JESUS PRESENTS US BLAMELESS

Keyword BLAMELESS (adj): not responsible for something deserving condemnation; without fault, innocent 

Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy… Jude 1:24 ESV

Many of us were raised with a lot of love and a generous amount of guilt. If we didn’t know how or what to feel, guilt was a good default emotion. We got used to feeling guilty about having things that others didn’t have, guilt about eating fattening food, guilt about being too much and not enough at the same time.

I still feel guilty about almost everything. The word “should” seeps in as I leave work wishing I had done something better, when I shorten my exercise routine or skip it altogether, and when I hear about someone suffering in ways that I am not. Everything must be my fault somehow.

Well, not everything. I recognize that now, and I catch myself using the word “should” more than is healthy. But certainly, I am responsible for my actual sins. The ways I have hurt people and hurt Jesus make me sick and sad. I am to blame for real things like gossiping, idolizing things other than God, being jealous, and so much more.

It is a fact–not a feeling–that we all make sinful choices and deserve God’s condemnation.

And that is why we all so desperately need to receive the forgiveness Jesus offers us.

This promise comes at the end of a short letter written by Jude–one of Jesus’ brothers. If they grew up in the same home together, I imagine there was almost nothing that Jesus didn’t know about Jude. He knew the good things he did, the bad things he did, and everything in between. In spite of (or possibly because of) being known so completely by his older brother, Jude closes by reminding us that Jesus is able to:

-keep us from stumbling–our “stumbles” won’t be permanent,

-present us blameless before God–innocent, without fault, having not one spot or blemish of sin,

-with great joy–not with great responsibility, not with great fear, and definitely not with great guilt.

Can we imagine that for a minute? One day we will be in the glorious, amazing presence of our Father with Jesus standing right beside us. I don’t know how we are “supposed” to feel at that moment.

For many of us, guilt might be emotion we default to.

All the selfish choices we made.

All the times we didn’t represent him well.

All the ways we hurt God and hurt people.

But if we do start to feel guilty, it will all disappear in an instant when Jesus presents us to our Father. Eternal joy will overcome our hearts and minds as we hear him call us blameless.

Dear Jesus, thank you that you are the only one that can make us blameless. Your death and resurrection took the responsibility for every single sin and every ounce of guilt off of us. We humbly look forward to the absolute joy of standing forgiven before our Father in heaven with you. Amen.