Because of God’s grace, we can stand before him, spotless and pure in his sight, regardless of our past.
We are all sinners. Because of our human carnal nature, it is impossible for any of us to live sin-free.
“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8)
“…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23)
There are many ways to sin. As humans, we tend to categorize them into different levels. Some are really bad, while other sins are very small. It just makes sense to us that some sins are not as bad as others. However, just like a single drop of raw sewage can contaminate an entire barrel of water, any sin in our lives will make us unfit for Heaven. The disciples asked Jesus, “How then can any of us be saved?”
Jesus answered, “With man it is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26-27)
This is where God’s grace and forgiveness come in. God said he would forgive our sins and remember them no more. (Hebrews 8:12 & 10:17)
Because God loved each of us so much, he sent his son to die a horrible death on the cross that we might be saved. (John 3:16) Through the shedding of Christ’s blood, he made the ultimate sacrifice for the redemption of our sins.
Now it is a simple matter of asking Jesus to forgive our sins and come into our lives and fill us with the Holy Spirit. We are then children of God and a place is reserved for us in Heaven.
Are you living with the past that burdens you? Do the sins of your past condemn you? Many of us live with regrets about our past. Whether they are small or large doesn’t matter, they can still be a burden. Dwelling on past regrets can drag us down. How much better to hand our past over to Jesus. The Lord said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)
God said he would forgive our sins and then remember them no more. (Hebrews 8:12)
The phrase “remember no more” means that God will never hold it against us. He deals with us on the basis of grace and mercy, not law and merit. While it may not be possible for us to forget our past mistakes, we can forgive ourselves, just as God has forgiven us. Once we have asked Jesus for forgiveness and to come into our lives we are forgiven. We may need to forgive others as Christ has forgiven us. We may even need to ask others to forgive us for something in the past. But, otherwise, the past is past. We are new creatures in Christ. The future is what matters.
While we are new creatures in Christ, we still retain our sinful nature and we will until we get to Heaven. Even a fleeting unkind thought or maybe a moment of jealousy or resentment is a sin, is it not? I must admit that I sometimes have unkind thoughts about other drivers when I am traveling. Thank God for his grace.
Because of God’s grace, our sins are forgiven; past, present, and future. It would be nearly impossible to ask God to forgive our every sin. We probably sin sometimes without even realizing it. God’s grace and forgiveness are not a one-time whitewash of our sins. It is an ongoing process as we daily surrender our lives to God. Grace makes it possible for us to stand before God, perfect in his sight. We are now living under God’s grace and mercy, we are no longer living under the burden of the law or manmade rules. God has made it possible for us to live free of shame and guilt. We are free because of God’s love.
We are Free! We are Loved!
Be blessed my friend until we meet in heaven!
Hope Shack 