Blameless.
That's a moderately sized word with massive implications.
Dictionary.com says that blameless means "free from or not deserving blame; guiltless." That sounds like something I'd like to be. I mean, I think we can all agree that weird rather be guiltless rather than guilty. Being blamed for something is no fun at all, even if it's something we truly did do.
I feel like a lot of times in the Christian church we "blame" each other. I don't mean we blame each other for when things go wrong, although we often do that as well. I mean that we blame other people for their mistakes. We sit on our little thrones and we examine each other's sins and judge just how "good" of a Christian they are.
I'm terrified of screwing up. I've seen others fall. I know what happens to them. Someone makes a mistake and instantly they're sidelined from serving God, at least in a church setting. It's really an interesting concept. NEWSFLASH everyone: I sin. Daily. At what point can I no longer lead worship? I mean, does God really have a limit to how much you can screw up before he can't use you anymore? Does God have a list of sins that suddenly make you a "no, no" for church service? I believe our culture certainly does.
I've never physically cheated on my girlfriend, but you know what? I'm going to be brutally honest with you; I have "checked out" girls before. Wait did I just admit to sinning? Yep, that's right the big secret it out, but everyone fails right? Most guys, if not every guy, has made that mistake once or twice. As long as I'm sorry it's no big deal.
Matthew 5:28 says, "But I say, anyone who ever looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart." So essentially it doesn't make the slightest bit of difference to God if I look at a girl or have sex with her. It's exactly the same in God's eyes. But that's not what our culture says is it? If I cheated on my girlfriend both Christians and non-Christians alike would acknowledge that I was a jerk, but if I simply look at a girl once then it's "normal" and I'm "just human". To be honest, this really makes me mad. With all the talk in church about separating ourselves from the culture we kinda do a crappy job when it comes to forgiveness.
Here's the straight reality: because I have looked at any girl in a "lustful" way I am disgustingly filthy to God. He can't look at me. I am completely and utterly separated from God. There is nothing I could ever do to get to him. I am either dead in sin or alive. There is no in between, or less dead or less alive!
BUT Colossians 1 21-22 says, "You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result he has brought you into his presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault." I am BLAMELESS. I'm not guilty anymore! Romans 8:1 says, "So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus."
I don't want to act like I have all the answers. There is so much I don't know or understand, but there is one thing I can tell you: Without Christ we are all in the same filthy boat. With Christ, we are beautifully blameless.
If you don't like the idea of forgiveness I'm truly very sorry for you, because you don't like Jesus. As Jesus said in john 8:7 after the religious leaders of his day had brought a woman caught in adultery to him to be stoned , "All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!" Obviously, Jesus being the only sinless person to ever live, was the only one who stayed. In verses 10-11 he asks, "Where are your accusers? Didn't one of them condemn you?" The woman answered, "No, Lord." And Jesus replied "Neither do I, go and sin no more."
Why do we condemn each other as sinful people when the sinless Lamb of God didn't?
Anyone who is in Christ is blameless. I am blameless. If you trust in Christ for forgiveness, YOU are blameless. That's all there is to it. Period.
