“And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.” Luke 7:48, 50 KJV
Forgiveness is letting go of sin and forgiving everyone and everything. God desires that we be healed from the hurt, pain, anger, and disappointment that we have experienced in our lives. God’s love outweighs any hurtful experience. Forgiveness is a choice and a commandment with a condition. God tells us in His Word that if we forgive others, He will forgive us. All who believe in Jesus will be forgiven of their sins through Jesus’ name.
Faith is a spark for healing and salvation.
In the gospel of Luke, there is a story about a nameless woman who is labeled as a “sinner”. In the beginning of the story Jesus was invited to one of the Pharisee’s houses to eat dinner with him. The nameless woman heard that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house and came to the dinner uninvited which was unacceptable during those times.
She brought an expensive bottle of perfume in an alabaster jar with her. She laid at Jesus’ feet crying and began to wash his feet with her tears, dried them with her hair, kissed them, and rubbed them with the perfume.
Simon, the host, questioned Jesus’ integrity as a prophet for allowing a woman of such disgrace to touch him. Jesus wanted them to see that she expressed her love and appreciation more than the Pharisees.
This story of the nameless woman blessed me. For a long time, I struggled to forgive myself for sins committed in the past. I believed the lies of the enemy who convinced me that I was unworthy of GOD’s forgiveness. I knew in my heart that I had forgiven others and prayed with sincerity for my enemies, but I couldn’t release myself! I put too much thought in my past sins, failures, wrong decisions, and fears instead of having total faith in Jesus and His saving resurrection power.
Luke 7:48 in the Passion Translation says, “ALL your sins are forgiven!” I learned that when I put my faith in Jesus Christ as the sacrifice for my sins, they are forgiven too!
We are totally set free from every trace of sin by the power of the blood of Jesus Christ.
Our past life and its memories of failure and disobedience have been placed onto His cross and nailed permanently as a public display of cancellation. Self-condemnation caused me to believe that I was unworthy of forgiveness. The truth is when I kept punishing myself for my sins, I denied Christ’s atonement for my sins on the cross. Jesus who knew no sin became sin for us so that we in Him might become the righteousness of GOD. I implore you to decide today to do with that past sin(s) what God does with all sin that He forgives – forget it!
What are you still holding onto that is stopping you from practicing forgiveness? Is there a sin in your past that you keep remembering, regretting, and confessing to GOD?
Written By: Michellene Griffin-Ballard
Prayer:
Father God, our Creator and Maker, we thank You for being God. We thank You now Jesus for saving us from our sins and for restoring us back to God in righteousness. We repent for confessing our sins to You and not fully receiving Your forgiveness by faith. Help us to not only forgive others but to also forgive ourselves and to have faith in the finished works of Jesus on the cross. We thank You now Lord for hearing our prayers and restoring us in Your sight. We love and appreciate You Lord, and we adore You! In Jesus' mighty name we pray, Amen.
