Forgiven

One of the most effective ways that Satan defeats those who have placed their faith in Christ is to convince them that they have not been, or can not be forgiven of their sin.  I recently heard the testimony of a high school student who had accepted Christ as her Savior at a young age.  As she grew older, she had become involved in activities and behaviors that she knew were not pleasing to God.  She knew that she was living a life filled with sin, and she wondered if God had really forgiven her.  She felt completely unworthy of a relationship with God and didn’t know how she could earn her way into God’s favor.

Have you ever felt that way?  Perhaps there was an extended period in which you indulged in sinful habits.  There may have been only one or two occasions where you deliberately disobeyed God, but because of your disobedience, you felt as though God could not use you, would not use you, and would never forgive you.

I John 1:5-9 tells us, “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

God wants us to walk in His light, not in darkness.  If we walk in His light, we are cleansed from the stain of sin on our life.  If we are walking in darkness, we can expect to receive God’s chastisement, because He wants what is best for us.  If we are walking in darkness, we can enter into His light by confessing our sin, and our fellowship with Him will be restored, because we will be in the light.

But what about our relationship with God?  When we sin after accepting Christ as our Savior, does God abandon us?  I John 1:10-2:2 continues, “If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.  My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.”

Jesus paid the price for our sin, past, present and future.  He stands between the Father and our sin, and the Father only sees Jesus and His righteousness.  Because of Jesus, we are always righteous before the Father.

Don’t allow Satan to defeat you because of sin that is or was in your life.  Confess your sin and accept the forgiveness that Jesus gives freely.  If you have done that, you can approach God with confidence and you can know that God wants to use you and will use you for His glory.  You will be forgiven.