Do you recognize that you are a sinner? I am not trying to insult you, but it is something with which we must all come to terms. Paul said, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). This does not mean that we are living in sin. In fact, if we are Christians, we have repented of our sins, have been forgiven by God, and now are living a life that is pleasing to Him, which brings us to the topic of this blog.

Are you thankful for the forgiveness that you have obtained from God? We all certainly should be, that is, those of us who have obeyed the gospel of Christ and have truly been forgiven. Isaiah put it like this:

Isaiah 12:1 (ESV)
“…I will give thanks to you, O LORD, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me.”

Even though we all sin from time to time, it is great that we serve a God who does not stay mad at us. The original forgiveness that we obtained when we obeyed the gospel of Christ is certainly worthy of our continual appreciation. This was the point of Tuesday’s blog. However, as Chris-tians, we should never forget what a blessing it is to serve a God who is willing to forgive us over and over again. This is what makes God’s plan of salvation so special. It is what separates every other law from the law of Christ. In speaking of the law of Moses, Paul said this:

Acts 13:38-39 (ESV)
³⁸ Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 39 and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.

This passage clearly teaches that the law of Moses could not set man free from sin. Never forget that the law of Moses was never God’s scheme of redemption and, therefore, did not have the power to justify (Galatians 3:11).

The gospel, on the other hand, has the power to justify because it includes the precious blood of Christ that can cleanse us from all sin (1 John 1:7) This blood works for us, not just when we first contact it in the waters of baptism (Romans 6:3-4), but every time we sin and repent of it. This brings us back to the fact that we are sinners. Why do we need so much grace to be saved? It is because we keep sinning. If we deny this, John says that we are just deceiving ourselves (1 John 1:8). Thankfully, as long as we are walking in the light overall, when we do sin, we have access to the blood of Jesus which takes away our sins.

1 John 1:9 (ESV)
⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all un-righteousness.

Without this ongoing willingness for God to hear our pleas of repentance and forgive us, we would have no hope of salvation, even if we had been baptized in the past. Let us thank God regularly for being a God of forgiveness, not just by thanking Him with our lips, but by being willing to for-give others as He forgives us (Ephesians 4:32).

As you wind down for the night, think on these things.