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JOHN'S
JOURNALS In the world
today, even Christians are oddly silent about the subject of sin and
our need to be forgiven and reconciled to God. Many people believe
human nature is fundamentally good. These people contend that, through
education and social reform, we can all live together in harmony. The Bible clearly teaches that we are all sinful and fall short of the glory of God. In 1 John 1:8 we read, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” Our sin results in separation from God. It leaves us in bondage to ourselves and often in conflict with others. When we grasp the significance of the problem of sin, we understand the magnificence of God’s solution. On the cross, Jesus took our sin upon himself. When Jesus prayed “Father, forgive them” on the cross, his prayer included not only those who mocked and crucified him, but also the sin of all who come to him. We read in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, God who is faithful and just will forgive our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” For those who trust in Jesus as Savior, God’s judgment is directed away from us, and we are declared innocent. What is our response to this marvelous gift of the forgiveness of our sin? We are to practice the forgiveness of others in our daily lives. This can be very difficult for us. We want to put a few conditions on forgiving others who we feel have wronged us. C. S. Lewis has written, “To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in us.” Having experienced the amazing gift of God’s unconditional forgiveness, our prayer needs to be for God to strengthen us to release our desire to even the score, and to forgive others unconditionally. John Larsen Board President |
