SWORD OF THE SPIRIT                                                                                               1356

“Can I Be Forgiven?”

Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out – Acts 3:19

The Bible describes some really bad apples and Manasseh was one of the worst. Surely if there is someone who can’t be forgiven it would be him. Yet God poured out His grace upon him when he repented and humbled himself before God in prayer.

Manasseh led Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem astray, to do more evil than the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the people of Israel… And when he was in distress, he entreated the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. He prayed to him, and God was moved by his entreaty and heard his plea and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God. – 2 Chron 33: 6-13

This is encouraging since the devil is always reminding us of our sins and how unworthy we are. He wants us to doubt God’s love. He wants us to doubt that we can be forgiven and receive eternal salvation. He wants us to give up and say, ‘What is the use’, and return to wallow in a life of sin and be destined for eternal damnation.

There is Hope in the Message of the Word of God – The entire Word of God, both Old and New Testaments, reveal to us His plan of redemption for us. It is a message of hope for the forgiveness of sin and salvation to eternal life through faith in Jesus.

I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins; I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall know that I am the Lord… when I atone for you for all that you have done, declares the Lord God – Isaiah 43:25; Ezekiel 16:62-63

The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. – Zephaniah 3:17; Psalm 103:10-12

The Impossible Call to Perfection – Jesus taught that we must be perfect and holy as our heavenly Father is. He taught that our righteousness must exceed that of the religious leaders of the day. At first blush, these are hope destroying statements and they would have been had Jesus not revealed God’s plan for salvation and that all things are possible with God.

You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect; When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible”; “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. – Matthew 5:48, 19:25-26; John 14:6

Jesus is the Key to Forgiveness – We all have sinned. We were born into sin and deserve the righteous wrath of a holy God. God is just and He will not simply overlook wickedness. It is impossible for us to earn His forgiveness. No amount of good works, community service, or penance will free us from the judgement we deserve. Yet, God loved us when we were unlovable and sent His only Son, Jesus: pure, perfect, holy, and sinless to bear the punishment for all sin for all mankind, once and for all time. Jesus is the key to our forgiveness and imputed righteousness before God.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. – John 3:16-18

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God; And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus – 2 Corinthians 5:21; Acts 4:12; Romans 8:1

Repentance is Necessary – It is necessary for us to acknowledge our sin and our need for a savior and forgiveness of our sin. Repentance, however, is much more than grief over our sins and sorrow because of the consequences we may be experiencing.

The Greek word where repentance is used as a noun is “metanoia” which means “a change of mind.” Repentance is a change of mind, intentions, and of the heart. True repentance is a turning away from the old sinful way of life, desiring to have the mind of Christ, and to follow Him in obedience.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 3:2, 6:23

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. – 1 John 1:9

Born Again to New Life – Through repentance, forgiveness, and faith in Jesus’ atonement for our sins, we are a new creation – sons and daughters of our heavenly Father.

And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross; Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. – Colossians 2:13-14;2 Corinthians 5:17