Who knows how many years the adulterous woman of John 8 lived in secret bondage to the guilt of past sins and failures! An angry mob brought the sinful woman to Jesus, reporting that she had been caught in the very act of adultery, and hence should be stoned. Wisely Jesus responded, “He among you who is without sin, let him be the first to cast a stone.” The amazing thing about this story is that the only Person in the crowd that day who was worthy enough to cast the first stone was Jesus Himself. Instead, He looked deep into the soul of the adulteress. “Woman, where are those who are condemning you?” She looked around in unbelief. “Nowhere, Lord.” Then the One who could have condemned her responded, “Neither do/ condemn you. Go and sin no more. Be freed from the burden of guilt and past sins!”
When a baby elephant is trained for the circus, the animal trainer will chain the calf to a sturdy tree. The baby elephant will do all it can to get free-pulling and pulling on the chain until it is totally worn out. Finally it will begin to walk in a slow circle around the tree. Over a period of time the elephant will continue testing its chain, but with decreasing persistence. Just a tug on the chain and the elephant gives up and begins walking around and around the tree. Eventually the elephant becomes so conditioned to its chain that the trainer no longer attaches it to the tree. He simply drops the chain on the ground and the elephant will circle hour upon hour around the chain. The elephant is free to go anywhere it wants, and the animal doesn’t even know it. It is enslaved by the chains of its past, which ironically have no hold upon it!
Sometimes Christians are like that. God has freed us and forgiven us, but we choose to stay chained to the failures and sins of the past, and consequently we are haunted by guilt.
Do you have a past? Are you struggling with it today? You can be freed from the bondage of past guilt and sins by understanding and receiving God’s complete and total love and forgiveness for you! Why cling to your past any longer?
May/June 1987