Titus 3:4-7 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
My wife loves t-shirts with sayings on them, so occasionally, I search for such gifts for her. I came across this t-shirt that struck me: "If you bring up my past, you should know that Jesus dropped the charges."
This phrase and the above Bible passage from Titus bring up all sorts of points that we should consider.
First is the miraculous news that, through faith in Jesus Christ, our sins indeed are forgiven, the charges dropped, our transgressions removed as far as the east is from the west. We are promised eternal life through his grace. It's arguably the most important news that we could ever receive.
Alongside that is the realization that we don't have to lug the weight of past sin around with us. When we seek forgiveness from God, we are washed, reborn, and renewed through the action of the Holy Spirit. Any weight you pick up and carry again is your action, not God's.
Finally, when we observe someone else's life, we must acknowledge two things: we ourselves fall as short of the glory of God as they do, and if God has forgiven them, then we should do the same. Certainly, in cases of abuse or toxicity, we may need to keep our distance, but we can also forgive what has been done.
I think about a man who did a lot of harm to his family, not to me. Yet when I see him proclaim Christ's movement in his life, I keep thinking of his past actions. I need to see him as a new creature for whom Jesus has dropped the charges, and I need to see myself as requiring healing and wholeness as I put his past and my past behind me.
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