This post by kathylarkman was originally published at GRACE PLACE
Sharon Durant, contributor for today’s blog post
“My sin, not in part but the whole,
is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more”
I’ve had these two lines of the hymn stuck in my head for about a month now. Yesterday, while humming it over and over on a two-hour car journey, the penny finally dropped. The whole of my sin is nailed to the cross. I’m not waiting for God to condemn me about the way I shouted at the children on Tuesday, or the lies I’ve told, or even the public theft of a traffic cone I committed in my youth. I bear this no more. The weight of my sin does not crush me anymore. I can approach God without fear and hold my head up at church because Christ has paid for my sin.
Now – I know this is a fundamental Gospel point and since I’ve been a Christian for quite a few years now, and I’m a pastor’s wife, I probably should have grasped this truth before. But it struck me as quite amazing; the whole of my sin is paid for.
Every day I add more sin to my load, and wonder whether I would still be accepted in church because of the weight of my sin. But what a fabulous truth: the grace of God is huge and has paid for the whole of my sin.
What about the grace I am shown at church?
What about the grace I show to others at church?
I’m only just cottoning on to the truth about God’s forgiveness. I’m still learning and I need grace. I need to show some grace to my sisters in Christ, because they’re still learning, too.
So bear with me, girls — I’m still a learner.
Bear with me – I still can’t believe God’s love for me.
Bear with me – My old self is dying slowly and painfully.
Bear with me – I often use my words carelessly and thoughtlessly.
Bear with me – I still regularly trip up.
Bear with me – I need you to point out my grace-less-ness.
Bear with me – I’m a work in progress and God isn’t finished with me yet.
Bear with me, and I’ll try to bear with you, because I know God hasn’t finished with you yet, either.
Bear with me, “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in [me] will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6
