In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness (Hebrews 9:22).
Forgiveness is not a human concept. It originated with God, and he alone has the authority and power to forgive sins. Our sins put us into someone else's debt. We don't like being in that position. All sins are ultimately against God, so we are in his debt. It is his choice to forgive or not to forgive. He chose to forgive.
That's grace.
He accomplished this forgiveness through the shedding of blood (Hebrews 9:22). God, in his authority and power, forgave you through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. As C.S. Lewis so eloquently stated, "I think that if God forgives us we must forgive ourselves."
But why do we have such a hard time applying his forgiveness to our lives? Why do we choose to live with guilt and shame? Why does self-condemnation have such a stronghold on us? Why do we continue to allow the sins of our past to tell us who we are today?
The writer of Hebrews offers the answers we need. "See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many" (Hebrews 12:15).
What is his answer? That we not miss the grace of God.
The result of missing God's grace is bitterness, which causes trouble. People who are struggling to forgive themselves are troubled. They are troubled because they carry with them the stains of their past.
Ask God to make forgiveness real in your heart. Then you will be set free of guilt, shame, and self-condemnation. You are forgiven. Celebrate that truth!
Taken from: SIMPLE GOSPEL, SIMPLY GRACE, Copyright ©2015 by Bob Christopher, Published by Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, Oregon 97402, www.harvesthousepublishers.com
In Him,
Bob Christopher