Peter's failure did not define him. It was a horrible, humbling stumble along the path of following Jesus. When Jesus died on the cross he completely paid for the sin of Peter's denial. "Not guilty" was the final word for Peter. He knew he did not deserve acquittal. But Jesus had settled Peter's account with the Father and gave him guiltlessness as a free gift of love. He was not Peter "The Denier" but Peter "The Forgiven."
"For we all stumble in many ways" (James 3:2). This is very true. When Jesus chose us to be his disciples, he knew our future failures as sure as he knew Peter's. We may be surprised by our own depravity, but Jesus isn't. We may be tempted to say, "That's not the real me." But it is. Facing and admitting our failures is one way Jesus teaches us what the gospel is. Our failures show us what we really are: great sinners. But that's not what Jesus wants us to focus on. He wants us to look to the cross and allow our failures to show us what Jesus is: a great Savior.
The guilt of past failures and sins can haunt and inhibit us in many ways. Satan loves to bind us up with the rope of condemnation. But Jesus aims to completely set us free. The whole goal of [Romans 8] is to free us from condemnation so we can live a fruitful life of following Jesus.
The church of Jesus Christ is a fellowship of forgiven failures. And in Peter Jesus shows us how he can transform a failure into a rock of strength for his church. Empowered by the Spirit of his beloved Lord, Peter became a humble, encouraging, suffering, and persevering disciple of Jesus. And he became a bold ambassador of the gospel of forgiveness to the most miserable failures.
-Jon Bloom
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