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FORGIVENESS
By dying on the cross
more than 2,000 years ago, Jesus Christ bore the sins of the whole
world; and by faith alone in the work of Christ alone ... adding NO
human works of any kind as a condition for salvation ... a person is
eternally saved from the condemnation of sin, and he becomes a child
of God.
*** "Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is no other
name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved." (Acts 4:
12)
*** "He that believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he that
believes not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides
on him." (John 3:36)
*** In John 10:28 Jesus said, "I give unto them
eternal life, and they shall NEVER perish; neither shall any man pluck
them out of My hand."
As His' child, the new believer is expected to grow In the . wisdom
and knowledge of God.
*** "As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the WORD, that you may
grow thereby." (1 Peter 2:2)
*** "Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory and honor both now and
forever. Amen." (2 Peter 3:18) |
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Part of the
believer's training will be discipline when he commits sin. The
believer doesn't lose his salvation, but he never gets away with sin.
He can be restored to favor, or fellowship with God, by naming his
sin. There are many Biblical references that teach this principle,
such as:
*** "Only acknowledge your iniquity." (Jeremiah 3:13a)
*** "If we confess (name) our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive
us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (our unknown
sins) (1 John 1 :9)
King David understood that all sin is against God when he said,
"Against You, and You only, have I sinned and done this evil in Your
sight." (Psalm 51 :4a) If the Lord did not forgive us when we commit
sin, no one could stand before Him. However, He does forgive so that
we may learn to trust Him more. (Psalm 130:3,4)
One most interesting case of forgiveness involved a very wicked king
of Judah by the name of Manasseh. The historical facts regarding his
life are found in 2 Kings 21 :2-9. God's viewpoint of Manasseh's life
is revealed to us in 2 Chronicles, chapter 33.
Manasseh was the 12th king to rule over the nation of Judah. His
father Hezekiah and his grandson Josiah were both Godly men who walked
in the ways of David, but Manasseh did evil in " the sight of the
Lord, because he restored idolatry in the land, and by his acts, he
provoked the Lord God of Israel to deliver them into the hands of
their enemies. (2 Kings 21:1-9)
Manasseh was only 12 years old when he became king, and he ruled 55
years in Jerusalem. During his reign, he restored all the places of
idol worship that his father had destroyed, and he brought idolatry
back into the land. Discipline for their evil doings was as follows:
"Wherefore, the Lord brought upon them the captains of the armies of
the king of Assyria that took Manasseh among the thorns, bound him
with chains and carried him to Babylon. And when he was in affliction,
he begged the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly (named his
sins) before the God of his fathers. The Lord heard his petition, and
returned him to Jerusalem and restored his kingdom to him. Then
Manasseh knew that the Lord was truly God!” During the remainder of
his reign over Judah, Manasseh destroyed all places of idol worship in
the land and commanded his people to serve the Lord God of Israel I (2
Chronicles 33: 1-13)
Let us say with Jeremiah the prophet, lilt is of the Lord's mercies
that we are not consumed, because His compassions never fail. They are
new every morning; GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS I " (Lamentations 3:22,
23)
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