Robbing God

 February 19, 2023

Tonight in our Discipleship Training group, Nate said something that struck me as profound. What we share in this group is confidential, but there are things God teaches us that need to be shared. Tonight’s word is one of those things.

We were reflecting on how the Asbury Awakening is grounded in repentance and confession, and what this means for us, when he came up with this gem: “Don’t rob the power of the cross in your life by living in guilt.”

If God has convicted you of a sin and you confess and repent of it, it’s done. God promises it: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Our sins are forgiven because Jesus died on the cross in our place. When we believe this, God imputes the righteousness of Christ to us. That’s an old term that describes a legal transaction. It works like this: My spiritual bank account is not only empty; I’m in debt. Through Christ’s death on the cross, God takes his righteousness and places (imputes) it to my account. The debt is paid in full. 

So if I live in guilt, it means I’m not believing what God says is true. The power of the cross is that through it, our sins are forgiven. If I live in guilt, I’m muting that power and refusing to live in the joy and victory God freely offers me. Nate’s phrase is going to stick with me: “Don’t rob the power of the cross in your life by living in guilt.” Thank you, Nate.