The prophet Isaiah states this concerning our sin and the Lord’s forgiveness: “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be like snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool” (1:18).
Let’s take a closer look at this:
Our sins are scarlet. Our sins are bright and bold, ever before us. Using a double negative, “We can’t not see it.”
Yet,
Jesus enters and not only removes our sin, but heals us in body and soul. Our lives are redeemed, and we will appear before all, in heaven and earth – as pure as the white snow. In other words we are robed in the white robes of the saints of God!
That’s quite a transformation!
God knows we might not grasp this gift of forgiveness the first time we hear it, so he tells it again.
Though our sins are red like crimson,
Yet,
They will become white as wool.
What this tells us, is that we can always go to God for forgiveness, and we can rest assured that not only will we be forgiven, but the Lord will restore us to our true identity as saints of God! Yes, forgiveness transforms us into saints! To become a saint, means in part – to accept and receive God’s grace, love and forgiveness.
Christian psychotherapist Robert McGee once met with a woman named Pam. It soon became obvious to McGee that she did not understand the great truth of forgiveness. Three years after she married, Pam had an affair with a co-worker. Although she had confessed her sin to God and to her husband, and had been forgiven, guilt continued to plague her, making it difficult for her to feel acceptable to God. Four years after the affair, she still could not forgive herself for what she had done.
Sitting one day in the office they explored her reluctance to accept God’s forgiveness. “It sounds as though you believe that God can’t forgive the sin you committed,” McGee said.
“That’s right,” she replied, “I don’t think He ever will.”
“But God doesn’t base His love and acceptance of us on our performance,” McGee countered. “If any sin is so filthy and vile that it makes us less acceptable to Him, then the cross is insufficient. If the cross isn’t sufficient for all sin, then the Bible is in error when it says that He forgave ALL your sins. God took our sins and cancelled them by nailing them to Christ’s cross. In this way, God also took away Satan’s power to condemn us for sin. So you see, nothing you will ever do can is more powerful than God’s ability to forgive. Nothing can nullify your reconciliation with God or make you unacceptable to Him."
If you are a person who is still burdened with sins in your past – take the time to get into the Scriptures and you will find that God’s ability, even desire, to forgive, is greater than any sin you have ever committed. To deny this statement is to deny the power of the cross!
So, confess your sins today and be free.
~ Pastor Dan