Imagine standing before a mirror every morning and declaring aloud: “I am a redeemed child of God. I am a forgiven child of God. I am a saved child of God.” According to our guest John Schuetze, LPC, DMin, MDiv, BC-TMH, this simple practice can transform how we understand repentance and reshape our relationship with guilt and shame.

In this profound exploration of Christian identity and repentance, Professor Schuetze draws from his 15 years as a pastor, 28 years teaching at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, and his ongoing work as a licensed professional counselor at Christian Family Solutions specializing in grief, trauma, and marital therapy. He unpacks repentance not as a mere acknowledgment of wrongdoing, but as a fundamental reorientation of how we see ourselves.

The conversation reveals how sin affects us in three distinct ways: our own sinful actions, the painful effects of others’ sins against us, and the general presence of sin in our fallen world. Each dimension requires a different response, but all must be addressed through the lens of our primary identity as God’s children.

For those struggling with persistent guilt despite knowing God’s forgiveness, Schuetze offers both spiritual wisdom and practical neurological insights. He explains how negative thought patterns create well-worn neural pathways that must be gradually replaced with healthier, gospel-centered ones. “It's not a perfect faith that saves us,” he reminds listeners, “it’s Christ that saves us.”

As we enter the Lenten season, this episode serves as a timely reminder that while sin is indeed serious—“we don't have a little Savior who died for a bunch of little sins”—God’s grace is even greater. True repentance means living in that tension, continually returning to our identity in Christ while striving for progress, not perfection, in our daily walk.

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