Forgiveness

Doubting God is a disease that continues to infect the human heart. God provides sin’s sacrifice; we proclaim self-sufficiency. God provides forgiveness; we carry our sin. God promises never to leave us; we feel alone.

God tells his people that because of who he is and what he has done, they can “walk with their heads held high.” And so can we!

The death of Jesus on our behalf brings forgiveness and reconciles us with the Holy God. Amazing, isn’t it? Wherever you are in the Old Testament, God the Father is preparing us for God the Son.

God was with John as he grew and “became strong in spirit.”

The work of Jesus on the cross was applied to this condemned man. All his sin was laid on Jesus, and he passed from death to life. Such is the power of grace. Such is the fullness of forgiveness.

Too many people use the guilt and shame of sin as a barrier between themselves and God. Many believe they must clean up their acts before God will accept them. The problem with that thinking is this: no one can clean up their life on their own. Only Jesus can do that. Lay your sin—the sin He died for—before Him and let His forgiveness wash over your heart.

For some reason, Judas couldn’t grasp forgiveness. The shame drove him deeper into his guilt instead of to the forgiving Lord. He took matters into his own hands and ended his life. Judas not only betrayed Jesus, but he also ran from the One who could forgive him, even after the kiss.