Receiving unconditional acceptance can be difficult. It can wound our pride. We tend to like the idea that we have earned acceptance. 

When we lean into that false perspective, it leads to unhealthy habits. We will shy away from repentance. We will judge others. We justify to ourselves that we have merited God’s acceptance by outperforming the people around us.

These patterns isolate us from life-giving fellowship with God and with others. But it does not have to be. God accepts us without condition. It is true whether or not we choose to admit it. The only merit necessary is the merit of Jesus. What He did for us is sufficient.

Believing God has really and truly accepted us, just as we are, because of what Jesus has done, actually provides an incredible foundation for living a fulfilled life.

If we are accepted, no matter what, we are free to share honestly about our sin and shortcomings. We are free from having to judge others. There is no need to compare. We all fall short. We can leave comparison up to God. We can admit. We can repent.

God disapproves of sin. But approval is not acceptance. God disapproves of what is bad for us. Because he loves us. We are his children. He disapproves when we engage in self-destructive behavior because of his love for us. 

God’s unconditional acceptance is our firm foundation. It frees us to seek God’s approval without fear of rejection. Our freedom to make choices now becomes the avenue to please God and discover a mature faith. All while leaning on the unshakeable pillar of his vast love for us. Not even our own wrong perspectives can separate us from God’s unbounded love. 

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ.”
– Ephesians 2:4-5