Free from all accusation

I’ve been in Japan for over 30 years now and have had a lot of different jobs teaching English. The one I have now teaching at junior high schools is definitely the best. Others, like teaching at conversation schools, were okay…until they went bankrupt anyway. But there was one job that I went to almost every day with a slight feeling of unease.

The reason was I would get evaluated by the students after almost every single lesson. If they really liked the lesson, they gave me a 5. If they hated it, they gave me a 1.

Now think about this a second. Getting a report card three times a year at school is bad enough. But imagine getting them after every single class, every single day.

Now 99% of the time, I was fine. Students would give me evaluations of fours and fives. But l was literally teaching about 200 lessons every month. And every once in a while, I’d look at my evaluations and see a 2 there. Worse yet, I might see a 1.

And quite frankly, most of the time, it wasn’t necessarily that I did anything wrong in the lesson. It was just this vague feeling of dissatisfaction by the student.

I can say that, because I can’t remember one time where my supervisor said, “Well, you did this or that wrong. Just be more careful next time.” Instead, it was basically, “Well, that’s just how they felt. Sorry. Do your best.” “Gee. Thanks. That was helpful.”

That happened enough times where every time a student seemed to look at me funny, I got worried. And if for some reason a student that previously gave me a low evaluation booked my lesson again, I really started walking on eggshells. Needless to say, I was really glad when I left that job.

Why am I talking about all this? Well, how often do we feel that way in our relationship with God? We feel like we’re always walking on eggshells. We have this constant uneasiness that maybe God is disappointed in us. That we somehow don’t quite measure up as a Christian.

It might be because you don’t read your Bible every day. Or if you do read it, it never seems to do anything for you. Or your prayers always seem to bounce off the ceiling. Or it might be because of a sin that you can’t ever seem to shake. Or you look at other Christians, and you think, “They seem to have it all together. Why don’t I?”

Have any of those thoughts ever crossed your mind? They have with me. And it took me a long time to learn to walk in grace. But when I did, it changed everything in my Christian life. What does it mean, though, to walk in grace? How do we walk in grace? Let’s take a look at 1 Corinthians 1.

Now if you’ve been reading with us in our Bible reading plan, you might remember that the Corinthian church was one of the first that the apostle Paul planted. So at the time Paul wrote this letter, it was still very much a young church, maybe 3-5 years old.

After staying there for about a year and a half, Paul left for other places to spread the gospel and plant more churches. But while he was away, he got word that there were some serious issues going on in the Corinthian church, and so he sent this letter. Let’s take a look at what he wrote to them.

Paul, called as an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, and Sosthenes our brother:

To the church of God at Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called as saints, with all those in every place who call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord—both their Lord and ours.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 1:1-3)

It’s really easy to kind of just skim past these verses, isn't it? They’re just words of greeting, after all, right? But let’s take a look at what he said about the Corinthians because they have significance for us too. He said first that they were sanctified in Christ Jesus.

The English word “sanctified” is one of those Christianese words the church often uses. But what does it mean? It has two ideas. One is the idea of being set apart. In this case we are set apart as God’s special people. Of all the people that live on this earth, he says, “I have chosen you. You are mine.”

We see the word “saints” a few words later. That basically has the same meaning. Saints are people who are chosen by God and set apart for himself.

That’s an amazing thought, isn’t it? If you’re a Christian, it’s because God chose you. And he has set you apart from the billions of people in this world to be his own.

That blows my mind. Because honestly, I look at myself, and I ask, “Why? I’m no one special. I have no special qualifications by the world’s standards. No one important in this world looks at me and says, “That Bruce is a man of significance.” And yet the God of this universe looks at me and says, “In my eyes, you are significant. I have chosen you.”

But he says that not just of me or Pastor Fumi. Paul says this is true of everyone in every place who has made Jesus Lord in their lives. When you put your faith in him, he says, “You are mine. I have chosen you for myself.”

But “sanctified” has another nuance. It has the idea of being made pure, perfectly righteous in God’s sight. And Paul says, “You have already been made this way.” He doesn’t just say that someday when you get to heaven you will be made perfect in God’s eyes. Right here, right now, as you stand before God, you are already perfectly righteous to him.

Now if you’re like me, you’re probably saying, “How in the world can God say that? I’m far from being that pure. I still struggle so much with sin in my life. I mess up so often.” But God sees not only what you are now, but what you will be. Moment to moment, day to day, he is working in you to make you like his Son. And the day is coming when he will complete that work. When we see him face to face, we will be like Jesus, perfectly righteous and pure before God. One of my favorite verses comes from 1 John 3:2. The apostle John wrote this:

We know that when [Jesus] appears, we will be like him because we will see him as he is. (1 John 3:2)

That’s our hope as Christians. As much as we struggle in our Christian walk, as much as we fail to “measure up” as Christians, the day will come when we will be like the Lord we love. That’s why Paul can say to the Corinthians and us, “Grace and peace to you.”

Do you remember what the good news of the gospel was? Peace with God. Peace with our King is preached to us. Not because of how good we are. But because of how incredible his grace is toward us.

And in verses 4-7, Paul thanks God for the grace that he had shown the Corinthians. God was doing all kinds of wonderful things in them to confirm them as his children. Then Paul says this in verses 8-9 and this is where I really want us to focus.

He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you will be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; you were called by him into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:8-9)

When we read this in our Bible reading plan a couple of weeks ago, I really loved how the Japanese Bible translated that word “blameless.” It translates it: totally free from accusation.

Those words resonated with me because sometimes, in my own head, I’ll hear words of accusation. And a lot of times, they’re legitimate ones. I mess up, and the words of accusation start flying around in my head.

A few months ago back in May, I ran into someone from Crossroad at the flower shop. Now I think I’ve mentioned before that I often have this tendency to get so fixated on my own agendas, that I can totally miss opportunities God gives me to touch people. And that particular day, it was Mother’s day, so my agenda was, “I have to get flowers for my wife Satoko. What do I get?” So I’m looking at these flowers, and suddenly I hear this voice say, “Hi.” And it’s this young mother from Crossroad along with her two kids. And I greeted her, but I was so focused on what flowers to buy, it never occurred to me to stop what I was doing and just chat with her.

But as I was walking home, flowers in hand, I was thinking, “Bruce you are so stupid. I mean how can you not stop and just talk to her. God gave you that opportunity. And you didn’t even say ‘Happy Mothers Day!’ How stupid can you get?”

But you know, after those accusing thoughts came, I just prayed and said, “Father, I’m sorry. I messed up. Help me to do better next time. Help me to be more aware of what you’re doing next time.”

And that’s the attitude I’ve learned to have over my years as a Christian when those accusing voices come. I don’t waste any time denying those accusations. I just go to my Father and ask his forgiveness. And he always forgives me and gives me another chance.

Not too many days later, I was heading off to plant group, and I had timed it so that I would arrive just on time. But halfway there, I ran into my daughter who was coming home from school. That almost never happens, but it happened that day. And she looked tired and she said, “My bags are so heavy.” I’m totally embarrassed to say that my first thought was “You know, if I go home to help her with her bags, I’m going to be late for plant group.” Stupid, right? But my second thought was “Is that really so important? What was it that God was telling me about setting aside my agendas?” And so I went home with my very happy daughter.

Now I’m going to be honest. I’m probably going to mess up again in the future. I still struggle with putting my agenda over God’s. I struggle with a lot of sins in my life. But as I said before, in God’s eyes, I am already perfectly righteous. Because he sees not just who I am now, but who I will be. And he’s not giving up on me until I become like his Son. And until that day comes, he is not throwing at me one single word of accusation.

Of course he’ll poke my conscience at times. But it’s not just to make me feel guilty. It’s because he loves me and he wants me to become more and more like Jesus. In the meantime, he will continue to strengthen me and hold me up, picking me up whenever I stumble. And by his grace, on judgment day, I will stand before him confidently, totally free from all accusation. Why? Because I am so faithful as a Christian? No, because he is such a faithful God.

It really is amazing, by the way, that Paul could say all this about the Corinthians. Because like I said earlier, they had all kinds of issues in their church. They were totally messed up, with all kinds of divisions among themselves. On top of that, people were suing one another and mistreating one another. And there was some serious sexual sin they had not dealt with in their congregation.

And yet, Paul could tell them, “I believe God will hold you firm. He’s not going to give up on you. He will keep working in you. And on the day of judgment, you will be free from all accusation. Not because you were so faithful. But because he is.”

God showed that us that faithfulness at the cross. In his letter to the Colossian church, Paul wrote this.

But now he has reconciled you by his physical body through his death, to present you holy, faultless, and blameless before him… (Colossians 1:22)

If you have an English Bible, circle that word “faultless.” It is the exact same word Paul used in Corinthians: “free from accusation.” We are free from accusation because Jesus went to the cross and took the punishment we deserved for our sin upon himself. Now we stand before him sanctified, clothed in his righteousness, totally accepted as God’s beloved children.

So what do we do with all this? How do we respond? Look at what Paul says in Colossians 2:6-7.

So then, just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to walk in him, being rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and overflowing with gratitude. (Colossians 2:6-7)

Unfortunately, the Japanese translation doesn’t really capture the nuance of verse 6 very well. Paul says here, “In the same way you have received Jesus as Lord, continue to walk with him. Question: How did they first receive him? By proving their faithfulness to God? By proving their worthiness to be his children? No. Look at Colossians 1:6.

It (the gospel) is bearing fruit and growing all over the world, just as it has among you since the day you heard it and came to truly appreciate God’s grace. (Colossians 1:6)

I love the English translation here: “You came to truly appreciate God’s grace.” That’s how the Colossians first received Jesus as Lord. By seeing the beauty of his grace. And so Paul says in Colossians 2:6, continue to walk that way. Walk in full appreciation of his grace. Be rooted in his grace and love towards you. Hold tightly to this grace that you have been taught, overflowing with gratitude.

Yes, we may be messed up people like the Corinthians were. But we are still called as his saints. We are still sanctified, made pure and clean of all of our sins by the grace of Christ. So walk in that grace. Walk secure in his love toward us. Walk humbled by the fact that he would choose to love us in that way.

Is that you? Hopefully all of you are. But I’m guessing there are some of you who aren’t. Instead, you’re like how I once was. “I’m not good enough.” “I don’t measure up.” How do we deal with that?

We’ve talked before about the “pain cycle” that people often go through. Something happens to us that flips a trigger in us. In this case, it may be a sin that you’re struggling with that you just can’t seem to get rid of, and you’re thinking, “Why can’t I seem to deal with this?” It may be coming to church and seeing all these happy people and thinking, “Why am I not that happy?” It may be being at plant group, hearing people talk about what God’s been teaching them lately, and you’re thinking, “Why is it that God never seems to talk to me?” Whatever it is, you can’t seem to stop the accusing voices in your head. “I’m not good enough. I don’t measure up.”

And for some of you, those triggers make you want to put on a mask. To pretend you’re doing well when you’re really not. But now you’re starting to get tired of always putting on that mask, pretending to be something you’re not. For others, you might be saying, “Well, I guess that’s just the way it is. I just have to ‘gaman’, to endure all this somehow.” But now your ability to “gaman”, to simply endure, is running out. And so some of you are just about ready to give up completely.

How do we combat all that? Do you remember what we talked about a couple of years ago in our “Armor of God” series? Swing the sword of God’s truth. Remind yourself, “I may feel this way, but the truth is…”

What is the truth? The truth is God loves you. I mean, if he could love the Corinthians, as messed up as they were, he can love you. He has chosen you. He has set you apart for himself. And there is not one word of accusation against you coming from him.

What’s the truth? The truth is, you’re not alone in your feelings and struggles. One of the greatest lies Satan tells us is, “You are the only one. You are the only one that struggles with this.”

I used to struggle with those feelings too. But I remember a friend one day sharing with me some of the struggles he was going through. And as he did, I realized, “I’m not the only one? He struggles with this too?” And as time went on, as I shared my struggles with others and they shared their struggles with me, Satan’s lie lost its power.

And so I encourage you. Take off the mask. I think the saddest thing would be for a group of people in a plant group, always putting on masks, pretending to be fine, and all along believing, “I’m the only one that feels this way. I’m the only one that struggles this way.” So take off the mask. Be honest with each other. The apostle Paul said in Ephesians 4:25.

Therefore, putting away lying, speak the truth, each one to his neighbor, because we are members of one another. (Ephesians 4:25)

One final note. I talked about the pain cycle. Do you realize that the pain cycle is the twisted form of head-heart-hands? In the pain cycle, you encounter something, it wounds your heart, and it causes you to respond in a way that causes you more pain. In head-heart-hands, you encounter God’s word, and as it touches your heart, it heals it and makes it whole. The result? A whole new way of living.

And when the truth of God’s grace, his love and acceptance of you hits your heart, it frees you from constantly condemning yourself. It frees you from constant shame. And it allows you to just keep taking that one step further with Jesus, becoming more like him moment to moment, day to day.

I’ve shown this picture before. It’s my favorite picture of me and my daughter. And it always reminds me, this is how my relationship with God should look. Full of joy, knowing my Daddy loves me, and that he totally accepts me.

So let God’s word go from your head to your heart today. The one truth I want you to reflect on as you go home today is this: God loves me. God accepts me. And I am free from all accusation.