God's Forgiveness Is Not a Feeling, It's a Fact
Day 10
by Gini Crawford, MSW
posted 12/21/2016, revised 5/19/2018
Jesus took the punishment for all of our sins, so we can be forgiven.
In Him (Jesus) we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses (sins), according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. Ephesians 1:7-8. NASB®
At times do you feel God can't or won't forgive you? Sometimes I feel I am not worthy enough to be forgiven by God. How about you? As women we need to remember we have many feelings, and some are just misleading! Our emotions can take us on roller coaster rides. Are you relating? To battle your wrong feelings, you need to trust in what God says, even though your feelings are telling you otherwise. You need to also keep in mind that God doesn't lie, like we do! (Numbers 23:19). So when He says, "your sins are forgiven," you can trust in His statement! When you allow God's Word to rule your mind then when your emotions say, "God won't forgive me," then your mind can say, "Oh yes, look at what God's Word says, I am forgiven!" (Our thinking changes first but our feelings may take a while to catch up with our new mindset.)
When you sin as a Christian, God is clear on the fact you are still forgiven because of Jesus' death on the cross. Remember His death paid the penalty for every sin (1 John 2:2). His sacrifice satisfied God's wrath towards our sins. The key to having your sins forgiven is, believing in Jesus.
... that through His name (Jesus) everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins. Acts 10:43. NASB®
So why as Christians should we care about not sinning? When we disobey God or sin as Christians, we are walking away from God because He can have nothing to do with sin. When we confess our sins or agree with God about our sins it restores closeness, to God again. Confessing your sins is the easiest way God could give you to be so quickly near Him again (Psalm 32:1-5).
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9. NASB®
As a Christian, what does sin do? Sin suppresses the power of the Holy Spirit in you (John 14:16-17, Titus 3:4-6, Ephesians 4:30-32). Look at it this way, as Christians we have the Holy Spirit living within us, but sin weakens the power of the Spirit in our lives (1 John 1:5-9). This means not forgiving weakens our relationship with God.
Life Application
God's forgiveness is sacrificial. The gift of forgiveness is an act of love given to us by God through the sacrifice of His Son. Would you sacrifice your son so someone could have their offenses forgiven? I would not! God's forgiveness is a gift we need to be very aware of and very thankful for! We needed forgiveness so God gave us forgiveness at a great cost, the death of His Son. So when other people need forgiveness we need to forgive them, realizing our forgiveness was very costly. Read Isaiah 53:4-6; Psalm 32:1-5; Matthew 1:21; Romans 8:31-39; Ephesians 4:32; 1 Peter 1:18-21. Have you ever forgiven someone at a great cost? Do you find it hard or easy to forgive? Remember, God wants you to forgive, so He will help you to. Ask Him!