A reminder for
today
Then came Peter to
him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?
till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times:
but, Until seventy times seven. (Matthew 18:21-22)
Forgiveness is one the most powerful acts of love we can do
unto other. First let us look at our own forgiveness for our sins. 1 John 2:1-2
says, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And
if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the
righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but
also for the sins of the whole world.”
Notice the word propitiation here. The word propitiation
carries the basic idea of appeasement or satisfaction, specifically toward God.
Propitiation is a two-part act that involves appeasing the wrath of an offended
person and being reconciled to him.
Propitiation teaches us that man is a sinner and that God
hates sin because God is righteous. Therefore, sin must be judged, and judgment
was assigned to me by God the Father. The wrath of God is on all those who do
not know Jesus Christ as their Saviour. However, when I trusted in Jesus Christ
as my Saviour, He stood between me and the wrath of God. He took that wrath
upon Himself, paid the price of my judgment, and gave me eternal life!
That is a blessed truth. It means that Jesus Christ satisfied God’s demand for
the righteous judgment of my sin.
In the first three chapters of Romans, Paul makes the
argument that everyone, Jew and Gentile alike, is under the condemnation of God
and deserving of His wrath (Romans 1:18). Everyone has sinned and fallen short
of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). All of us deserve His wrath and punishment.
God in His infinite grace and mercy has provided a way that His wrath can be appeased,
and we can be reconciled to Him. That way is through the sacrificial death of
His Son, Jesus Christ, as the payment for sins. It is through faith in Jesus
Christ as God’s perfect sacrifice that we can be reconciled to God. It is only
because of Christ’s death on the cross and His resurrection on the third day
that a lost sinner deserving of hell can be reconciled to a holy God. The
wonderful truth of the gospel is that Christians are saved from God’s wrath and
reconciled to God not because “we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His
Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10).
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). The only way for God’s wrath against sinful man to be appeased and for us to be reconciled to God is through Jesus Christ. There is no other way. This truth is communicated in 1 John 2:2. An important part of Christ’s saving work is deliverance from God’s wrath; Jesus’ propitiation on the cross is the only thing that can turn away God’s divine condemnation of sin. Those who reject Christ as their Saviour and refuse to believe in Him have no hope of salvation. They can only look forward to facing the wrath of God that they have stored up for the coming day of judgment (Romans 2:5). There is no other propitiation or sacrifice that can be made for their sins.
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). The only way for God’s wrath against sinful man to be appeased and for us to be reconciled to God is through Jesus Christ. There is no other way. This truth is communicated in 1 John 2:2. An important part of Christ’s saving work is deliverance from God’s wrath; Jesus’ propitiation on the cross is the only thing that can turn away God’s divine condemnation of sin. Those who reject Christ as their Saviour and refuse to believe in Him have no hope of salvation. They can only look forward to facing the wrath of God that they have stored up for the coming day of judgment (Romans 2:5). There is no other propitiation or sacrifice that can be made for their sins.
It is clear that God has done so much for us to free us from
sin and to bring us into complete forgiveness. Take a moment and think how many
times God has forgiven you and how many times have you forgiven other. Jesus taught
us that we must forgive in order for us to receive complete forgiveness “For if
ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But
if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your
trespasses” (Matthew 6:14-15). Forgiveness combined with prayer is two tools
that we have to defeat the enemy and to keep his lies away from us. It is important
that we forgive and pray about it so that we can clear our minds and our
spirits from the burden that was created by the enemy. Life is way too short to
keep a grudge and to continue to be angry at someone. If we set them free, we
will be free, and, in that freedom, we will find a new journey that will lead
straight to God. Jesus said that we must forgive seventy times seven and even when
He was on that cross He asked for forgiveness of His accusers, because He said
that they did not know what they were doing. Forgive and be free.
Have an awesome day dear friend of Jesus.
Cheers
