You Can Be Forgiven

Bulletins

Brian Nielsen
09/01/24 - General

Whatever you've done wrong, it can be fixed. The price was steep, but Christ paid it. The apostle Peter told us this in Acts 3:17-18, saying, "Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers. But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would suffer, He has fulfilled."

This can include sins in which we have left things needed to be done undone or sins when we've done wrong. Peter had been speaking to those who allowed Jesus to suffer that agonizing death on the cross. As for your sins, are they any worse than this? We back up a few verses to Acts 3:14-15 -- "But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses."

As this was being done, as the Prince of life was being unfairly killed, Jesus in some of the most remarkable words ever spoken, said in Luke 23:34, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."

The forgiving Jesus paid our debt. We just need to accept and obey Him.

Sins when being unaware is one thing. Some of us have sinned when knowing we were wrong. Thank the Lord this is not a hopeless case either. We may have once repented but backslidden to sinful ways again. Again, we have an answer. In Zechariah 1:3, we read, "Therefore say to them, 'Thus says the lord of hosts: 'Return to Me,' says the lord of hosts, 'and I will return to you,' says the lord of hosts." Micah 7:9 says, "I will bear the indignation of the lord, because I have sinned against Him, until He pleads my case and executes justice for me. He will bring me forth to the light; I will see His righteousness."

We do have our part to do in receiving this mercy and forgiveness. Returning to Acts 3, the command is given in verses 19-21, "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began."

No matter our sins, things we have done through ignorance or things we knew were wrong, we are told in Romans 10:9-10 to confess Jesus as our Savior and in First John 1:9 that confessed sins will be forgiven.

In the same breath as repentance, we are told in Acts 2:38 to be baptized, a command also given in Acts 22:16 and Mark 16:16. We are then told to remain faithful in Matthew 10:22 and Revelation 2:10.

James 4:17 says, "Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin."

Unlike those addressed in Acts 3:17, we know what to do.

(Scripture quotes are from the NKJV)