This past week, I was thinking about one of my friends who was struggling with her faith. At that time, she shared with me that she felt like she was too far gone for God to save her. This is an all-too-real feeling; I’m sure many of us have felt it at some point in our walk with Christ. For some, this feeling may be a constantly recurring one.

This experience I had with my friend came to mind as I was reading Hebrews 11, which lists many examples of how God fulfilled his promises to those who remained faithful to Him. I’ve read this chapter a few times before, but this time it really resonated with me. The testimonies of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and many others listed in this chapter demonstrate God’s steadfastness and goodness, especially through difficulties and trials, and ultimately His glory in the end.

When you read their stories, you see the road was not easy. They faced persecution and deep trials of faith, and many of them stumbled in their faith. Yet God restored them, they continued to be obedient to Him, and He fulfilled His will in their lives, showcasing His glory. As I read this chapter, I felt stirred and encouraged in my spirit. I’m in a period of my life when I am really seeking God’s guidance and trusting Him for clear direction. Reading about how God always worked out their situations because they kept their faith in Him has been extremely helpful to in my current season.

But what really stirred me and what brought my friend back to mind was that none of these individuals were perfect. Yet God still used them and blessed them. Why? Because they had faith. Whenever I reflect on things I’ve said or done that I shouldn’t have, or moments when fear held me back from obedience, I’m filled with shame. And my friend who opened up to me had this same feeling. The feeling of shame is a signal that we fell short of God’s expectations, but we can’t let this feeling shift our perspective into one where we feel as if we are “too far gone.” God works through our flaws and weaknesses to demonstrate his forgiveness, to teach us, to sanctify us, and to glorify Himself through our lives.

Now, this is not an excuse to lower the bar for ourselves, as Paul says in Romans 6:1-4, 

“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (NKJV).

The grace we have received through Christ’s sacrifice provides us redemption, but not an excuse to allow sin to abound in our lives. The hopeful reality of this is that, because of His grace, we have the opportunity to walk in “newness of life.” Our God honors a truly repentant heart, and if you seek Him genuinely, He will respond. Psalms 51:17 says, “The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God” (NLT). Every time we make a mistake and fall into sin, whether “big” or “small,” when we repent and return to God, He gives us another chance to continue walking in the new, redeemed life He creates for us when we put our faith in him.

I think this truth can be difficult to fully grasp internally, because we know how grave sin is to God. I believe this tension was what my friend was wrestling with. Yet we should not condemn ourselves or write ourselves off when we stumble, because God has not done so to us. 


If you find yourself feeling like you are too far gone for God to redeem, please know that no one is too lost for God to restore, so long as they come to Him with a truly repentant heart and put their faith in Him. God wants to use each and every single one of us to bring about His glory in the world. 

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 11, Romans 6:1-4, Psalms 51:17