Sin and Forgiveness
Sin and Forgiveness
When we sin, it produces guilt (Psalm 51:3) and makes one feel unclean (Psalm 51:2, 7). In fact, it should make one feel crushed (Psalm 51:8), but most of all it separates us from being one with God Himself (Isaiah 59:1-2). Sin brings punishment to us either now or later, and it brings a loss of peace (2 Samuel 12:10) and honor to our life (2 Samuel 12:11).
Take the story of David and Bathsheba. The 32nd Psalm is written by David after sinning with Bathsheba. David sinned greatly by his relationship with Bathsheba and then trying to cover it up and having her husband killed. He learned what sin would cost him. Their first son died and David felt the effects of sin in his life.
But we have a great God and He wants to forgive us and have us get right with Him. There is blessing in forgiveness. The word blessing in both Hebrew and Greek means happiness. This isn’t just superficial joy, but a deep and lasting joy that is not affected no matter what circumstances and trials come our way.
What needs to happen to be forgiven is that we always need to repent of our sins. That means we acknowledge them to God and we stop doing them. So what happens when we are forgiven anyway? We are cleansed (Acts 33:16, Ephesians 5:26). We are delivered from that sin (Colossians 1:13). We are given a gift (Ephesians 2:8-9). It’s value is seen in its purchase price (1 Peter 1:18-19). Our very soul is the most important and valuable thing in the all the world. The wealth of the world does not compare to our very soul. We are adopted by God Himself (Romans 8:14-16). We are cured (Luke 4:23), and we are reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:17-19).
Sin is not forgiven when we deny it in our life (1 John 1:8-10). It is not forgiven when we conceal it (Hebrew 4:13. Sin is not forgiven just because we try to forget it (2 Peter 3:8). Sin is not forgiven by trying to run away from it (Psalm 139:7-12), and sin is not forgiven because you do good works and deeds (Acts 10).
So how is sin forgiven? If we are not right with God and not a Christian yet, we must believe in Jesus Christ, and He must be Lord and Savior of our life(John 8:24, Romans 1:16). We must begin hearing the gospel and continue in the Word (Romans 10:17), and we must believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (John 8:24). We must repent of our sins (Acts 17:30-31), and confess our belief in Jesus Christ (Romans 10:10), and then we must be baptized for the remission of our sins (Mark 16:15-16).
If you are already a Christian and have sinned then you need to repent (Acts 8:22), confess your sin (James 5:16, 1 John 1:9), and have a prayer life (Acts 8:22-24).
The bottom line of sin vs forgiveness is the fact that you can be happy or miserable. We will all have problems and circumstances in our life. Many times these could be really tough on the outside, but on the inside we can have perfect peace. Happiness is to those that are forgiven, and unhappiness for those that do not. It is easy to be forgiven of your sins no matter how bad they have been when you ask Jesus into your life and do the things I have stated above which come directly from the Bible itself. Happiness or unhappiness you have a choice.
What was the price tag for sin? Jesus died and shed His blood so that you can live. His blood is precious.
When we sin, it produces guilt (Psalm 51:3) and makes one feel unclean (Psalm 51:2, 7). In fact, it should make one feel crushed (Psalm 51:8), but most of all it separates us from being one with God Himself (Isaiah 59:1-2). Sin brings punishment to us either now or later, and it brings a loss of peace (2 Samuel 12:10) and honor to our life (2 Samuel 12:11).
Take the story of David and Bathsheba. The 32nd Psalm is written by David after sinning with Bathsheba. David sinned greatly by his relationship with Bathsheba and then trying to cover it up and having her husband killed. He learned what sin would cost him. Their first son died and David felt the effects of sin in his life.
But we have a great God and He wants to forgive us and have us get right with Him. There is blessing in forgiveness. The word blessing in both Hebrew and Greek means happiness. This isn’t just superficial joy, but a deep and lasting joy that is not affected no matter what circumstances and trials come our way.
What needs to happen to be forgiven is that we always need to repent of our sins. That means we acknowledge them to God and we stop doing them. So what happens when we are forgiven anyway? We are cleansed (Acts 33:16, Ephesians 5:26). We are delivered from that sin (Colossians 1:13). We are given a gift (Ephesians 2:8-9). It’s value is seen in its purchase price (1 Peter 1:18-19). Our very soul is the most important and valuable thing in the all the world. The wealth of the world does not compare to our very soul. We are adopted by God Himself (Romans 8:14-16). We are cured (Luke 4:23), and we are reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:17-19).
Sin is not forgiven when we deny it in our life (1 John 1:8-10). It is not forgiven when we conceal it (Hebrew 4:13. Sin is not forgiven just because we try to forget it (2 Peter 3:8). Sin is not forgiven by trying to run away from it (Psalm 139:7-12), and sin is not forgiven because you do good works and deeds (Acts 10).
So how is sin forgiven? If we are not right with God and not a Christian yet, we must believe in Jesus Christ, and He must be Lord and Savior of our life(John 8:24, Romans 1:16). We must begin hearing the gospel and continue in the Word (Romans 10:17), and we must believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (John 8:24). We must repent of our sins (Acts 17:30-31), and confess our belief in Jesus Christ (Romans 10:10), and then we must be baptized for the remission of our sins (Mark 16:15-16).
If you are already a Christian and have sinned then you need to repent (Acts 8:22), confess your sin (James 5:16, 1 John 1:9), and have a prayer life (Acts 8:22-24).
The bottom line of sin vs forgiveness is the fact that you can be happy or miserable. We will all have problems and circumstances in our life. Many times these could be really tough on the outside, but on the inside we can have perfect peace. Happiness is to those that are forgiven, and unhappiness for those that do not. It is easy to be forgiven of your sins no matter how bad they have been when you ask Jesus into your life and do the things I have stated above which come directly from the Bible itself. Happiness or unhappiness you have a choice.
What was the price tag for sin? Jesus died and shed His blood so that you can live. His blood is precious.