Living in the Light of Forgiveness
Forgiveness is something God offers when we receive salvation through Jesus Christ. When we are in Him, we already are forgiven. That truth is too big to contain!
It's not how sorry we are, and if we express it with many tears or not when we violate His ways, or even if our confession is sincere enough that determines if He will forgive us, for that would be based on what we do. No, it is a gift He offers us, and is already present when we do sin.
When many people think of sin, they think in terms of external behavior, but when Jesus lived on earth, He taught that to "sin" is a matter of the heart. While it's true that our heart sins can affect our outward behavior, it is the deeper issues inside of us that He is looking at.
What are some heart sins? They involve anything which violates the "law of love," such as judging, hating, cruelty, selfishness, jealousy, lust, unforgiveness, and more. They all stem from letting our flesh have it's own way, as the substance of the flesh is that beast called PRIDE. With that in mind, most people spend a large part of their day, in their heart, violating the law of love.
How can we possibly then confess the many sins of the heart, throughout the day, so that we can "make sure" we are forgiven, if that is what is required to be forgiven? There is a religious group that confesses "known sins" and "unknown sins" to cover that base, but there is something wrong with that. It's as if they believe it's up to them to do the right thing each and every time, making sure nothing is overlooked until they are convinced their sins are forgiven, and still, by observation, I have seen that they still are uncertain.
But, by being in Christ, we can be certain that our sins are forgiven. God looks at Him, and His sacrifice on our behalf, when He looks at our hearts. You could say our sins died with Him on the cross. So, do we need to even look at the sins we commit in our heart, or when we do recognize them, should we just look at the cross where they died, and were cast into the sea of forgetfulness, with sorrow towards how our sin made Him suffer, and in gratitude to Him for what He did for us?
If you have any insights about this, I welcome your comments, as I am examining this myself. I am looking at forgiveness and wanting to know more about it, in terms of what that looks like as being in Christ.
It's not how sorry we are, and if we express it with many tears or not when we violate His ways, or even if our confession is sincere enough that determines if He will forgive us, for that would be based on what we do. No, it is a gift He offers us, and is already present when we do sin.
When many people think of sin, they think in terms of external behavior, but when Jesus lived on earth, He taught that to "sin" is a matter of the heart. While it's true that our heart sins can affect our outward behavior, it is the deeper issues inside of us that He is looking at.
What are some heart sins? They involve anything which violates the "law of love," such as judging, hating, cruelty, selfishness, jealousy, lust, unforgiveness, and more. They all stem from letting our flesh have it's own way, as the substance of the flesh is that beast called PRIDE. With that in mind, most people spend a large part of their day, in their heart, violating the law of love.
How can we possibly then confess the many sins of the heart, throughout the day, so that we can "make sure" we are forgiven, if that is what is required to be forgiven? There is a religious group that confesses "known sins" and "unknown sins" to cover that base, but there is something wrong with that. It's as if they believe it's up to them to do the right thing each and every time, making sure nothing is overlooked until they are convinced their sins are forgiven, and still, by observation, I have seen that they still are uncertain.
But, by being in Christ, we can be certain that our sins are forgiven. God looks at Him, and His sacrifice on our behalf, when He looks at our hearts. You could say our sins died with Him on the cross. So, do we need to even look at the sins we commit in our heart, or when we do recognize them, should we just look at the cross where they died, and were cast into the sea of forgetfulness, with sorrow towards how our sin made Him suffer, and in gratitude to Him for what He did for us?
If you have any insights about this, I welcome your comments, as I am examining this myself. I am looking at forgiveness and wanting to know more about it, in terms of what that looks like as being in Christ.
posted by Patti Blount @ 7:42 AM
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