01/09/2025
My devotional reading this morning was about the intercession of Jesus as it pertains to our forgiveness for sin. It posed these two questions regarding how complete forgiveness is... are we only forgiven our conscious sin? What happens if we sin again? Well, Paul prayed a wonderful prayer that helps us understand the height and depth of our forgiveness of sin through Jesus. He used the words wholly and whole... Let’s read it.
“And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
1 Thessalonians 5:23 KJV
Doesn’t that fill us with hope? And in Colossians we hear another wonderful passage of scripture...
“And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;”
Colossians 2:13-14 KJV
We were dead because of our sin and now we live because of forgiveness, and this through Christ by grace. In this translation the word ALL is used. The word actual word used here is "pas" which carries with it the meaning all, any, every, each whole, and everything. There are no exclusions.
When I pray and ask for forgiveness, I include this phrase "Father forgive me of my sins, those I have committed knowingly, unknowingly, and by abstention." I can't recall when I first adopted this habit, but it really isn't necessary because when I ask for forgiveness of my sins in the name of Jesus I am asking for "pas"... the perfect forgiveness. The sacrifice and purification associated with it washes me perfectly clean... past, present, known, unknown, those committed by my unknowing... well you catch the drift... ALL of our sins are forgiven. I still pray my unnecessary words, but they are simply used as a reminder to me that I have been forgiven completely… “pas”.
Oswald Chambers described it this way:
"Cleansing from sin is to the very heights and depths of our spirit if we will keep in the light as God is in the light, and the very Spirit that fed the life of Jesus Christ will feed the life of our spirits." - Oswald Chambers
How wonderful grace is. How complete the cleansing of our sin. It is a new beginning and all that it requires is that we believe, ask, repent, and then as Jesus instructed "go and sin no more."
You are probably saying to yourself... "Hold on a minute"... "How can I possibly live a perfect life free of sin?"; "I am struggling every day to walk as Jesus did but I am not there yet!"
No we are not perfect, but God knows that and thankfully forgiveness is not a single coin of redemption that once spent is gone forever. Once we have accepted Jesus and received forgiveness through His purification, we bear His seal.
When I was a high school student, we had dances at school... ok... they were called sock hops back then. When we would enter the dance we were told that if we left we couldn't come back in. This was like being forgiven once for our sins, but should we sin again we would be lost. But as time went by, they began to stamp the back of our hand with an ink mark that would glow under a black light. This allowed us reentry if we should leave the dance. Our forgiveness through Jesus is much like that stamp; it is His seal and promise, we can ask forgiveness again should we stumble... we can renter the sock hop of righteousness.
One of Satan's greatest ploys is to rob you of hope. If he can make you feel as though you are beyond forgiveness or that you might commit a sin that you are unaware of that will doom you to hell... then he has won your soul. However, this is just another of his lies.
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, our forgiveness is beyond our ability to fathom. It separates our sin from us as far as the east from the west, and it removes it completely from God’s presence. Then, if we should stumble again we are able to receive that forgiveness over and over through our sincere repentance.
“Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.”
Matthew 18:21-22 KJV
Don't let the depth of your sin, or the doom-saying of Satan keep you from asking Jesus for forgiveness. Don't let a sin that is committed again and again convince you that you are lost, because He can help you in your repentance and lead you to overcoming that sin... He will forgive you repeatedly as He does so.
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for your Son Jesus Christ and the forgiveness I receive through His perfect sacrifice. I thank you for your patience as I strive through my repentance and faith to conquer my behavior and become more and more like Jesus. Lord, I am overwhelmed by your grace and mercy. I will not allow Satan to convince me that I am beyond your forgiveness or grace. I pray Holy Father that you forgive me as I forgive others and that you deliver me from evil. I ask for your strength to bolster my faith and your continued forgiveness to relieve me of the burden of sin while I am being perfected in your sight. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you my God whose grace knows no bounds and is more than sufficient for me. Holy are you who heard the prayer for forgiveness that Jesus prayed from the cross and that Stephen prayed as he was being stoned… and honored them. Honor now my prayers for forgiveness Lord and choose not to remember my transgressions any longer. Look upon me on my day of judgement, and see the perfection of Jesus, so that at that moment I will be deemed worthy of eternity in your presence. And given your peace that passes all understanding. Hear me O Lord as I say great is my God, and blessed is his Son Jesus from whom His grace flows.
Amen! Amen! Amen!
“And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.”
Luke 23:34 ESV
“And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.”
Acts 7:59-60 ESV
“11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
13 As a father shows compassion to his children,
so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.
14 For he knows our frame;
he remembers that we are dust.”
Psalm 103:11-13 ESV
““I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.””
Isaiah 43:25 ESV
Rich Forbes