Grace, Mercy & Forgiveness

God is gracious, God is merciful, God forgives. This is a precept we hear often in church and, to that end, we should be hearing it. I wonder, though, if perhaps there is an inherent danger of this truth if not conveyed in the proper context.

Christians invariably extol the fact that the forgiveness of Christ frees them from shame and guilt. The cleansing which comes from Jesus’ blood has washed away all traces of sin and, ostensibly, any remnants of things for which to feel ashamed. This is certainly true in the context of those who may feel shame for which circumstances are, or were, out of their control (molestations, etc.) or guilt over actions which have been truly repented.

I contend, however, that sinful actions which seem to be an inveterate part of our day-to-day living falls under a separate type of grace. Our merciful Lord looks down upon our lives and sees the failings and short-comings; quite simply... our humanness. But are we to simply dismiss the shame or guilt of continually and repetitively sinning? I think not. Shame and guilt are some of our most important and integral counter-balances we have. They are the weighted keel of our ship which helps keep us upright during the harsh and stormy seas. They are our conscience manifested in twisted, aching stomachs; in having the runs; in sleepless nights.

I rely on these ugly and formidable effects as much as I rely on breathing each day. I know God is merciful and understands when I miss the mark. It is incomprehensible to me that He can look at mankind’s sin over and over with the same behavior and same detrimental conduct and still pour out His grace on us. I don’t try to understand it... yet I don’t want to be complacent about it or take it for granted either.

On the cross Christ paid the price--the ultimate price--for our sins. He has told us that he throws out our sins as far as east is from west and remembers them no more. I fear that some of us, including myself, try to apply that to our own lives as well. It is not our place to throw our sins away and remember them no more... that is God’s job. Forgetting our sins would, in fact, relinquish us from our responsibility of repeating the same sins over and over. I don’t believe this pattern of “sin and forgiveness” is what God ever intended. We must be responsible for seeking righteousness; we must be responsible for portraying Christ’s love in our actions; we must be responsible for acknowledging what we do and why we do it.

Bottom line is: The love of God transcends all the screw-ups we make. The love of God also created us to feel, think, say and act accordingly. This means feeling bad about doing bad things. Don’t let those opportunities of feeling bad pass you by without thanking your Heavenly Father that He is incredibly and indescribably gracious, full of mercy, and lovingly forgiving.


Greg A. Morton
© 4-26-2006