Forgiven

Ephesians 4:30-32 “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”

Our Friday evening small group home Bible Study got together for Fellowship and another great lesson on the Christian virtue of “forgiveness”; as Jesus said, we are to forgive as we have been forgiven. To truly understand forgiving others, we must first realize that no matter what we’ve done, God assures you of complete and absolute forgiveness through the death of His son. But, don’t only ungodly sinners and enemies of God need forgiveness and salvation? Exactly!

Romans 3:9-12, 21-23 What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin. As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God.  But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

The Greek word used here for sin literally means “to miss the mark” – the mark of the foreordained “high calling” of God, to fall short of God’s standard (which is the mark), to do or go wrong, to violate God’s law.” The word “righteous” means “to be free of guilt and sin; to be in a ‘right’ relationship with God by being conformed to God’s standard, not man’s.” But how can the unrighteous become righteous? 2 Corinthians 5:21 “For He (God) made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Romans 5:6-10 “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”

Mankind’s sin created a barrier between us and God. Reconciliation to God signifies complete forgiveness and the establishing of a relationship with Him. Reconciliation is unique to the Christian faith. Every other religion teaches that man has to appease God. Biblical Christianity teaches that God appeases Himself, supplying what is necessary to reconcile us to Him: His Son’s blood for forgiveness of our sins. Colossians 1:21-22 “And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, He has now reconciled in His body of flesh by His death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before Him. Sin is an unpopular word, but it describes our violations of God's laws.We are responsible of our sins, however, Jesus has paid for all Believer's sins - past, present and future and they are forgiven.

Colossians 3:12-13 “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.”

Forgiven in Christ, Brian