Our Hope in Christ Despite our Struggles

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The Liberating Gospel Message

I have to say I love the gospel message! It’s a message we need to hear and be reminded of every day! By understanding and living the gospel each day, we are reminded that we are made right with God by Christ’s sacrifice alone, enabled by His grace each day to live for Him. As we struggle battling our sinful nature, this is extremely reassuring and liberating!

As Christian’s, it’s very easy to allow ourselves to feel condemned for our mistakes, whether it be from others or ourselves. However, the Bible clearly teaches that there is no condemnation in Christ (Rom 8:1).

Scriptural Ignorance
Unfortunately, some miss-informed and therefore ignorant Christians think this enables us to live as we like. “As long as I trust in Christ, I am free from condemnation no matter how I live!” they argue. Although we are saved by Christ’s work on the cross alone, if we have this attitude of living how we want, may I suggest we need to have a hard look at whether we have truly trusted in  Christ with our lives? To have faith in Christ means to live for Him, not for            ourselves (Rom 6:1-7).

However, as we strive to live for Christ, we will all mess up as we all struggle with our sinful natures. Sure we may have different areas of weakness and vulnerability, but the fact is we all struggle with sin. It’s easy to think we are alone in our struggles, in particular those that bring a lot of shame and embarrassment. No matter what other people say, we ALL struggle with sin. If someone denies that, then they are lying (1 John 1:8).

Two Truths to Strengthen Our Walk with God
Being a Christian can be a very, very challenging life as we battle to live for God. But there are two truths amongst others, that should strengthen us in our walk with God:

1. God is faithful and will forgive us as we profess our sins, cleansing us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). God is always ready to forgive a repentant heart, a heart that truly has remorse for ones rebellion against God and wants to follows Him.
2. We are right with God because of Christ’s righteousness, not our                 own (Romans 5:1-5). Our hope is not based on how well we serve God, but on what Christ has done for us on the cross.  This enables us to persevere in hope that we will mature as Christians, to have our character refined as evidence of the work God has done in our lives.

Let me encourage you that if you are feeling condemned or hopeless, then remember what Jesus did for you on the cross and what that means for your life. God doesn’t want us to wallow in fear and despair, but to know that through Christ, He ha given us His Spirit as the ultimate counsellor, guiding us every day. We are never alone in our struggles!! God knows we need help and is always ready to assist us as we trust in Him.

Also, may I strongly recommend forming a support group with a few trusted people of the same sex.  We receive much encouragement through trusted relationships where members are not afraid to be vulnerable about ones struggles. We realize we are not alone, but that we all need encouragement and support as we strive to live for God more effectively in our lives.