To Encourage You

Ephesians 1:7-8 “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us . . . “

If the believer had nothing else in this world, the forgiveness of sins is more than enough.  Just think about it.  If a person has all the wonderful things money can buy, if he or she has a wonderful family, if they have wonderful experiences, if they have good health, if they have everything the mind could conceive to bring happiness, yet they don’t have forgiveness of sins, they have nothing. 

Sin is a crippling thing.  It blinds us spiritually. It robs us of a relationship with our Creator.  It promises pleasure, but that pleasure is always short-lived, and in the end, it only delivers misery and loss.  Sin is like a weight, a great burden carried on our shoulders. With that burden comes guilt, remorse, and regret.  Sin infects the conscience, accusing the soul and refusing to allow us rest.  No matter how we might ignore it, deny it, or otherwise try to deceive ourselves that if it’s no big deal, in the end it always bites us, for we can be sure that “God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap” (Galatians 6:7). 

But for forgiveness, there would be no hope. But for forgiveness, all our futures would be grim, for there is this spiritual law that none can escape, the law that “sin when it is fully grown brings forth death” (James 1:15). But thanks be to God for this awesome truth, the truth that “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).  While we were still sinners – while we had no thought of God and no prospects of hope, God in His wonderful and awesome grace sent His only begotten Son into this world to pay the penalty for all our sin. He died on the cross for us. 

And while we should all embrace this remedy with open arms, so often we do not, and so God pleads with us, “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool” (Isaiah 1:18).  Jesus reaches out to us with these words: “The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price” (Revelation 22:17). 

So what about you?  Will you have all your sins washed away? Would you like everything to become new, the slate wiped clean by God’s forgiveness?  You can have it if you will, but there is only one way.  It is by confession of that sin, turning away from it, and turning to the only One Who can make you whole.  He has promised us that “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).  It is as the old hymn says with these wonderful words: “The vilest offender who truly believes that moment from Jesus a pardon receives.” 

Think of it – a full and complete pardon, the slate is wiped clean, and all things become new when we believe.  Which reminds me of the words of another hymn:

• Would you be free from your passion and pride?
• There’s power in the blood, power in the blood
• Come for a cleansing to Calvary’s tide
• There’s wonderful power in the blood

• Would you be whiter, much whiter than snow?
• There’s power in the blood, power in the blood
• Sin-stains are lost in its life-giving flow
• There’s wonderful power in the blood

• Would you do service to Jesus your King?
• There’s power in the blood, power in the blood
• Would you live daily His praises to sing?
• There’s wonderful power in the blood

• There is power, power, wonder-working power
• In the blood of the Lamb
• There is power, power, wonder-working power
• In the precious blood of the Lamb