March 3, 2018 OUR DEBT CANCELED OUT
Colossians 4:13-14: “And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven all your transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.”
A central truth, the cornerstone of the gospel, is that God forgives sin when we accept Him as Lord and Savior; the purpose of Jesus coming to earth was that man might be forgiven and restored to God. Yet, many struggle with this issue of forgiveness-the receiving of forgiveness for our own sins and being able to extend forgiveness to those who have wronged us. For today, the subject is about us receiving forgiveness from God for our sins against Him. The primary reason we have trouble receiving forgiveness is that our pride resist admitting our sin. We find it difficult to say “I was wrong, I sinned.” And, often, if we do admit our wrong, our sin, we shift the blame to others or to something else. If we are going to enjoy our relationship with God, we must know in the deepest part of our heart that God has forgiven us and that all of our guilt and the ‘decrees’ against us before we were born again, were nailed to the cross. When a thought of a sin of the pass comes to mind, use it as a springboard to remind you of the great forgiveness of God, and thank Him for His forgiveness. When God forgives us, He no longer sees our sin! The sin issue has been dealt with, once for all. By not knowing our forgiveness, the memories of past sin ‘nags’ us like a heavy weight that is always there to remind us of our failures. It is a red-letter day when we come to a place where we receive the full forgiveness that is ours in Christ, and we acknowledge that Christ came and died that we might receive forgiveness for our sins. Isaiah 1:18 is a wonderful verse that reveals the heart that God has for His people and it beautifully describes the forgiveness He offers: “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow, thought they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” Until we come to know and experience His full forgiveness, we will not enjoy the freedom and the abundant life we have in Christ. At salvation, God forgives us off all past sins. When as believers we commit a sin, 1 John 1:9 tells us what we are to do: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Note that not only will God forgive us when we confess our sins, He will also purify us from all unrighteousness. True repentance goes hand-in-hand with confession, and true repentance involves a turning away from our sin, changing directions. If we continue in the same sin, then perhaps we have not truly repented for that sin. For today, let us thank God that He has forgiven us for every sin we have ever committed and let us enjoy the unhindered relationship with Him that He has made possible by forgiving us and cleansing of our sins against Him.
Ephesians 1:7: “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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