Forgiveness through Christ
dlplife September 27th, 2007
If we confess our sins He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
One of the most beautiful promises of Scripture is the assurance that we have the forgiveness of sins through Christ Jesus.
Someone asked an old man if he thought he would go to heaven when he died. He replied, “I’m absolutely sure of it.”
“How can you be sure? Surely you’ve done something wrong while you’ve been here on this earth all these years, so how can you be sure that you will go to heaven?
The old man replied, “I don’t think I will go to heaven because I’ve done so many good deeds here, or have done so few bad deeds. But I believe in Jesus Christ and the Bible says that if I believe in Him, that I will have eternal life, not by my own merits but on the basis of His merits.”
This is the biblical testimony, that all who believe in Christ Jesus will have eternal life.
Is it easy for God to forgive sin? Absolutely not! The only way Holy God could forgive sin is if He Himself paid for the price of our sins. The Bible says that the wages of sin is death, and that Christ died in our place on the cross. Christ has done what is required for us to be forgiven. God, in His wisdom and love, did not ignore the punishment of our sins, rather He placed the punishment upon Jesus Christ. Christ, because of His love for us, went to the cross for us.
Do you believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins? Do you believe that you need forgiveness before God? The recognition of our need for forgiveness and that Jesus Christ is God’s answer for our need are essential things to grasp in order to believe and be saved.
Do you believe that Jesus rose from the dead? This is one of the best testified facts of history; the New Testament names many of those who saw Christ resurrected from the dead. But we still must grasp this by faith. We must choose to believe in Christ as the Resurrection and the Life.
Do you believe that Jesus would hear you if you prayed to Him? That is also a basic truth that we must believe in order to be saved.
We sometimes call the prayer of salvation the “Sinner’s Prayer.” This prayer has no power by itself. It is not in the precise wording, nor in how we say it that matters. But this is a meaningful prayer because it represents the truth of the Bible about our need and God’s answer for our need. It goes like this:
Lord Jesus, I admit that I am a sinner and need your forgiveness. I turn from my sin and turn to faith in you. I believe that you died on the cross for my sins and rose from the grave and can hear me as I pray now. I ask you to forgive my sins and come into my life. Thank you for hearing my prayer.
This is a prayer that everyone needs to pray. Have you prayed this prayer, or one like it? If you are unsure then pray it now. God will hear you as you have faith in Him.
If you have prayed this prayer before but are caught up in sinful behavior, you don’t need to be saved again, but you need to admit the sinfulness of your thoughts and actions, confessing these things to God, and when you do, He will cleanse you from all unrighteousness. Amen.