The Freedom of Forgiveness

Oftentimes when a Christian says, “I am so blessed,” it usually means something good has happened to them. We usually don’t equate blessing with trials and tribulations; it is our natural inclination. However, I think we can agree that we should praise God when life is going well, even though we tend to forget to do so.

Do you feel blessed for having your sins forgiven? Do you equate the remission of your sins on the same level of God bringing into your life bounty and good health? Remember how you felt before you gave your life to Jesus. Remember the burden of your guilt because of the sins in your life.

Churches are great at bringing up “the worst of sinners” to give their testimonies and we rightfully delight in their newfound freedom from sin. Only the grace of God can rescue the lowliest sinner from judgment.

However, do you rejoice because of your having been forgiven? Does it ever dawn on you how blessed you are to no longer be under God’s judgment because of your sins? Do you daily experience the joy of forgiveness? David sure did:

    “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.” (Psalm 32:1-2)

I am guilty of taken for granted my state of forgiveness. I might be reminded to thank God for Jesus Christ being my Savior and Substitution for my sins. When I begin praying I might recognize that I am a forgiven soul. However, there should be so much more than just reminders.

There should be celebration. There should be exultation. There should be jubilation.

Dear friends, I am not getting carried away; I am being awakened to the understanding of the level of blessedness that exists in my life. I am free of guilt. I can live a life where there is no deceit in my life, especially not in my spirit.

Do you realize that we are to celebrate the remissions of our sins? Does your church observe the Lord’s Supper or does it celebrate it? Remember when Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper?

    “Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.’” (Matthew 26:27-28)

Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper so that we would remember His substitutionary sacrifice for us. It is so easy to remember the good things Jesus has done for us; is there anything better than being forgiven? Is being free from the guilty stains of sins not worth celebrating? Commenting on David’s words in Psalm 32, Warren Wiersbe writes:

    “Chronologically, his experience of forgiveness came long after he had committed his sins and covered them up for almost a year (vv. 3-5). But having now entered into the freedom of forgiveness, David couldn’t wait to shout about it. If we have acceptance with God, it matters not what else may happen to us.”

Go back and read that one more time. Our sins always come first; forgiveness usually comes much later because we take our time in seeking forgiveness. However, when we remember our past, we should begin rejoicing in our forgiveness before we start cataloging our failures.

Perhaps you are reading this and you have no idea what I’m talking about. Your life is one of constant guilt and regret and you deem yourself unlovable. You cannot imagine ever being forgiven for what you’ve done. You may have tried to be forgiven by those you have wronged and they’ve slammed the door in your face.

You’re seeking forgiveness from the wrong person. You need to ask Jesus to forgive you. Confess your sins to Him and acknowledge that only He can forgive and save you from the judgment you deserve. When you do that you will finally experience the freedom of forgiveness.

If you are a believer and have a spirit of deceit because of unconfessed sins in your life, stop right now and confess that to God and be restored to a right relationship with Jesus Christ.

We have a choice.

We can choose the servitude of sin or we can choose the freedom of forgiveness.

Choose wisely…

In Christ
Dave
Ps. 37:4

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    Copyright © 2015 David Jeffers

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