“If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.” –John 15:22
Many religions offer gods to admire and follow: Christianity alone offers a Savior. And with our Savior, the truth that we need to be saved.
Regardless of our efforts, we cannot be good. Not only can we not live up to the perfect standard of the Lord, but we can’t even live up to what we intend for ourselves. And we have no excuse because we know…
“Since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature–have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” –Romans 1:20
We’re out of excuses for our sinful rejection of the Lord. He has been revealed to us. We act on our fleshly desires anyway, even, as Paul says, when we don’t want to. Our guilt is certain. We’re convicted.
However, we are not condemned. Christ, without making any excuses for us, has justified us before God.
Still…we make excuses, don’t we?
When our sins are obvious to others, we point to our good intentions. If we slip into sin, we minimize it, calling it a mistake. We all take opportunities to explain away the wrong we’ve outright chosen –it’s because of my past that I was psychologically inclined to this sin, I might say.
Living without excuse is not something we tend to readily embrace. To admit sin without any excuse seems embarrassing and even self-effacing.
There is no justification, no sufficient excuse, for our sinfulness and our continuing in sin. That is, again, no justification apart from Christ.
To live without excuses is to take hold of the sin in our lives. Taking our sin into our own hands has to come before we can hand it over in surrender to Him. Repentance means nothing is we refuse to admit that we have anything to repent of.
We often say that we’ve surrendered things to the Lord…and then that perhaps we didn’t give it all up. Sometimes, I think that’s because we point God in the direction of the stuff “weighing us down” instead of actually handing it over.
If it’s not yours, you can’t really give it up. Own your sin. Make no excuse. And breathe in full relief and joy when He gladly takes it –your very burden of sin- from you.
This post is being shared on: #TestimonyTuesday, #RaRaLinkup, #Intentionally Pursuing, #WomenWithIntention, and #TellHiStory
Wonderful truth here that we so often try to avoid! We don’t like to think of ourselves as ‘sinners’, but that’s exactly what we are. This truth makes what our Savior did for us even more beautiful and unbelievable, just like you said here. When we rely on Him, our strength in Him grows. Great lesson today!
Thanks for the encouragement Kristine!
I’ve been trying to stop by all day. But, with kids home for Christmas Break on this final day, NOTHING on my to-do list has been done. 🙂
Your words are so true. We need to own up to the fact that we’ve sinned if we’re truly going to know God’s forgiveness.
And this? “Christ, without making any excuses for us, has justified us before God.” It floors me every. single. time.
Thanks for reminding me that God sees right through our excuses. That He loves us anyway and wants so much more for us than we know.
I’m your neighbor at #RaRaLinkup today. 🙂
That truth so floors me too, Jeanne. What mercy and grace to love us anyway, without our excuses making us more palatable.
I am always surprised when I run into someone who denies they are a sinner. It always seemed so clear to me that I was imperfect. Yet, they need to understand this truth so they see their need for Christ.
This is so true: “Living without excuse is not something we tend to readily embrace.” I was thinking about that just yesterday in how I apologize to my kids at times: “I’m sorry I got so angry at you, but maybe you could listen better next time.” And I thought about it not really being a true confession, but a justification for my sinful behavior. You’re so right that: “Repentance means nothing if we refuse to admit that we have anything to repent of.” I need to surrender fully and not hold onto something my Saviour has died on the Cross for. Thank you for your encouragement.
Oh, Anna. Yes. I do that often: “Sorry…but…” Thank you for YOUR encouragement!
Great post, neighbor! Thank you. We do need a savior. But what a Savior we have! Happy & Blessed New Year!