Sunday’s message was about God’s forgiveness.
I John 2:12 says:
I John 2:12 says:
“ I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for His name’s sake.”
I learned that the Greek word for forgiven means “something that happened in the past but you continue to live under the effect of it in the present.”
In Colossians 2:13-14, it says that God took us who were dead in sin and made us alive by forgiving all our sins. It is not qualified...it says ALL our sins. It also says that He took the debt we owed and nailed it to the cross.
Sometimes we doubt God’s forgiveness...we wonder if He could really forgive that awful thing we did, that destructive decision we made, the hurt we caused someone else, the way we dishonored Him, the debt we owe.....and the list could go on and on. But He says He did......when He nailed them to the tree. When we question God’s ability to forgive, we are denying the glory of what Christ did on the cross. God saved us because He loved us, but primarily He did it to bring glory to Himself.
So we live under the effect of His grace and forgiveness. All we have to do is believe it, receive it and LIVE it!
“....forgetting those things which are behind,and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press toward the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Phil 3:13b-14
Sometime people want to see God as the cosmic Santa Claus instead of a righteous God. I am in dialog with someone who had no idea what love was. I had to explain that love was what God did by sending Jesus to be our sacrifice. Not when we were perfect but while we were still sinners.She couldn't understand that love was not a feeling.
ReplyDeleteThe same with grace you can't feel it, you must accept it as part of God's word.
Great reminder of the power of forgiveness. What a gracious and loving God we serve and what opportunities abound to share His forgiveness with others!
ReplyDeleteI love the song by Selah "Press On." Thanks for a great post.
ReplyDelete'Forgetting what is behind...'and pressing on. That is living forgiveness.
ReplyDeletePraising Him for the forgiveness that is mine because of His love for me...that took Him to the cross! Wonderful post.
ReplyDeleteWhat an uplifting reminder, Miss Debbie, thank you! I think the devil lies to us about this to keep us living defeated lives.
ReplyDeleteSometimes we have to reap the consequences for our sins but God still loves us and we are forgiven, just the same.
Blessings!