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Tag Archive - Forgiveness

I Can’t Let Go of the Past

May 21, 2013 in Life with 0 Comments

Oh, the things we have done in the past.

past Maybe it”s not things plural. It could be just one thing that haunts us and makes life miserable for us today.

Like the guy who thought he was eternally condemned because of something he said about God during his teenage years.

Or the lady who bases her self-image on a one-night-stand she had in college.

Yes, these sins have their consequences, and in both of these cases, the consequences have been severe. So severe, that the sins of the past are ruining their lives today.

Is there a way to let go of those sins? Is there a way to leave them in the past?

The Bible answers with a resounding “Yes!” And this answer is tied to forgiveness.

The word forgiveness means to send away or to let go. When the Bible says that your sins have been forgiven, it means that Christ has…

Removed your sins from you – Psalm 103:12
Sent your sins away – Hebrews 9:28
Dismissed your sins – Romans 4:7
Let your sins go from His further notice or care – Hebrews 10:17, 18
Released you from your relationship with sin and death and set us free to experience new life in Christ – Romans 8:1, 2.

Here is the good news. Jesus Christ does not dredge up your past sins and use them against you.

He judged your sins and suffered the penalty of death for them. Then, He sent them away.

Let this truth soak in.

You will realize there is no need to let your past sins enter the equation in determining your present or your future.

The work of Jesus defines who you are today. In the past you were a sinner. But not now. Through faith in Jesus Christ, you are a child of God, totally forgiven and perfectly loved.

Have you struggled with letting go of the past?

How Many of Your Sins Have Been Forgiven?

May 3, 2013 in Life with 0 Comments

My favorite passage is in the book of Colossians. (It is hard to pick a favorite, I know, but if I had to, this one would be it.)

Here it is.

For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross. Colossians 2:9-15 (NIV)

Here are the reasons this passage tops my list of favorites.

It starts with Christ and ends with Christ. In six verses, Paul explains who Jesus is and the meaning of His death, burial and resurrection.
I learned that my real problem was spiritual death, and that something had to happen to me before change could take place in my life. I had tried to be God’s guy, but my efforts came up woefully short.
In the plainest language possible, it states that all my sins have been forgiven.
It also tells me that the law of sin and death has been taken away.
It declares that my enemy was defeated and disarmed through Christ’s triumphant victory at the cross.
It tells me that I am complete, or have fullness, in Jesus Christ.

Some thirty years ago is when this passage hit my heart. I was confused about Christianity, and why I was such a colossal failure as far as my Christian life was concerned. Paul’s straight forward words flipped a switch in my understanding. I felt forgiven and that there was hope for me. The weight of trying to do it on my own was lifted. But more than anything, I felt alive.

Perhaps you feel defeated in your Christian life, or that you are mired in guilt and shame. It could be that you sense an emptiness deep within your heart, or that something is just plain wrong with you. If so, read this passage carefully. Jesus knows where you are. Who He is and what He accomplished through His death, burial and resurrection can change who you are. This passage was the catalyst for me to look to Him. I pray it will be the same for you.

A New Book That I Highly Recommend – Get 25 Free Gifts If You Get It Now By May 7th

May 1, 2013 in Life with 0 Comments

My friend Frank Viola has just released a new book called God’s Favorite Place on Earth that could literally change your relationship with God, help you defeat bitterness, free you from a guilty conscience, and help you overcome fear, doubt and discouragement once and for all.

This is a book that will jar you out of your “Christian rut” and give you new eyes for looking at EVERYTHING. It’s a quick, inspiring, and entertaining read.

In addition, if you get the book between May 1st to May 7th, you will also get 25 FREE GIFTS from 15 different authors including Jeff Goins, DeVern Fromke, Pete Briscoe, Frank Viola himself, and me. Order Frank’s book this week and you will get a copy of my book Love Is.

Over 47 Christian leaders have recommended the book, including me.

Here is my endorsement for “God’s Favorite Place on Earth.”

“This book fastened my heart and mind on Jesus Christ. I count it as Frank Viola’s best work. His passion for and love of Jesus Christ are on full display. But more importantly, Jesus Christ is on full display. The setting is Bethany, a little village atop the Mount of Olives. The story is told by Lazarus. It is powerful and moving. Be prepared to step into the story, to take a place in Bethany and encounter Jesus like never before.”

The premise of the book is simple and 100% Biblical: when Jesus was on the earth, He was rejected everywhere He went . . . from Bethlehem, to Nazareth, to Jerusalem. The only exception was the little village of Bethany.

The curtain opens with Lazarus, who is now ready to die, telling the incomparable story of Jesus’ interactions with him, Martha, and Mary. God’s Favorite Place on Earth blends drama, devotion, biblical narrative, and first-century history to create a riveting book that you’ll find difficult to put down. Within each narrative, the common struggles Christians face are addressed and answered.

Go to GodsFavoritePlace.com to claim your 25 FREE GIFTS, read a Sampler of the book, and watch the gripping video trailer.

Can a Christian Have Assurance of Salvation?

April 4, 2013 in Life with 8 Comments

According to the Bible, the answer is “Yes!” The Apostle John wrote in his first letter these encouraging words: “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:11-13).

There is no wishful thinking in John’s statement. He boldly asserted that we can know with full confidence that eternal life is ours, that our salvation is sure.

For John’s words to become a reality in your life, you must understand what salvation is and what Christ accomplished for you through His death, burial and resurrection.

Paul gives us the most succinct statement concerning the nature of salvation in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

We were under the wages of sin and were spiritually dead. Ephesians 2:1 puts it this way, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins.”

Salvation, then, is God’s act of making us alive with Christ. God’s grace reverses in us the death we inherited from Adam. He was alive spiritually, and then died because of sin. We were dead, and then through faith in Jesus Christ were made alive.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved— Eph 2:4-5 (ESV).

And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses Col 2:13 (ESV).

You may be asking this question: “If the wages of sin is death, do you forfeit eternal life when you sin today?” Here is the good news. Jesus took your sins and paid the penalty that you justly deserved. As John wrote, “I write to you dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of His name.”

You are a forgiven person. Your sins were dealt with once and for all by the blood of Jesus Christ.

Not only are you forgiven, you are alive in Jesus. His Spirit now lives you. His Spirit testifies to your spirit that you are a child of God, an heir and a joint heir with Jesus Christ.

When Jesus saves, He does so completely. Because of the cross, you can know with confidence that “He will never leave you, nor forsake you.”

Connecting the Dots of Forgiveness and Love

March 28, 2013 in Life with 11 Comments

Here are three observations about forgiveness:

1. The forgiveness of God is greatly misunderstood,
2. People like to argue about forgiveness,
3. People long to have forgiveness.

You can understand why forgiveness is such a hot topic. All of us sin. This reality raises numerous questions in our minds.

• What do I do when I sin?

• How can I know that God has forgiven my sin?

• If He has forgiven me, why do I keep doing the same sin over and over?

Here is the good news. All of these questions are answered by the three words Jesus uttered from the cross, “It is finished!”

Jesus paid the debt in full. Nothing more needs to be done, or can be done concerning forgiveness of sins.

I wished I had known this truth early in life.

With each sin I committed in those days, I felt I needed to do something to get it forgiven. I prayed. I promised. I studied the Bible. I made deals with God. But nothing changed.

I wanted His forgiveness so badly, but in spite of all my efforts, I never felt forgiven.

The glorious truth is that there was nothing I could do to gain God’s forgiveness. Jesus had already done the work. He forgave all of my sins. His shed blood took them away once and for all.

When His finished work finally hit my heart, the weight of guilt lifted from my shoulders. And something even better happened. The love of God broke through to my soul. It was the first time that I knew, I mean really knew, that He loved me.

This is what I wanted more than anything. I think we all want to truly know that God loves us.

Understanding this powerful three word phrase, It is finished!, connects the dots making God’s love real in our hearts.

Are the Ten Commandments God’s Final Word to Man?

March 19, 2013 in Life with 9 Comments

What if the Old Covenant was God’s final word to man?

What if the Ten Commandments were the only means available to us to gain entry into heaven, or to earn God’s love and acceptance?

what if Where would this leave us?

What would our eternal fate be?

How would this affect our lives here and now?

The Old Covenant was God’s word to Israel. Not His first word to Israel, nor was it His last. But it did define Israel’s way of life as a nation from Moses until Jesus. The teachers of the Law believed Israel’s role in the world was to live out the righteous requirements of the Law, and in so doing, become a blessing to all other nations.

Where did this leave them? The same place it leaves anyone who attempts to gain God’s acceptance through obedience to Law – judged, condemned, fearful and dead in sin.
That’s the Old Covenant, a ministry of condemnation and death.

When read correctly, the Law is God’s word about man, the plain, stark truth. It answers these questions: What is the destiny of a people caught in the throes of a lie? What will be their end? According to the Law, the final stop is death, but only if the Old Covenant is God’s final word.

The denouement of this story has a twist. It is revealed on a hill called Calvary, outside the walls of Jerusalem. A man hung there on a cross, suspended between heaven and earth. He was no ordinary man, and the death he died was no ordinary death.

The man whose hands and feet were pierced was the Lord Himself, the unblemished Lamb of God. His death was in place of ours. Live out the full story of the Law and it ends at the foot of this cross. Look up and see God’s final word to man – Jesus.

Death is not God’s end for man, it is Jesus. In Him we have forgiveness of sins, righteousness and a new way of life defined by the New Covenant.

What if we truly believed that Jesus was and is God’s final word to man?

Where would this leave us?

How would it affect us here and now?

The New Covenant answers – in Jesus fully alive!

Seven Reasons to Fully Embrace the New Covenant

March 14, 2013 in Life with 11 Comments

To the fence sitters, here are seven reasons to get off the fence and boldly declare that you are a New Covenant believer.

Paul stated the reasons plainly in his letter to the Corinthians. The passage is 2 Corinthians 3. Read through it. I think you will find the seven reasons to be compelling.

Life — As Paul wrote, “the law kills, but the Spirit gives life.” The end of the law is death. That is the wages of sin. In the New Covenant, you receive life, Christ’s life.
Righteousness — The law is a ministry of condemnation. No way to feel close to God or even know that He truly loves you when you keep failing to live up to His commands. In the New, God makes you righteous in Jesus. You are accepted.
Eternal Security — The Old Covenant was temporary. It had a limited purpose – to show us our need for Christ. The New is eternal. Jesus’ promises and provisions last forever, which means that you are saved completely and eternally.
Hope — The weight of the law squeezes out all measure of hope. As the writer of Hebrews stated, apart from Christ, you live in the fearful expectation of God’s punishment. In this New Covenant, your sins have been taken away once and for all. You are forgiven. You have Jesus and He is your hope of glory.
Freedom — Under the law, you were in bondage to sin and death. Sin was your master, as Paul wrote. But in this New Covenant, the Spirit of Life sets you free from the law of sin and death. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
Transformation — Self-effort keeps you stuck in the Romans 7 trap: the things I want to do, I don’t, and the things I don’t want to do, I do. But in the New Covenant you are transformed into the likeness of Christ, from glory to glory.
Jesus — Under law, it is all about you and your ability to live up to the standards. In the New, Jesus lives His life through you. He was the One who was revealed when the curtain in the temple was torn. He is God’s gift to you.

It is time to get off the fence. Make the declaration: “I am a New Covenant believer!”

Four Promises That Will Change Your Life

March 7, 2013 in Life with 9 Comments

This is an astonishing claim. But it’s true. I am talking of the four promises, or provisions, of the New Covenant.

The writer of Hebrews described these promises as better than the promises of the Old. And indeed they are.
They are laid out for us in Hebrews 8:10-12. I’ve numbered them for ease of reading.

I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts.
I will be their God, and they will be my people.
No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.
For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.

These are better promises because they hit us at our deepest points of need. We need power and the internal motivation to live out the Christian life. We need to have assurance that we belong and that God does indeed love us. We cry out for a relationship with God, to genuinely know Him. We desperately need to know that our sins have been forgiven once and for all.

On all of these points, the New Covenant provides. Jesus’ finish work guarantees all of these promises. I’ve juiced each one down to one word. In this New Covenant we have

Power
Assurance
Relationship
Forgiveness.

The world, religion and even the flesh make outlandish promises, but they never deliver. Not Jesus. In Him, we have everything we need.

Take hold of these four promises and your life will never be the same.

How would you describe each promise?

What Questions Are Christians Asking?

February 28, 2013 in Life with 14 Comments

What are the subjects that are of most interest to believers? Here is our top 20 list based on 2,355 calls to the People to People radio broadcast over the last three years.

1. Salvation 124 Calls
2. Forgiveness 105 Calls
3. Marriage 70 Calls
4. Prayer 62 Calls
5. Christian Living 56 Calls
6. Baptism 52 Calls
7. Sin 48 Calls
8. Faith 47 Calls
9. The Church 46 Calls
10. Divorce/Remarriage 45 Calls
11. Death 43 Calls
12. Doctrine/Truth 38 Calls
13. The Holy Spirit 37 Calls
14. Tithing/Giving 34 Calls
15. New Covenant 32 Calls
16. Revelation 32 Calls
17. Jesus 31 Calls
18. Grace 31 Calls
19. Assurance 30 Calls
20. Rapture 25 Calls

Which of these subjects hold the most interest for you? In future posts, I will write about these subjects matters and offer up questions to spark interaction. Concerning future posts, I will be uploading those on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

I look forward to hearing about the subjects you want to know more about.

10 Insights from Conference 220

February 13, 2013 in Life with 11 Comments

Here are several things that struck me from Conference 220. I wish all of you could have been there. It was a powerful conference. We plan to do it again next year. Stay tuned for details.

Love benefits others at the expense of self. Sin benefits self at the expense of others. Frank Viola
We need to pray for a new, fresh revelation of Jesus Christ. He wipes everything else off the table. Frank Viola
The Christian life is becoming what we already are. Frank Viola
Jesus is our forgiveness once and for all. Jesus is our life moment by moment. Andrew Farley
The New Covenant invites us to be obsessed with Jesus Christ. Andrew Farley
We participated in Christ’s death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and seating at the right hand of the Father. Andrew Farley
Christianity is not a self-improvement program. Bob Christopher
Jesus lives in us. With Him in our lives, we should have great expectations concerning the Christian life. Bob Christopher
When we die to human effort, we come alive to the fullness of God’s love and grace. Bob Christopher
It is easier to trust someone when you know that they love you. Pete Briscoe

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