So sorry for the day delay! The twin’s (granddaughters) birthday party! Today, we complete Chapter 3…His Platform of grace…
____________
You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. John 15:3
New York Times best-selling author, Bob Goff, shares a story of when he was broadsided in his jeep by Lynn, an elderly woman who could not forgive herself for causing the accident. And she simply couldn’t believe Bob had forgiven her for causing him to be ejected from his vehicle. He finally sent her a huge basket of flowers to remind her, finally, that he had completely forgiven her:
I think Lynn got the message. I was fine, and I wanted her to be fine too. I wanted her to forgive herself, to realize we all make mistakes. I’m glad I ran into Lynn, and I’m glad she kept calling too. It taught me something about faith. It taught me that when God is big enough and loves me enough to say He forgives me, I should actually believe Him. I mean, I shouldn’t keep feeling bad about all of the times I’ve messed up because that’s ignoring what God said, just like Lynn ignored what I said. When I don’t trust God’s forgiveness, it’s like saying I really don’t believe He’s that good. Lynn made me think I should stop asking God to forgive me over and over when He’s made it clear He already has.[i]
We are not only clothed in God’s righteousness; we are completely forgiven.
Our Heavenly Father has completely forgiven us. Absolutely. Completely. Totally. Conclusively. He has forgiven you and me.
Again, it doesn’t matter whether we feel it or not. From the Old Testament to the New Testament, the Scriptures cannot lie. Page upon page we read that forgiveness is ours.
As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:12
He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:13-14
Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His (Jesus) own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. Hebrews 9:12 (emphasis, mine)
In the middle of our temptations, failures, and habitually bad behaviors, Jesus is with us. His shed blood is enough – more than enough to wipe clean the stain of our sin past, present, and future. This is His grace revealed. The more quickly we seize this truth and invite Him into the middle of our stumbling, the more quickly genuine freedom can begin. And, the more intentionally we choose to stand on the platform of His undeniable forgiveness, the sooner we will sense His Spirit within us supplying tangible peace in our emotions. We can stop battling the guilt that overwhelms us and takes up so much of our time, thoughts, and emotions. Instead, we can divert our energy and prayers to focus on the real roots of our problems – our brokenness and any stronghold where we may have allowed the enemy to set up shop in our soul and torment us.
You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. Colossians 2:13-14 NLT (emphasis, mine)
Most certainly, there may be consequences for our struggles in the dark. We often do reap what we sow.[ii] We do stupid things – don’t we? Nevertheless, when we reap the consequences of our foolishness, His grace provides all we need to walk through and out of the repercussions of our ill-advised choices with His wisdom, not ours. We will discuss this further in this book. Jessie did lose almost all her close friends. However, as she began slowly receiving Jesus’ complete forgiveness and His grace in her struggle, she positioned herself for the Lord to bring new people to surround and encourage her life of faith. Soon, she became a part of a thriving ministry to help others find freedom.
Acknowledging our sin is powerful, cleansing, and necessary.[iii] Nevertheless, when we wallow in guilt and condemnation, we deny the priceless sacrifice of Jesus’ death. It is time for us to accept His grace in the dark to step out of our muck and mire and plant our feet squarely upon the amazing platform of forgiveness He has provided for us. And then, His all-sufficient grace can begin to loosen us from the knots and ties that bind us, and lead us into genuine freedom.
How does that sound? It is the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
[i] Bob Goff, Love Does (Nashville, TN: Nelson Books, 2012), 124.
[ii] Galatians 6:7-8
[iii] 1 John 1:9, Psalm 51