If someone cannot forgive themselves for past sins, then they are simply not believing God. Shame over past sins is false shame if the sin has been confessed and we have been cleansed from it.
1 John 1:9 "9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
There are no verses in the Bible that addresses forgiving ourselves. We are to forgive others when they are repentant.
If we walk in shame about past forgiven sins we are more concerned about what others think of us than what God said.
If you have someone in your life who loves to hold past sins over your head to make you feel small, then that person is wicked. These people must be removed from our lives, they are manipulated by the devil to cause us doubt and harm.
There are those who love to feel superior to others. They massage their superior attitude through demeaning others. For these people nothing is about your past sin, its really about finding a reason to demean and mock others to feel better than them.
When someone becomes born again any sense of superiority leaves them. When we know what we were before Christ changed us, we have no reason to think we were more special than anyone else.
Romans 3:23
"23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,"
Those who based their superior attitude on their education, or comparing their good deeds to the deeds of others are falling into the trap of self glorification. People who compare themselves to others are not wise, we ought to be comparing ourselves to God. When we compare ourselves to Christ we have no reason to feel "special." When we are too busy comparing ourselves to other people we will miss any flaws that need attention in ourselves.
2 Corinthians 10:12-13
"12 For we are not bold to class or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves; but when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding. 13 But we will not boast beyond our measure, but within the measure of the sphere which God apportioned to us as a measure, to reach even as far as you.
Those who treat others with contempt because they have human rules they have decided everyone else must follow but are not Biblical, are walking in pride.
Proverbs 11:2
"When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom."
The louder a person sings their own praises the more likely it is that what they say is not true. Those who must boast are trying to convince someone of something they know is not evidenced in the way they live their lives.
Many people in our culture use words rather than being a living example. When the words do not match the life example then we can believe the life example, the words mean nothing.
There is an old saying; "your actions speak so loud I can't hear a word your saying."
James 4:6
"But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
Anyone who uses "grace" for an excuse to continue in sin is one who has little regard for Christ and the sacrifice of His shed blood for our sin.
1 John 2:16
"16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world."
Galatians 6:3
"For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself."
James 4:16
"As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil."
2 Timothy 3:1-5
"But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people."
Perhaps one day it would be good to do a study on each one of these character flaws that God mentions will dominate the end times. All of them are present now in many people we encounter.
Even within the church we see these things playing out. In our day those who are called "divisive" are the ones who bring truth and attempt to bring teaching back to the Bible.
The divisive people who bring a false gospel and wrong doctrine are those who are elevated and treated with great respect. The reason this is so is because the wrong doctrine and false gospel makes people happy but it does not foster holiness.
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