You are Forgiven!

Which is easier: to say, “Your sins are forgiven,” or to say, “Get up and walk”?  But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins… He said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” Luke 5:23-24 NIV

Do you have a hard time accepting God’s forgiveness?  If so, what do you believe is the source of your difficulty?

Jesus came as the Son of Man to rescue us from the great plight of man: we have a sin problem, and we are powerless to help ourselves.  Given the right set of circumstances and the wrong state of mind, each of us is capable of just about anything.  Even if we could get our external lives under perfect and legalistic control, we’d probably rot on the inside with the heinous sin of pride.  Let’s face it we’re all hopeless—except that Jesus came as the “Son of Man” with the “authority on earth to forgive sins.”

I can remember being so devastated over a sin I had allowed to ensnare me that I repeatedly begged God to forgive me.  I confessed my sin with great sorrow and lost a few nights sleep. Still, I continued to plead for forgiveness. Then one day God spoke to my heart in those words in Luke 5, “Terry, my child, you have an authority problem. You think you can do your part which is to repent.  You just don’t think I can do My part which is to forgive.”

I was stunned.  I began to realize that my sin of unbelief in His power to forgive me was as serious as my prior sin of rebellion.  It was eye-opening!

If you have truly repented—which means you have experienced godly sorrow and a subsequent detour from the sin—bathe yourself in the river of God’s forgiveness. The Son of Man has authority to forgive sins right here on earth. You can experience the freedom of complete forgiveness right now.  Fall under Christ’s authority and accept His grace.

He prays to God and finds favor with him, he sees God’s face and shouts for joy; he is restored by God to his righteous state.  Then he comes to men and says, “I sinned, and perverted what was right, but I did not get what I deserved.  He redeemed my soul from going down to the pit (grave), and I will live to enjoy the light.” Job 33:26-28 NIV

Terry Smith
Stephenville, TX