Have you ever felt the relief and gratitude of being forgiven?
I have.
I have said or done things that have hurt those I love, and as my heart weighed heavy with guilt, I have experienced the freedom that forgiveness brings.
Last week during our zoom sharing we explored this passage in Romans:
22 We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. 23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins…27 Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. 28 So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law. Romans 3:22-28
No mater who we are, we are made right with God through faith in Jesus. Faith in what? Faith in Jesus, that He has indeed freed us from the penalty for our wrongdoing by taking our place. Faith that God forgives – not once, not twice, but 70 times 7 times and more. Faith that our works (good or bad) are not what determine our salvation but our trust that God, who began the good work in us, will “continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns” (Philippians 1:6).
4 When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned. 5 But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners. 6 David also spoke of this when he described the happiness of those who are declared righteous without working for it: 7 “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. 8 Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin.” Romans 4:4-8
I recently got a notice of infringement for going 5 km over the speed limit. $227. Imagine if they decide to erase the record – what joy, what relief!
That’s nothing compared to the joy of knowing all my sins have been forgiven, my life record made clean.
That kind of joy is life-transforming.
by: Jinha Kim
"But those who drink the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4:14
