10/1/2014
Sin and forgiveness taken seriously
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
Are we serious in getting rid of things in our life that displease the Lord? If we have understood all the Lord went through when He died for us, we will take sin and the pursuit of forgiveness seriously.
We have not taken sin seriously if we try to obtain forgiveness from someone other than the Lord; sometimes, we feel it's easier to confess our sins to a disinterested party or to someone who we hope will assure us of our right standing before God. Another sign of the lack of seriousness in obtaining forgiveness for wrong doing is is that we try to do good works in the hope of acquiring favor from God. While going to church, volunteering for ministry, or giving money to your local congregation are all commendable actions - they cannot provide the forgiveness necessary to restore lost fellowship with Him.
Instead, let us take seriously God’s plea; He desires fellowship with us and provides a way back to Him. He will never stop loving us, but sin will hinder and stunt our spiritual growth. While society might tell us we must strive for good self esteem, if we are away from God - we must condemn the sin in our life and, through repentance and faith, show the Lord we mean business. This is a voluntary act of our will; we do not merely agree what we have done is wrong but, in a sense, we condemn our sin by abandoning it, turning away from it, ensuring there is no way to fall back into it, and cutting it off completely. Do not fear, however; the Lord is fully able to thrill our hearts so that any sin will soon lose all its attraction as we bask in the glory of the Risen Savior!
To learn more about forgiveness of sin, listen to the audio broadcast below.
We have not taken sin seriously if we try to obtain forgiveness from someone other than the Lord; sometimes, we feel it's easier to confess our sins to a disinterested party or to someone who we hope will assure us of our right standing before God. Another sign of the lack of seriousness in obtaining forgiveness for wrong doing is is that we try to do good works in the hope of acquiring favor from God. While going to church, volunteering for ministry, or giving money to your local congregation are all commendable actions - they cannot provide the forgiveness necessary to restore lost fellowship with Him.
Instead, let us take seriously God’s plea; He desires fellowship with us and provides a way back to Him. He will never stop loving us, but sin will hinder and stunt our spiritual growth. While society might tell us we must strive for good self esteem, if we are away from God - we must condemn the sin in our life and, through repentance and faith, show the Lord we mean business. This is a voluntary act of our will; we do not merely agree what we have done is wrong but, in a sense, we condemn our sin by abandoning it, turning away from it, ensuring there is no way to fall back into it, and cutting it off completely. Do not fear, however; the Lord is fully able to thrill our hearts so that any sin will soon lose all its attraction as we bask in the glory of the Risen Savior!
To learn more about forgiveness of sin, listen to the audio broadcast below.
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