06 Sep What Hope Does God Have for Assault Victims? Part 5
Genesis 34:5 – Now Jacob heard that he had defiled his daughter Dinah. But his sons were with his livestock in the field, so Jacob held his peace until they came.
In Genesis 34, we read about Dinah and that she was defiled while her father stood idly by and her brothers had the complete opposite reaction of extreme anger leading to murder.
The results of defilement are many. Some people respond by accepting their defiled condition as their unchangeable identity and live filthy lives of sin marked by what has been to them, or by them, instead of what Jesus has done for them. Others are so paralyzed by shame that they essentially shut down emotionally and live isolated lives in an effort to not become vulnerable or hurt again. And still others seek to numb their pain through drugs, alcohol, sex, power, success, or whatever else enables them to either stop feeling or start feeling a measure of self-worth.
When we sin, we need to repent. When we are sinned against, we need to be cleansed. 1 John 1:7-9 says, “if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
Sin has touched us all and retains life in the defiling darkness of shame, guilt, and isolation that either denies our woundedness or labors to hide it. Conversely, cleansing comes through living an open and honest life that brings our defilement into the light for Jesus and trustworthy Christian friends to see so that they can be the agents of healing in our life.
It is Jesus’ death on the cross that forgives our sins and cleanses the stains on our soul resulting from sins we have committed and that have been committed against us. Because of His sacrifice for us, we can see ourselves by the righteousness Jesus gives us and not the defilement someone else has put on us.
Read Hebrews 12:2-3 and see what it says about Jesus taking our shame.
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