There is a persistent idea, and ideology among some Christians, that has been around for quite some time actually, which says that as believers, we must maintain a certain level of guilt and shame. That every time we fail in our behaviors or fall short in our performance, that it is right and proper to feel guilty, and be ashamed, and that to not feel these things indicates some level of depravity – or worse that we have a seared conscience, and God has given us over to a carnal mind (whatever term they use, it’s the same underlying idea).
I have heard these ideas over and over again. They often seem as though they are “holy” and “right”, and anyone who doesn’t agree is a heretic.
However is this what the scriptures actually teach? Is the perspective of perpetual guilt and shame based on our behaviors and performance, truly biblical? Is this the abundant life and freedom and peace that Jesus died for us to have? That’s the question that we need to answer – and we will answer it today in this study.
So today we are addressing one of the most (if not the most) prevalent, dangerous and outright deadly deceptions in Christianity, and that is this idea that we must be constantly aware-of and conscious of sin… and that we must perpetually be under this weight of guilt and carry around this identity of shame with us day-by-day. And every single time that this is presented, it is always done in the name of “holiness” and “humility” and striving to “be better” (whatever that means), because if we are to truly believe what the scriptures say regarding our new identity in Christ, then we would quickly realize that we have already been placed at the finish line, we’ve already won and there is no way that we can possibly be any better than the righteousness of Christ which has already been imputed to us as a free gift of His grace. But I’m getting ahead of myself here a bit…
You see, as with everything that we study, this all comes down to the finished work of Christ, what He has accomplished and our new identity in Him as new creations; and I think that a large part of the confusion here is simply due to nothing else than simple blind ignorance regarding these three things. People honestly do not know the finer points of the finished work of Christ, exactly what He accomplished on that cross or who they are today in Him. They don’t know because they aren’t being taught in the churches anymore, pastors aren’t teaching these things anymore, they aren’t teaching about the New Covenant reality, the finished work of Christ or about our new status, standing and identity in Him – opting instead to focus on works, performance, sin-consciousness and behaviors most of the time. And as a result, millions of people are not hearing the life-saving truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that can actually give them life and set them free!
This can be plainly observed just by listening to the ways that people describe themselves, and their situations, and the language that they use. Typical Christian-speak, such as “I’m just a sinner”, or “I’m not perfect yet”, “God’s not done with me.” – sound familiar?
None of those are biblical. In-fact those phrases are entirely anti-Gospel and anti-Christ.
You see the true biblical perspective is that you were a sinner at some time in the past, before Christ, but now you have been born again, made a new creation in Christ. The old person is dead and gone, and you are now alive in Christ, with a new identity and His righteousness and holiness and perfect status and acceptance is upon you forever!
This is the very essence of the Gospel, and many people are oblivious to it! We have praise and worship songs which quote scriptures which state this fact, such as 2nd Corinthians 5:17, but we somehow fail to stop and meditate on what it means. Let’s read it now – 2nd Corinthians 5:17:
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
Notice what this is saying, because this is specifically speaking about those who are in Christ. If you have accepted Jesus Christ and received Him, this is telling you who you are today; this is telling you your identity: If you are in Christ today, you are a new creature! You are not the old creature with a cloak of righteousness on. You are not the old creature in a new costume – No. You are a completely new creature! Receive this truth, fully own it, because it is exactly what Jesus paid to give you!
We see that old things have passed away! You are not tasked with actively trying to get rid of them! No. They are already gone. They have already passed away! It happened when you became the new creation. Then the scripture says “Behold”, which means Look and see – in other words, fully perceive this, take it in, see your reality: all things are new.
All things, actually means all things Behold the marvelous work that Jesus Christ has done, and the majesty of the gift which He has freely given to you. I invite you to look away from your own works, and start looking squarely onto His finished work for you.
People like to say “well I’m not perfect yet”, “I’m still striving toward the goal” – but the scriptures actually say in Hebrews 10:14 that:
“For by one offering he has perfected forever them that are sanctified.”
By one offering, which is the offering of Himself on that cross, He has perfected forever them that are sanctified. You have been made perfect, because He has made you perfect. Today you are right now, holy and sanctified, because He has made you sanctified. It does not rest in your performance, your works or your sacrifices, but on His perfect performance, His completed work, and His one single sacrifice.
Go back with me to 2nd Corinthians 5, and let’s now finish the chapter by reading verses 18:21:
“And all things are of God, who has reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses to them; and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be you reconciled to God.
For he has made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
What we can see here is that God has reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, not by our works, not by our striving, not by our struggling or performance, but by Jesus Christ!
Now you might be wondering how this all is tying-in to the topic of today’s study, but trust me it does, because in the next verses we see how this reconciliation occurred by Jesus Christ, because just as with the offerings of the lamb in the Old Covenant, but on a much broader, and more divine and perfect scale, the sins and trespasses of the people were not imputed to them but on the lamb in their place – the lamb was slain while the person went free. So too were all of our trespasses and sins laid upon Jesus in our place, He was slain, and we went free.
We can plainly and clearly read this in the verses here. Today if you are in Christ, reconciled to God by Him, your trespasses and sins are not being imputed to you – they have already been laid upon Jesus and done away with in His body.
How? Look at verse 21 again… for God made Jesus to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.
Jesus knew no sin of His own. He wasn’t punished for His own sin, He didn’t have any. But He was made to be sin for us – it was our sin that was laid on Him. For what purpose? That we would be made the righteousness of God in Him.
You see, you do not make yourself righteous, you were made to be the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. Your performance and behaviors and striving don’t even factor into the equation here, but it has everything to do with Christ and His completed work.
Knowing this then, now we can see clearly what the true biblical perspective on guilt and shame is in the new covenant: It is dead and gone!
Friend, I humbly submit to you today, that both guilt and shame have no place in the life of someone who is a born again new creation in Christ. Guilt and shame have no place in the mind and heart of someone who has been completely washed and made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus as we have just read.
Guilt and shame have no place in the life of someone who has been perfected forever and sanctified (made holy) by the divine eternal offering of Jesus Christ as we read in Hebrews 10:14.
And the lying doctrine; the man-made theology that says that we must somehow hang on to guilt and shame, is nothing more than a weapon from hell designed to keep us in bondage even after Jesus paid everything to release us. Guilt and shame themselves today are anti-Christ, because they deny His finished work, and your new identity in Him.
Because here is no need for someone who is completely forgiven to feel either of these emotions, or carry any of this weight. What are you guilty of? What are you being charged with? You have been completely forgiven righteously by Christ!
Guilt deals with the state of your forgiveness, and shame deals with your identity, and as we have seen today, both of those have already been settled eternally and wrapped-up in the finished work of Christ for you.
You might be saying in your mind right now… “yeah but I just did this, or that, and it was wrong”.
And maybe it was, but the scripture says in Hebrews 10:2, that the worshippers once purged (cleansed) should have no more consciousness of sin.
You have no right to hang on to that guilt or shame, or the remembrance of your sins after the perfect Lamb of God Jesus Christ has put them away once and for all!
Put simply, your works are not greater than His work.
If that’s not the Gospel that you recognize and accept, then I humbly submit that you have a false gospel, because the scriptures preach a different Gospel – the one which we have seen today – the one not based on man’s-efforts and sin-consciousness, but the one based on Jesus’ finished work and righteousness-consciousness in Him, and the new identity and life which He has brought.
I encourage you today to receive your complete freedom from guilt and shame today, not by ignorance of the truth, but actually receiving the truth; the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Be blessed.
*See also: Your Conscience is Cleansed in Christ