“BROKENNESS PRECEDES FORGIVENESS”

19 “By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; 20 for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.”

1 John 3:19-20

In one of the episodes of “The Flash,” the main character travels to the future, trying to find ways to keep his fiancé from being killed. He takes a successful trip seven years ahead but gets stunned, finding his future self in despair, discouraged, and detached from even his closest friends. So, he condemns himself and drives away everyone he loves because despite his being “The Fastest Man Alive,” he wasn’t fast enough to save the love of his life.

Does this ever happen to you? Have you beaten yourself up because you couldn’t change things? Do you want to know how to overcome this challenge? Keep reading.

Today’s verses talk about reassurance, a very important facet of the Christian life. John gives his readers comfort, telling them that belonging to the truth is knowable. Referring back to verse 18, the Apostle tells them that practical love proves they are in the truth. Doing good to others out of love is a sign of being born again. This reality should reassure (“peitho,” “to be persuaded, to have confidence, to trust”) them whenever their heart condemns (“kataginosko,” “to find fault with, to accuse, to blame”) them. In other words, whenever they suffer from self-condemnation, they should be convinced that their acts of love toward others are a sign they belong to Jesus.

The Bible is right when it says the heart is deceitful and wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). It can either deceive us into thinking that sin is okay or God does not forgive. You don’t want to be in any of these situations. But I assume you’re a true believer, so the first scenario should no longer apply to you. Therefore, let’s talk about the second one.

Some Christians tend to develop a subconscious desire for self-condemnation, causing them to behave in ways designed to punish themselves. Sin creates feelings of guilt that can blind us from the truth, i.e., God’s forgiveness and cleansing.

Guilt is not innately evil. Actually, it can be healthy because it means we have an informed conscience. But it can destroy us unless we control it. The guilt of sin is a dreadful prison that can drive a person insane.

The Bible teaches that if we confess our sins, God will forgive and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). We have to receive this forgiveness, otherwise, we will continue to condemn ourselves, which is wrong.

Romans 8:1 says,

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

There is no sin—past, present, or future—that can be held against us since the penalty was paid by Christ and righteousness was credited to our account. No sin can ever reverse this divine verdict (MacArthur).

God knows our capacity to sin as well as our proclivity to punish ourselves. He is greater (“megas,” “greater in rank, ability, virtue, authority, power”) than our hearts because He made our hearts. He knows everything. No piece of information in the universe ever escapes His knowledge. He is not surprised when you do good; neither is He staggered when you commit a sin and condemn yourself.

Brokenness precedes forgiveness. If you know for a fact that you have sinned, you will feel sorrowful and broken because you have violated God’s commands. You have hurt the One who genuinely loves you, and your heart should feel nothing but guilt and remorse.

Guilt should cause you to bend your knees, not turn your back from God. Humility is the right response to God’s mercy, not self-condemnation. Humble repentance will set you free, telling you, “You’re forgiven and free. Now stop beating yourself up and pick up the pieces.”

Pursue the Savior today!

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