“There is no way God could ever forgive me for the sins I’ve committed.”
These words are often spoken by people whose pasts are riddled with crime, violence, deceit, and transgressions of all description. Unable to forgive themselves, they cannot comprehend how a holy God could offer forgiveness.
King David could easily have felt this way. The backdrop of Psalm 51 is stained with lust, adultery, deceit, and murder. David’s uncontrolled passion for the beautiful Bathsheba led to adultery. Having committed that sin, David used the power of his office to put Bathsheba’s husband in harm’s way on the battlefield, knowing it would result in his death. Upon being confronted by the prophet Nathan, David cried this prayer in verses 1,2:
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion, blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.The wonder of it all is that God did forgive David, who became known as a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22).
There is no sin so great that it is beyond the reach of God’s grace. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow,” declares Isaiah 1:18. No matter what you have done, no matter how far you have strayed from God’s standards, forgiveness is available to you. Receive that promise today and accept God’s forgiveness.
Is there a sin in your past that looms so large you fear it might reach beyond God’s forgiveness?
If so, why do you believe it’s beyond grace?
How can your life change with the knowledge that God offers complete forgiveness regardless of your past?
The hardest thing to understand sometimes for me is how can God continue to forgive me? Especially when I should know better by now.
ReplyDeleteBut then I realize that I really don't understand how amazing His Love really is.
So I conclude that maybe forgiveness doesn't need to be understood. Really, how can it in the presence of a Holy God?
It simply needs to be received and then to live in light of that fact appreciating that truth.
I'm broken by this mystery!
Pastor CJ, you took the words right out of my mouth. I think the forgiveness and the unconditional love of Christ is far beyond our understanding. But we have the Word of God to reassure us that it is in fact true that no sin is to great for our Lord to wash away. Maybe we should stop focusing on our struggle with sin and focus on the fact that God is all loving and nothing can seperate us from Him!
ReplyDelete