You're Just As Guilty As The Next Person

I've struggled with sin all my life, but who hasn't? A lot of times as Christians we hear such conflicting views about whether or not we should convict others. It can be stressful wondering what to do, that being said, no one wants to feel like they are being looked down upon especially when we're being hypocrites since we sin just like they do. It's a hard line to tow but this is the point of leading with kindness instead of with shame and guilt. The grace of the Lord shows that all of this is left behind at the foot of the cross when you accept Jesus. The things of the past don't matter anymore because He's the only one who never gave into sin and if He is not judging you for it, then no one else should be either.

Now this is not to say that you should have a free-for-all with sin. We are meant to live a life that follows the convictions of the Bible, but mess ups happen and just because you fail doesn't mean that you are no longer a child of God, it just means that you're human. One story in the Bible I think about is Barabbas. He was a thief and a convicted felon and the people of Israel still wanted Him in exchange for the blood of the Son of God who was innocent of all charges. When we put ourselves in this situation we are Barabbas! We are guilty and should have taken our rightful place on that cross, but Jesus said "I'll take your place because I love you too much to let you die". He wanted me, I am treasured by Him. No one else in this world will ever be able to tell me that and know everything that I have done in my lifetime. 

We are all sinners and have fallen short of the glory of God and we have to recognize that even when you want to call others out, you have to call yourself out too. There is no one that is better than anyone else because as soon as you sinned you were separated from God and no good deed is ever going to fill that until you accept the love and grace of Jesus. In James 4:11 it talks about judging others according to the law. As Christians of the New Covenant under Jesus we are not defined by the law anymore nor what the law says we have to do in order to be considered "whole". This means that the sins you have read about in the Old Testament and some in the New Testament concerning practices that should take place as a Christian do not have a hold on you anymore. We don't have to offer sacrifices or eat certain things to be considered clean and worthy anymore, we will never be worthy, yet He has made us worthy through His blood that was shed on the cross. Convicting someone else might bring realization for them as to what they could change to show more glory to the Lord but it can also be a prideful moment for yourself. Instead, realize that even though they might be a Barabbas in the moment, you are too. Making someone else feel bad for their sins is never going to bring them to Jesus. Show love and give hope that Jesus is the Savior of the world and is the only one who can turn this Barabbas into a disciple of the Lord.

May the peace and love of God be with you always,

Leah Carpenter