A few days back I was involved in an ‘incident’ where a driver reversed into the front of my car. It was a bit of a complicated situation where the other driver believed that I drove into them and that it was my fault. My perception was quite different to theirs. It was challenging, at the time, to try to voice my observations to them due to their adamant and angry view of what had happened. They were positive that I hit them, as much as I was quietly certain that they hit me.

After getting home and starting the process with the insurance company, I needed to remember, articulate and document the events and then send it off to be assessed. No small effort. From there it was a waiting game while they decided who was at fault.

I was confident in my version of what had happened. After all, I had seen it all unfold in front of me. Explaining this to the insurance company, though, was tricky. Would they understand my explanation? Would they see the situation the same way I did? What would the other driver be telling them about what had happened?

As I waited in limbo for the insurance company to rule on liability, my self-doubt started to creep in. What if the insurance company saw it differently than I did? What if I hadn’t explained what had happened clearly enough? What if I had forgotten some important detail? What if they saw that I was in the wrong? What if I was in the wrong? Maybe I could have reacted differently? After all, it does take two parties (usually) for an accident to occur. What if I really was at fault?

After a week in limbo-land, the insurance company got back to me with a letter stating that they had found me to be faultless in the incident! I was not at fault! They found me innocent of any wrongdoing, meaning that I couldn’t have done anything else differently in their eyes! To say that I felt justified and relieved (I didn’t need to pay an excess) would be a huge understatement! They had understood my explanation and deemed me faultless.

This got me thinking about other areas in life where we are truly faultless? Are there any areas where we are truly innocent and not at fault? Is there a place where we are declared free from our flaws?

Are there any other parts of my life (past, present and future) where I am truly innocent?

In this fallen world, we are all creatures of sin and selfishness. We are freely responsible for our self-control, often hurting ourselves and those that we love because of our self-interest. Our actions can be justified in the feelings we have; if I’m feeling hurt because of your actions, it’s your fault I’m feeling this way. To put the accident simply, the other driver reversed into my car. I was stopped, and they just kept coming. Crunch.

In our world, the other extreme also can be true. We can let our self-doubt and guilt creep in and take on blame and faults that are not ours to bear. Carrying the heaviness of another’s mistakes or flaws as our own and letting its guilt and shame blind us and hold us captive in ways that were not meant to be. This makes me wonder: is there a reality between the two? Is there a middle ground to be found? One where we are aware of our broken fallen nature, yet aren’t drowning in our guilt and shame?

Christ is the only one who has lived on this earth and been truly faultless, sinless and shameless. The only one who is truly innocent! For us, He gave up His innocence to take on our liability and flaws. He became flawed. Through taking our liability, He let Himself be found at fault so that we could be found faultless. We don’t deserve it. We are guilty and full of sin, but Christ has redeemed us and has given us the title of being fault-free in God’s eyes. God now sees us as faultless!

Now unto Him that can keep you from falling and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Savior, be glory, majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.
Jude 1: 24-25 KJV

How many of us live like we are faultless? I was ruled faultless from the insurance company but do I feel and live day to day in the freedom that God has ruled me faultless for eternity, in Christ? Do I live my life to the full in that freedom? I know I still have a long way to go in embracing my faultless status. How about you?