Sunday as I was preaching something struck me. We speak of Jesus being without sin in his relationship with God. There was never a time Jesus had to confess sin as we do. This is something you have heard before. I believe this is true of Jesus. But there is a complementary piece to this. Jesus never sinned against his family or friends or enemies either. We sin against each other. We say words we regret, words that cut into the psych of our children, friends, spouses. We think very little about using words that hurt against those we dislike, those we regard as enemies. So, yes, we sin against each other. If we have the Holy Spirit living in us we will regret these words. We will ask to be forgiven.
Jesus never had to ask someone to forgive his words or his behavior toward another person. Being Christlike, wanting to imitate Jesus challenges us to watch what we say to others and how we behave toward them.
The thought – Jesus never sinned against another person.
I have some growing to do in order to be like him.
Here is something I picked up from Dream Awakener – another blogger. The thoughts expressed here fit with what I’m saying above.
“Words are very important. When we say to someone, “You are an ugly, useless, despicable person,” we might have ruined the possibility for a relationship with that person for life. Words can continue to do harm for many years.
It is so important to choose our words wisely. When we are boiling with anger and eager to throw bitter words at our opponents, it is better to remain silent. Words spoken in rage will make reconciliation very hard. Choosing life and not death, blessings and not curses, often starts by choosing to remain silent or choosing carefully the words that open the way to healing.” - Henri Nouwen