April 23 I Saturday

2 Samuel 16-18

Luke 17:20-37

“For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”   —Hebrews 8:12

One day, a man went into a blacksmith shop and asked the owner, “Are you a Christian?” He said, “No” and the man pressed, “Why not?” and the owner said, “I’m not good enough.” The man questioned, “Is Jesus good enough?” The owner answered, “Sure, of course He is.” Then he said, “If Jesus is good enough, the only way we can ever become good enough is by coming into union with Jesus Christ so that what is true of Him is true of you.”

      To be a Christian is not just God, in His kindness, taking away our sins, but Him uniting us to His Son so that everything that is true of Jesus becomes true of us. Our debt of sin is totally paid and it has nothing to do with being good enough and nothing to do with being too bad. Rather, it has to do with recognizing that we cannot be what we are supposed to be, but Jesus Christ took our place and we have been united with Him.

      Now, of course, we still battle with our sin. In the New Testament, the devil is called “the accuser of people” and one of his jobs is to say to us, “You dirty, filthy, miserable, rotten, stinking sinner! You just did what you said you would never do again last week, and here you are.” Yet, the marvelous thing is that we have a standing in the Lord Jesus Christ and Paul affirms, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). We are not condemned because our sins have been crucified with Christ.

      As Christians, we acknowledge that we have died with Christ through baptism, but have not equally recognized that we are buried with Christ. We interact with our past, our sins and our guilt as though it is a living thing. But we need to bring our sins not just to the cross of Christ, but also to the grave of Christ. As we bury our old life by going under the water in baptism, our sins are buried and gone. God confirms through His Scripture that He remembers our sins no more. This does not mean He is forgetful; rather, He never recalls it to mind. Isaiah 43:25 tells us, “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions, for My own sake, and remembers your sins no more.” Some of us may not believe that God has done that, but He has.

      What a joy for those of us who recognize we have been buried with Christ, we have been forgiven of our sins and God remembers them no more!

Prayer: Dear God, what a joy to know that not only are my sins forgiven, but You have also blotted out my transgressions and remember my sins no more. Thank You, Lord.