Every Sin Forgiven

“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” So says Paul in Rom.3:23.  And that’s so true! We are all sinners, therefore we are no different from each other.  Whether we have done really bad things or not, is not the issue. When it was done is immaterial. Who was with us, or if we were on our own, counts for nothing. The Bible says “there is no difference; for all have sinned...”

Now, the devil knows this as well. He knows we fall short of God’s glory every day we live. That is a standard we cannot attain to in this life. That is also a daily reality for us all.

But he comes to us with all his evil cunning and seeks to bring us down by referring us back to what we have done in the past. He will say to us, “Some Christian you are! Remember the day you said that? Remember the time you did this? You’re no Christian; you’re a sham, a hypocrite, a fake. There’s no forgiveness for that, you know. No point in going to God to ask forgiveness for that!”

And he’ll torment you profoundly because he does not want you to know that “With God there is forgiveness,” (Ps.130:4). Our God, your God forgives sins! Jesus Christ came into the world to forgive sinners! And He did that by saving them! (1 Tim.1:15). He will forgive you, too.

That means that there is no point in your bemoaning what you did because that will change nothing. There’s no point in you condemning yourself for your sin, because that is a useless exercise, too. No, you must think; and you must think about what God has said, and not listen to those other voices that will tear you apart.

Do you remember the children’s hymn that we learned and sang? “There’s a wicked spirit watching o’er you still; and he tries to tempt you to all harm and ill.” That is the truth! Satan hates you! And he wants you to think that God hates you, too. But the hymn goes on: “but you must not hear him, tho’ ‘tis hard for you to resist the evil and the good to do.” It is hard. It is very difficult, especially when you place yourself in a vulnerable position. But the word comes back to you that “you must not hear him,” however hard it is for you to resist him. 

Satan will also come to you and tell you that you are too bad to be forgiven by a holy God, your sin is too great, you’ve sinned for too long; or you are too old to be forgiven; or indeed, you’re too good to need forgiveness. He has no want of ploys to present to you. “But you must not hear him...”

Now, here’s the good news: God gives the grace you need to turn your ear away from the devil’s enticing suggestions.  When he tells you how great a disaster you are, turn on him and rebuke him in the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Tell him that what he is suggesting about how sinful you are is true, but that there is another more glorious truth that he is forgetting – you belong to Jesus, not to him! And that is why he is after you. If you still belonged to him, he’d leave you alone. Why? Because he already has you. But the fact is that he no longer has you, and wants you back. He’s a bad loser. So he’ll do whatever it takes to bring you back under his dominion and authority and rule.

Look! In God’s economy, it matters little what a Christian does when he sins; we all sin every day and keep on falling short of His glory. But what we must not do, after coming to Him in repentance and faith, trusting God for Christ’s sake to cleanse us from all sin, is to keep bringing up our sin. That’s a sure-fire way to depress yourself to the very depths. Of course, groan over the weight of your sin, but once you come to the Christ of Calvary and the burden of your heart rolls away, get up, look the devil straight in the eye, and tell him you belong to Jesus now and that you love Him with all your heart.

Rev. Robert Murray McCheyne wrote these wonderful words of encouragement. He said, “I ought to go to Christ for the forgiveness of each sin.  In washing my body, I go

over every spot, and wash it out.  Should I be less careful in washing my soul?"

No, you should not be less careful when it comes to being rid of your sin.  Be thorough in repentance and be thorough in confession; but equally thorough in forsaking all known sin in your life. The best proof that a sinner has been forgiven by God is his forsaking the sin of which he repented and sought forgiveness.

The apostle John wrote, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness,” (1 John.1:9).

Don’t allow the devil to keep you in bondage any longer. Defy him in the strong Name of Jesus, and come afresh every day to Christ, the only Saviour of the world.

If you want to speak to someone about these matters, feel free to speak to a Gospel minister, or contact me.

You can get me on 028 7963 4684, or on 07835 028 057. Alternatively, you can contact me at HazlettLynch@btopenworld.com and I will get back to you.

The Christian life is to be enjoyed, but Satan’s purpose is to destroy your enjoyment of God’s grace.  But Christ came to destroy the works of the devil, (1 John 3:8).