For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge. Psalm 51:4
I have heard spoken so many times, "I am a sinner saved by grace through faith". Spoken from the lips of Christians who by all rights have every right to believe and hold unto that. Indeed that it a beautiful thing, as beautiful as the words of John 3:16. I wonder though how many Christians take it to heart and hold it dear what it cost God and his only Son to save just one sinner from eternal damnation and bring him to the Light.
I have also heard say, that you only have to be saved once, when you repent of all your sins and after then all you have to do is ask for forgiveness from God and all will be rectified and made well again, now again I ask, when we do that, I wonder how many remember what it cost?
I have also heard this, "God loves me just as I am, I am His child, He is my Father". I still wonder again whether we do remember what it cost, to bring salvation to the world. I like to believe that also that God loves me and indeed He must or else He wouldn't send His Son down to die for us.
Now we kneel and ask for forgiveness every single day for some people and for others, when we are sick or we nearly have an accident. I wonder how many people remember the words from the Lord's Prayer that says "Forgive us as we forgive them that sin against us", I dare to ask, right before you kneel, have you forgiven? The many people that offend you daily, have you forgiven? The many you offend daily, have you forgiven them? We expect so much and we give so little and i wonder, based on the saying "whatever you sow, that you shall reap", how many of us deserve forgiveness? Especially at the cost for which it was purchased (it is not my answer to give, but God's)?
Yes He is a merciful God, but one thing I know for sure is this, my God hasn't changed, He hated sin then and I am very sure, He still does so right now. And while he was willing to do wonderful things to save Israel from captivity in Egypt, He was quite willing to kill them all because of sin.
I read a devotional from Oswald Chambers and it touched me in different ways and prompted my writing of this post.
Never build your case for forgiveness on the idea that God is our Father and He will forgive us because He loves us. That contradicts the revealed truth of God in Jesus Christ. It makes the Cross unnecessary, and the redemption “much ado about nothing.” God forgives sin only because of the death of Christ. God could forgive people in no other way than by the death of His Son, and Jesus is exalted as Savior because of His death.
We need to remember as Christians, that every single time we kneel to ask for forgiveness, every single time we kneel in repentance that we ask God to remember Calvary, to remember the death of His only Son, the only one that lived a blameless life, to remember the Pain, the Death and the Suffering and the reason for it. We ask Him to remember the Pain of Forgiveness and have mercy. God knows I myself need to remember this as well, daily, to remember the simple statement our Lord Jesus Christ made to all sinners while on earth.
Go and sin no more!!!
