God remembers your sins no more. I don’t know about you, but when the lights came on concerning this truth, my life changed.
For the longest time, it seemed everywhere I went, or whatever I tried to do, guilt was right there with me, haunting me and toying with my mind. My sins weren’t the stuff of legend, but they were sins just the same and they (I) deserved to be punished. But when, how? I didn’t have the answer, only the sobering thought that some day God was going to punish me.
Even though I knew of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, forgiveness was not a reality. I wasn’t even convinced that it was a possibility. I wondered if God was willing to forgive me at all. I pleaded with Him, asked Him into my life countless times, but still guilt kept hanging around, until…
Hebrews 10. There, I found out exactly what Jesus’ sacrifice did for me. His work on the cross cleansed me, took away my sins, made me holy and perfect in God’s sight, and fulfilled the old covenant on my behalf. And this just blows my mind: Jesus’ death erased my sins from God’s memory.
Oh, the relief I felt knowing that my sins had been forgiven once and for all, and then to be unshackled from the guilt and shame. They kept telling me I could never go into the throne of grace, even though the door was wide open. But no more, forgiveness is mine. I’ve entered in. How about you?
Isn’t that just neat?!?! I remember the first time I read 2 Corinthians 5:19–blew me away! Funny thing how we read these scriptures 100’s of times over, but when it hits us… it hits us! I always felt guilty after hearing sermons like, “Jesus died for you, and THIS is how you repay him?!?!”
I can totally empathize, Bob. My sins weren’t way huge in retrospect, but yeah–I had some that I though needing dealt with. I was gratefully surprised when God finally revealed that my sins HAVE been dealt with, once and for all!
I have to snicker–I used to think that the book of Romans and the book of Hebrews were written for the “smart” people. I sure as heck couldn’t understand them. Must’ve been for rabbis and doctrines of divinity and the like lol.
Enjoyed this post!
Hey Lisa, your post put a smile on my face. Romans and Hebrews usually are presented with an intellectual flair, and yes they are intellectually stunning because they reveal the mind of God. However, the meaning is available to anyone humble enough to receive.
Hebrews 10 is one of the most liberating passages from the Bible. Loved reading your post, Bob.
Hey David, I agree with your assessment of Hebrews 10. It is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible.
I have always struggled with the truth that my sins are forgiven. I never felt forgiven, always the feeling of guilt. I thank God that He is teaching me my sin really is taken care of completely in Christ.
Hey Neal, Thanks for your honesty. That is refreshing. I think letting go of our feelings of guilt is difficult for us do. The reason is that we still see ourselves through the lens of our sins. But, we are not defined by our sins. God has given us a new identity — child of the living King. Keep resting in what Christ has accomplished. He removed your sins, and replaced them with His righteousness.
I guess that is why it is a matter of faith based upon the truth of the Word. The “feeler” just doesn’t get it though.
The truth does work its way through our souls; the mind, emotions and will. The “feeler” will come along in time.
If Jesus’ death erased our sins from Gods memory, then why do we as believers have to give an account of our sins when we stand before God ,or that our sins will be exposed.
Hey Delores, great question. As believers, our sins will not be exposed. They were exposed 2000 years ago at Mt. Calvary. Jesus took our punishment once and for all. The sin issue has been dealt with completely. We will not be judged for our sins, only our works.
…and only for rewards – NOT for punishment. I think of that day like High School graduation day. Everybody there is graduation. Some received awards, scholarships and praise for their academic achievements. I was happy for them because I knew they earned their rewards. I just plain graduated and I was very happy about that. No punishment for our failures – we all celebrated graduation day!
The most awesome part of this is that we are no longer identified by our past (sins).Because we are new creations in Christ, we have the capacity to really step up for Christ. Because of His sacrifice we can finally grow, and leave the past in the past. Thanks Bob, for this outreach and this post in particular.
Would it be too bold to let people know that because of what Jesus did on the cross 2000 years ago, we no longer sin against God, but against each other?
Great post Bob thank you for sharing..God Bless you and your’s.
How do we deal with folks who do not want to talk about this issue Bob. I have discovered that many people I know use the 1 john 1:9 verse to tell new believers that if they sin they must go there and see that God wants us to continue to ask for forgiveness when they mess up?