Not Guilty

by Patricia Broyles

For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. 2 Corinthians 5:21

Satan is astute. One of his greatest strategies is to keep us trapped in a particular mindset. Often, that mindset is one of guilt.

Have you ever looked and questioned whether you had made the right choice? Have you ever found yourself replaying your mistakes over and over, allowing regret to take root in your heart? Does God want us to live in that place of condemnation, dwelling on our failures and allowing guilt to dominate our thoughts? Absolutely not.

God clearly declares in His Word that those who are in Christ are not guilty. Not guilty of what? Of sin. Jesus Christ took our guilt upon Himself so that we could stand before God completely forgiven.

Although our sins deserve judgment and we experience its consequences, God’s mercy is greater still. When a person places their faith in Christ, God no longer sees them through the stain of their sin but through the cleansing blood of His Son. Jesus became sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. Our debt was placed on His account, and His righteousness was credited to ours.

Philippians 3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

Think of a gift that has been offered to you. It does not become yours until you take it. In the same way, God the Father has offered the greatest gift ever given—His only Son, Jesus Christ. On the cross, Jesus bore every one of our sins, including the guilt we have carried for so long. The gift of forgiveness is available to all, but it must be received by faith.

If you belong to Christ today, you do not have to live under the weight of guilt. The enemy may remind you of your past, but God reminds you of the Cross. Your sin has been paid for. Your record has been cleared. So repent and give that burden to the Lord. In Christ, the verdict over your life is forever the same:

Not guilty.