He will turn again, He will have compassion
upon us; He will subdue our iniquities; and will
cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.
Micah 7:19
The forgiveness of sin and how to cope with all the guilt, shame and regret which so often occurs because of one's sinful past is a recurring theme in many letters that I get from fellow Christians...
upon us; He will subdue our iniquities; and will
cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.
Micah 7:19
The forgiveness of sin and how to cope with all the guilt, shame and regret which so often occurs because of one's sinful past is a recurring theme in many letters that I get from fellow Christians...
"How does one deal with these things," I am asked. Earlier today I had to write to someone to answer this common question.
So I reminded this person that Christ has already taken our sins and has washed them away with His own blood which He willingly shed on Calvary's cross. Correspondingly, in the Old Testament God is seen as taking all our sins and iniquities and throwing them into the depths of the sea, never to be remembered any more. See Micah 7:18-20 for the full text of this.
However, because we are mere mortals, we have a natural tendency to remember many of our sins and to wallow in the regret of them, usually because of the terrible consequences they have brought upon us. But, if we have placed our faith in Christ and are trusting in Him for our salvation, we must now see our lives from God's viewpoint. And His view is that when it comes to those who are in Christ, all our sins have been forgiven and our sinful past has been forgotten.
Such great grace obviously overcomes the mind. But it is actually a biblical reality which goes beyond human comprehension because we are no longer dealing on the level of human vengeance with its desire to punish and retaliate for wrongdoing. Instead, when God enters the picture, everything is moved to His playing field, so to speak. The game is now played by His rules. Here, in God's ball park, the mercy and compassion of the Lord are without limit.
I reminded my friend that I too struggled for many years with guilt and regret. And these feelings many never fully go away. Yet in spite of this we're to do our best to give the guilt and regret to the Lord, while we learn to rest in His love and accept His forgiveness.
Jesus' work was finished at the cross, I told her. When, in His final hours of human life He shouted, "It is finished," our salvation was now fully secured. Christ paid the price for our sins that by His power we may now live a brand new life. That we may have peace in our hearts having first made our peace with God through faith in Christ Jesus (Romans 5:1).
I hope my words will help ease the pain and anguish that has caused her spirit to be crushed and broken for a long time now. Forgiveness is a wonderful gift. It is meant to be enjoyed, and it is mean to be lived.
D.B.
So I reminded this person that Christ has already taken our sins and has washed them away with His own blood which He willingly shed on Calvary's cross. Correspondingly, in the Old Testament God is seen as taking all our sins and iniquities and throwing them into the depths of the sea, never to be remembered any more. See Micah 7:18-20 for the full text of this.
However, because we are mere mortals, we have a natural tendency to remember many of our sins and to wallow in the regret of them, usually because of the terrible consequences they have brought upon us. But, if we have placed our faith in Christ and are trusting in Him for our salvation, we must now see our lives from God's viewpoint. And His view is that when it comes to those who are in Christ, all our sins have been forgiven and our sinful past has been forgotten.
Such great grace obviously overcomes the mind. But it is actually a biblical reality which goes beyond human comprehension because we are no longer dealing on the level of human vengeance with its desire to punish and retaliate for wrongdoing. Instead, when God enters the picture, everything is moved to His playing field, so to speak. The game is now played by His rules. Here, in God's ball park, the mercy and compassion of the Lord are without limit.
I reminded my friend that I too struggled for many years with guilt and regret. And these feelings many never fully go away. Yet in spite of this we're to do our best to give the guilt and regret to the Lord, while we learn to rest in His love and accept His forgiveness.
Jesus' work was finished at the cross, I told her. When, in His final hours of human life He shouted, "It is finished," our salvation was now fully secured. Christ paid the price for our sins that by His power we may now live a brand new life. That we may have peace in our hearts having first made our peace with God through faith in Christ Jesus (Romans 5:1).
I hope my words will help ease the pain and anguish that has caused her spirit to be crushed and broken for a long time now. Forgiveness is a wonderful gift. It is meant to be enjoyed, and it is mean to be lived.
D.B.
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