Grace, Hope & Peace, Friend;
Isaiah wrote, “All of us, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way.” (Isaiah 53:6) Centuries later, Paul put it even more bluntly; “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Since Adam and Eve disobeyed God, in the Garden of Eden, none of us has lived up to God’s standard except Jesus. (Hebrews 4:15) NOTHING can change that fact; and the message has always been the same, “Sin Kills.” “On the day that you disobey Me, you will certainly die.” (Genesis 2:17) See also; Ezekiel 18:4 and Romans 6:23.
In the middle of all this, God sent a message to humanity through John the Baptist,
He came into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins;
Luke 3:3
Many of us think ‘to repent’ means ‘to stop doing something,’ but in the Bible, the word ‘repentance’ literally means, “the act of changing one’s mind.” It goes beyond remorse, regret, or feeling bad about one’s sin. And it involves more than merely turning away from sin. (I can stop doing something without believing it is wrong.)
Simply put, ‘repentance’ means lining your thoughts up with God’s design for humanity. And God has given each of us a conscience to tell us when we stray from God’s design. But is just agreeing with God’s rules enough? No! I can keep doing something I know is wrong because I don’t fear the consequences.
So what is the ‘repentance‘ that leads to ‘forgiveness of sins‘? John preached “A baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” Baptism gives the notion of immersion – commit yourself to the fact that God’s design for humanity is perfect and complete; Anything outside of His plan is sin.
Jesus put it this way, “Everyone who believes in Him – who He is and His design – will not perish, – sin loses its power over you – but have eternal life – the result of forgiveness.” (John 3:16)
There is nothing in there about “Stop sinning and you will be forgiven.” None of us can meet that standard ALL the time and even if we could, we have all sinned in the past – we can’t change that. Forgiveness is not earned by stopping sinning! Forgiveness was secured by Jesus.
He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
1 John 2:2
The death earned by our deviations from God’s design was born by Jesus. (Isaiah 53:6)
Does that mean our sins don’t matter anymore? Of course not! John the Baptist challenged us to “produce fruits that are consistent with repentance.” If you believe in Jesus, that He is sovereign, His design is perfect and complete, and that He has secured your forgiveness, then live like it!
Eloah Selichot – God of Forgiveness – Thank You for forgiving me. Help me live by Your perfect design.
God, restore us and make Your face shine upon us, and we will be saved.
Psalm 80:3
Live how He designed you,
Words of Encouragement 