
Another reason for the neglect of confession of sin is that many who say they are Christians have never been born again. They have no ability to see the depth of their own sinfulness.
1 John 1:10 "10 If we say we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar, and His word is not in us.…"
Psalm 32:5
"Then 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. Selah"
James 5:16
"Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail."
Those who cannot confess their sin against someone else will never confess it to God. Those who only confess it to God but not the one they harmed are not sorry enough to verbalize it to the one they harmed. This person loves only themselves. When we love others, we want to reconcile with them and carry on to a deeper relationship with them.
When a sin against someone is confessed and the offended party forgives, the relationship grows deeper than it was before. This is true of our relationship with God too!
This is why God designed confession and forgiveness as two sides of the same coin; if both are present, the relationship is restored and grows deeper.
Sadly many professing Christians today don't believe that things they say and do are sinful. They justify their sin toward others through their own concocted ideas rather than what really occurred. They make judgments about others based on what they wish to believe about them rather than what has really happened.
This is the nature of gossip, guessing and embellishing things about others that are based on nothing more than the ideas in the head of the one who wishes to harm others. Why do they wish to harm others, many reasons and the biggest one is often jealousy.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
"4 Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant.
5 It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong suffered,
6 it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 it keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."
When we know what love looks like according to the Bible we will be able to discern what it does not look like.
May authentic believers walk in the love of Christ daily no matter what others are doing and saying.
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