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When God Did Not Condemn A Sinner
Brian Mashburn
March 22, 2015
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When God Did Not Condemn A Sinner
Each of us has an inner and outer world. They are related, and affect each other, but they are distinctly different.
Our outer landscape is full of things that can be seen with the eyes: places, things, people, activities we do with our bodies, expressions we make with our faces, work we do with our hands, and conversations we engage.
The inner landscape is full of things, too, but they cannot be seen with the eyes: feelings, thoughts, ideas, moods, attitudes, and beliefs.
Perhaps the most sensitive of things in our inner world is shame. We all keep shame covered and unexposed as much as possible, even to ourselves. It is one of the most powerful of pains. If you could pour equal parts of guilt, helplessness, embarrassment, and fear into a heart and swirl them together, then expose them to authoritative condemnation, you would begin to
understand shame.
But what would happen if the condemnation was removed and replaced with authoritative grace? What if the power of shame was met with the power of mercy?
When the guilt is met with pardon...
When helplessness is met with help...
When embarrassment is met with compassion...
When fear is met with protection...
...what happens?
When God was a man, he was faced overtly with a stone cold guilty sinner, exposed and full of shame, and worthy of condemnation. The Law says to do one thing, but the God of the Law did another. And He does it for you, too.