Have you been forgiven? When we are made to feel the weight and burden of our sin, there is only one way of relief; the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ tells us that He died for our sins, was buried, and rose from the dead and that believing in Him, we find forgiveness of sins. Oh, what a blessing!
1 Corinthians 15:1–4 (ESV) — 1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
It was given to the apostle Paul, when Jesus called Him to Himself and commissioned Him to be an apostle, that his purpose in preaching the Gospel would be to bring the blessing of God to people near and far. Notice that blessing would include “forgiveness of sins.”
Acts 26:18 (ESV) — 18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
It is God alone Who forgives sin. Consider the words presented before Moses as God revealed His name:
Exodus 34:6–7 (ESV) — 6 The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”
Notice in the passage above that God does not wink at or merely pass over the guilty. Sin is an offense to the thrice holy God. His forgiveness, therefore, flows from the majestic work of justification as the Lord Jesus Christ pays the price for our sins and imputes His righteousness to us. God is both just as He upholds His holiness even as He brings justification through the Lord Jesus Christ. Our sins were imputed to Him and He paid the price and in turn has expiated sin so in God’s economy they are gone for good. Then as the Lord Jesus Christ imputes His righteousness to us, we are justified and declared righteous, not in a righteousness which we have earned, but a righteousness given to us by grace, so that God can declare us “righteous” because in Christ, we really are.
2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV) — 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Romans 3:26 (ESV) — 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
No wonder that the Lord Jesus Christ, being the Son of God, had the power to forgive sins because He is the sin bearer and the giver of His righteousness. Of course, as you will notice in the narrative in Mark 2, the religious leaders had a real problem with Jesus proclaiming the forgiveness of sin, but notice how Jesus set forth the truth of His having both the ability and the right as the Son of God, demonstrated in healing of the man who was paralyzed.
Mark 2:1–12 (ESV) — 1 And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. 2 And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. 3 And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. 4 And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. 5 And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— 11 “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” 12 And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”
The power of forgiveness in the One Who has the authority as He demonstrated in raising the paralytic. That same power of forgiveness is also seen in the promise of forgiveness as we are called to keep the sin list short between us and God as we admit to indwelling sin showing up in our lives from time to time.
1 John 1:7–10 (ESV) — 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
The power of forgiveness comes back to the One Who paid the price for our redemption with His own blood.
Colossians 1:14 (ESV) — 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
One more thought on the power of forgiveness and that is the call to and the blessing in forgiving others as God has forgiven us. As the power of forgiveness is found only in the Lord Jesus Christ, God’s sin bearer, so is the power from Him which flows in us and through us forgiving others as God has in Christ, forgiven us.
Colossians 3:13 (ESV) — 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
Godspeed,
Bob Brubaker, Pastor
Christ Community Presbyterian Church
Clearwater, FL
