Common Fears About Jesus – “I’m Too Bad of a Person to Be Forgiven”
Common Fears About Jesus is a series that addresses frequent concerns that people often have about Jesus Christ and Christianity. Each article in the series honestly and sensitively answers each concern with uplifting, comforting, and life-changing truths from God’s Word.
Introduction
What do you do when you hear the word “Jesus”?
Truth is, Jesus makes a lot of people uncomfortable. I felt that way before I became a Christian. I really didn’t want anything to do with Jesus, church or the Bible.
And you know something? That’s been the experience of countless Christians.
For instance, C.S. Lewis (1898-1963), arguably the greatest Christian writer and thinker of the 20th century, once called himself “the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England.”
St. Paul, the most important evangelist in the Bible, and writer of much of the New Testament, was a murderer of Christians before he believed in Jesus. He wanted nothing to do with Jesus or Christians.
“Those who come to Christ do so because they learn who God really is, what his word really says, and how his salvation and forgiveness really work.”
Nevertheless, despite their initial hesitancy and hostility to Jesus, Lewis and Paul became followers of Jesus and never regretted it. And neither have I.
As such, how did Paul, Lewis and countless other believers go from hating God to loving him?
The answer is gospel truth! Those who come to Christ do so because they learn who God really is, what his word really says, and how his salvation and forgiveness really work.
Therefore, if Jesus has you feeling uncomfortable, you’re not alone and this series is for you.
This first article in the Common Fears About Jesus series examines reasons underlying the fear that someone can be too far gone, too bad or too sinful to be forgiven by Jesus.
Such fears are often caused by overwhelming guilt, believing that we’re beyond help, and feelings of unworthiness.
Furthermore, the article will compare these concerns with what God’s word really says, and show that such fears have no bearing in scripture.
To the contrary, we’ll see how no one is ever too bad, or too far gone to be saved and forgiven by Jesus.
Guilt vs. Conviction
Many people don’t feel they’re worthy or able to be forgiven by Jesus because of the horrible things they’ve done.
It’s easy to understand why this fear can happen. God’s Word, the Bible, is described as being “sharper than a two-edged sword” that “discerns the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Heb. 4:12).
Jesus and scripture are like a mirror that shows us our natural depravity. They give us the diagnosis of our souls: we’re lost and helpless sinners who can do nothing to atone for our sins.
“Guilt and conviction though are not the same thing. Guilt weighs us down with grief. Conviction, on the other hand, is a form of “Godly sorrow” that leads to repentance and salvation.”
These revelations don’t come naturally to us. They are spiritually discerned (I Cor. 2:14), meaning that the Holy Spirit reveals them to our hearts through conviction (Acts 2:37-38).
And herein lies the root of the fear; we confuse guilt with conviction. In fact, that’s one of Satan’s tactics to keep people from accepting Christ’s forgiveness. He will do anything to keep sinners away from God, including leveraging motivation crushing guilt.
Guilt and conviction though are not the same thing. Guilt weighs us down with grief. Conviction, on the other hand, is a form of “Godly sorrow” that leads to repentance and salvation (2 Cor. 7:9-10).
Guilt is the response of our conscience to the wrong things we have done, i.e. we “feel bad” about our actions. Conviction shows us that we need a savior and need the forgiveness that only comes from Jesus (Gal. 3:24). Put simply, conviction is God’s wake up call to sinners!
Of course, this doesn’t mean that sins don’t have consequences; we should feel bad about what we’ve done wrong as appropriate. However, we can’t wallow in guilt, otherwise we’ll never progress (let alone accept Jesus’ forgiveness) or be free.
“Jesus’ salvation is all about freedom from sin, guilt, and shame. Guilt can ensnare and trap us, but God’s forgiveness blots out all of our sins, washes us white as snow, cleanses us from all unrighteousness, and breaks the chains of guilt.”
You see, Jesus’ salvation is all about freedom from sin, guilt, and shame. Guilt can ensnare and trap us, but God’s forgiveness blots out all of our sins, washes us white as snow, cleanses us from all unrighteousness, and breaks the chains of guilt (Is. 43:25, Is. 1:18, I Jn. 1:9, Rom. 8:2, Rom. 6:14).
In fact, those who are saved are “under no condemnation” because they are “in Christ” (Rom. 8:1).
As such, no matter how strong your guilt is, and how much you condemn yourself, Jesus wants to and will save you. He has not come to condemn you but to rescue you from condemnation. He has come to save you!
Remember, God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved (Jn. 3:17).
His mission is to make all things new, and that means washing you clean and making you a new person who is righteous in God’s sight, no matter what your guilt tells you (Rev. 21:5, 2 Cor. 5:17, Gal. 2:20, Col. 1:22, Jude 1:24).
With Jesus, You’re Never Beyond Help
Those who feel overwhelmed by guilt can also feel like they’re beyond help. Have you ever said to yourself, for example, something like, “nothing else has worked, how can Jesus do anything to forgiven my sins?” Or the more common “it’s helpless”?
The truth is, only Jesus can forgive and save you of your sins. You’re never beyond his help, he delights in healing sinners (Mk. 2:17, Lk. 15:7, Matt. 18:13, 1 Pet. 2:24).
God saves everyone who genuinely repents and believes in Jesus. In fact, God never turns someone away who comes to him in genuine repentance and in faith (Jn. 6:37).
“God never turns someone away who comes to him in genuine repentance and in faith.”
If any of us were “too bad” to be saved, then Jesus’ many promises that he came to save all would be false. Additionally, God’s work on the cross would be pointless, and his all-powerful nature would be a lie.
Feeling like you’re too far gone or beyond help is usually the result of tremendous guilt (see the first point in this lesson). However, it can also stem from an inaccurate view of sin.
Biblically, sin is defined as breaking God’s law. And one only has to break one commandment of God one time to be a sinner (Jas. 2:10). Not only that, but we’re all born sinners (Rom. 5:12, Ps. 58:3).
We’re naturally depraved, and we’re all breakers of God’s law and without Jesus we’re all condemned to eternal separation from God due to God’s holy justice (Rom. 6:23, Heb. 9:27, Rev. 20:15).
“Yes, you are too bad to be forgiven by your own works, efforts or merits. However, you’re never too bad to be forgiven by Jesus. He’s the only way to be saved and he saves to the uttermost.”
There is no good thing in our flesh, and all of us must be set free from bondage to sin (Rom. 7:18, Rom. 3:23, Jn. 8:34). In fact, we’re even worse than we even know! (Ps. 90:8).
In God’s eyes, we’re all equally sinners and we are all too far gone to be saved…on our own and without Jesus’ intervention that is. Without Jesus, we’re all beyond help, that’s the key.
We all need Jesus the same, no one sinner is worse than another (Rom 3:23). Certainly by the world’s standards some sins are more heinous than others, but at the core we’re all rebels and sinners. You need Jesus just as much as me and I need him just as much as you.
This is why you shouldn’t compare yourself with someone else who you erroneously think is morally “better” than you, or think that you’re too bad to be saved.
“God loves sinners and he loves to save them. The problem is that we so easily underestimate God’s love. We can’t even comprehend it, its foolishness to us, and it surpasses our knowledge.”
Again, there’s an important distinction here. Yes, you are too bad to be forgiven by your own works, efforts or merits (more on that later). However, you’re never too bad to be forgiven by Jesus. He’s the only way to be saved and he saves to the uttermost (Acts 4:12, Heb. 7:25).
Salvation is for everyone, and there are plenty of examples to prove it. For instance, when Jesus was put to death on the cross, there were two other men put to death with him. They were put to death for serious crimes against Rome and were “bad people” to say the least. However, one of the men believed on Jesus right then and there, and Jesus saved him (Lk. 23:42-43).
St. Paul is another example. He murdered Christians, and did great intentional harm to the cause of Christ. This is why he referred to himself as “the chief of sinners” (1 Tim. 1:15). However, he too was forgiven and saved from his sins by Jesus (Gal. 1:13).
In fact, the entire Bible is a rogues gallery of sinners saved by Jesus. And you know something? Nothing has changed today. Enter any church anywhere and you’ll encounter nothing but sinners who have been saved.
Why is that? Because God loves sinners and he loves to save them! The problem is that we so easily underestimate God’s love. We can’t comprehend it (Rom. 11:33), it’s foolishness to us (1 Cor. 1:18).
Moreover, God’s love surpasses our knowledge (Eph. 3:18-19) and his love is limitless (Ps. 147:4-5). We ought not be surprised however because God is love (1 Jn. 4:16).
“God knew that none of us could save ourselves, that’s why Jesus died for us! And he died for us because of his great love for us, a love which overcomes our unworthiness.”
At the center of God’s great love for man, is his redemptive plan for humanity.
Jesus’ entire mission was to seek and to save sinners (Lk. 19:10). Nothing stopped him (Heb. 12:2) and nothing would, for he did what we could never do, he lived a perfect and sinless life, and was the perfect sacrifice for our sins, and our only substitute on the cross (Rom. 5:8, 1 Cor. 15:22).
Additionally, he humbled himself and become like us (Phil. 2:8). And he did all of this willingly! (Jn. 10:17-18).
Moreover, Jesus is a loving savior who loves to save his sheep (Jn. 10:27-28). God’s Word tells us that Jesus suffered and died for our sins and rose again for “the joy that was set before him” (Heb 12:2).
Despite our rebellion to God, God still loved us and sent Jesus to die for us. And he still loves us, he still loves you and he wants to save you!
“When you feel like you’re beyond help and hope, look to the cross! Jesus will not turn you away.”
God knew that none of us could save ourselves, that’s why Jesus died for us! And he died for us because of his great love for us, a love which overcomes our unworthiness.
When you feel like you’re beyond help and hope, look to the cross! Jesus will not turn you away (Rev. 3:20), rather he will welcome you with open arms with an everlasting love (Jer. 31:3) that is for the entire world (Jn. 3:16).
You’ll never find a perfect person who became a Christian. You’ll only ever find sinners saved by God’s grace, including many who once thought they were too far gone to be forgiven.
We Are All Undeserving
Overwhelming guilt, and feeling as if you are beyond help are two reasons why we often fear that we are unable to be forgiven by Jesus.
There’s also a common third cause as well, and that’s feeling that we simply aren’t worthy of God’s salvation and forgiveness.
Put another way, we can easily fall into the trap that we’re un-deserving of Jesus’ forgiveness and therefore don’t want to accept it.
This false belief is similar to the two former ones we’ve already examined in this lesson in that it is only partially true.
It is true that none of us deserve to be forgiven. Frankly, each of us deserves an eternity in hell for our sins and rebellion against a holy, perfect and just God.
“How can we be undeserving of salvation and forgiveness yet be able to be saved and forgiven by Jesus? The answer is God’s almighty grace!”
As we’ve learned earlier in this lesson we are all are dead in sins (Eph. 2:1), and we naturally walk according to the world as the children of wrath and enemies of God (Eph. 2:2-3, Rom. 5:10).
Yet we’ve also seen that God’s love for us is unfathomable in its depth and power, and that God’s love always overcomes our sin.
So, we’re unworthy of salvation, but God’s love is greater than our unworthiness. How is that possible? How can we be undeserving of salvation and forgiveness yet be able to be saved and forgiven by Jesus?
The answer is God’s almighty grace!
“Grace is God giving us what we don’t deserve—forgiveness, freedom, salvation, a right standing with God, eternity in heaven, the Holy Spirit’s indwelling, a new life, and new identity in Jesus.”
Grace is God giving us what we don’t deserve—forgiveness, freedom, salvation, a right standing with God, eternity in heaven, the Holy Spirit’s indwelling, a new life, and a new identity in Jesus.
Grace takes us from being enemies of God, to being reconciled and at peace with God through justification (Rom. 5:10). Additionally, faith in Christ grants us access to God’s grace; which is like a place where we will forever stand firm and rejoice in hope of the glory of God (Rom. 5:1-2).
Moreover, salvation is all of grace. We are saved by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8-9). We’re all spiritually dead in sin and cannot revive ourselves; we need God’s “quickening” power to save us and awaken us to new life (Eph. 2:5).
Salvation is all about Jesus, not us. We can’t do anything to earn our salvation, it is all of what Jesus has done and does for us. Salvation through Jesus Christ is a miracle of God’s grace; it’s a gift we simply accept in faith (Rom. 3:24) from our father who lavishes gifts upon us (Matt. 7:11) because he loved us first (1 Jn. 4:19).
“When you think you’re too bad of a person, remember that God’s grace is greater than your sins.”
As God tells us, “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Rom. 8:32).
And when you think you’re too bad of a person, remember that God’s grace is greater than your sins (Rom. 5:20).
We believe God will save us because we take him at his word (this is faith) and we look to him as the object of our faith (Heb. 11:6). Our faith then is counted for righteousness (Rom. 4:5).
The hinge by which our salvation rests is Jesus’ substitutionary death for us. We didn’t deserve it but he died for us so that we might have enteral life by him and through him (Rom. 5:8).
This shocks us and it should (1 Cor. 1:20-21). And we can only respond in one of two ways to such amazing grace. We can either accept God’s unmerited favor, or listen to our own understanding that we don’t deserve what he so freely wants to give us (Prov. 3:5-6).
Ultimately, those who become Christians, despite their guilt, hopelessness and unworthiness, respond properly to God by flinging themselves at the foot of the cross in awe of Jesus, believing he died for them and accepting his gifts of salvation and forgiveness by faith (Titus 3:5, Rom. 1:17, Heb. 11:1).
Such people understand that a broken heart is never viewed worthless by God (Ps. 51:17). They instead understand and experience that Jesus replaces broken hearts with new hearts (Ezek. 36:26).
Conclusion
In this first lesson in our Common Fears About Jesus series, we examined the common fear that someone can be too far gone, too bad or too sinful to be forgiven by Jesus.
We learned that there are some key drivers that underpin such fears. They are overwhelming guilt, believing that we’re beyond help, and feeling unworthy of God’s forgiveness.
However, each of these reasons are only partially true. For example, guilt is an appropriate response of our conscience to wrongs we have committed. In our natural sinful state, all of us are in fact beyond help. And, none of us deserves forgiveness.
“Ultimately, when we fear that we’re unable, unworthy, underserving, too bad and too far gone to be forgiven by Jesus, we’re missing the full picture. We’re simply looking at ourselves, when Jesus calls us to look to him—the author and finisher of our faith.”
However, in light of God’s word, we learned that Jesus has answers to each of these fears. Often we confuse guilt with conviction, the latter of which is used by the Holy Spirit to reveal our sin and need for Jesus’ forgiveness and salvation.
Moreover, while each of us are beyond help, that’s only if we’re left to our own devices.
Additionally, in God’s eyes, we’re all equally sinners, no one sinner is worse than another, and we ought not compare ourselves with others who we erroneously think are morally “better” than us.
God knew that none of us could save ourselves, that’s why Jesus died for us! And he died for us because of his great love for us, a love which overcomes our unworthiness and a love we too easily underestimate in light of our unworthiness.
Lastly, we are simultaneously undeserving of salvation and forgiveness yet able to be saved and forgiven by Jesus. This is because of God’s almighty grace!
Grace is God giving us what we don’t deserve—forgiveness, freedom, salvation, a right standing with God, eternity in heaven, the Holy Spirit’s indwelling, a new life, and a new identity in Jesus.
Ultimately, when we fear that we’re unable, unworthy, underserving, too bad and too far gone to be forgiven by Jesus, we’re missing the full picture. We’re simply looking at ourselves, when Jesus calls us to look to him—the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross (Heb. 12:2).
J.R. Waller, MBA is a Christian lay-teacher, author, and Founder of Every Reason to Believe. He holds an MBA from Rollins College, B.S. in Psychology from The University of Central Florida, Certificate in Christian Apologetics from Biola University, and Bible Knowledge Certificate from The Master’s Seminary Institute for Church Leadership. He is also a two-time Fellow (UCF, The James Madison Institute).
Image Credit: Autumn Landscape with a Flock of Turkeys by Jean-François Millet (French, 1872–73). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. 17.120.209.
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