Because He Is Faithful, We Are Forgiven
1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Is there anyone you have an “ought” against? Does anyone have an “ought” against you? In simpler terms, “Are you mad at somebody right now?” What if he/she came and asked for forgiveness, would that make things better? Would you forgive him/her?
O.K., here is new scenario. What if that person you are mad with came up and gave you an open-handed smack in the face, then two minutes later he/she came back and said, “I’m sorry . . . I had all that rage pinned up inside of me for months, and I should not have done that. Would you please forgive me?” What would you do? Come one now! Be honest! Would you forgive him/her right then or would you still be “38-hot.” (A slang term which means that you were mad enough to shoot him/her with a 38-caliber pistol.)
If you would still be angry over someone smacking you in the face, I’m not going to beat you up, but while you still have the image of yourself being angry, I do want to point out a qualifying characteristic of God. You see, if we still have anger in our hearts or if we are still hurting over something done to us, we might not feel like forgiving people. So in essence, we can not be deemed as “faithful” in forgiving. But that’s not how God is.
One quality that He has is faithfulness. When we confess our wrong, He is always faithful to forgive us. Anytime we humble ourselves to confess that we missed it, He is faithful to wipe our sin away. Every moment we need forgiveness, no matter the time we come to Him nor the crime we commit, He is faithful to forgive us—–the first time we ask.
If you have found yourself utter the words, “Lord forgive me” more than once, then just stop. One time was enough! You did what you did only one time, and God has to forgive you only one time! Even if you did it more than once, you only have to ask God for forgiveness once and you shall be forgiven! So as the devil himself, keeps reminding you of your sin, remind him that you are forgiven and keep this scripture before you:
Micah 7th Chapter (NIV)
18Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.
19You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.
So stop letting the devil take you around and around on something that has been tossed into deepest depths of the sea, and remember that because He is faithful, you are forgiven.