REMEMBER YOUR FORGIVENESS

We all need reminders from time to time and the Bible is replete with them! One of those reminders is found in 1 John 2:12, “I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.” John, in writing to Christians, (see 1 John 2:7, 9-11 with the family terms “brethren” and “brother”) states one of the reasons for writing this epistle, “because your sins are forgiven you for his name’s sake.” Truly, we need reminding from time to time that we have forgiveness in Jesus Christ.

The word “forgiven” means “to let go”, “send away”, “to cancel a debt”, and thus be loosed from the penalty of sin which is spiritual death (cf. Rom. 6:23). John does not leave us without an explanation of how this is possible when he writes, “for his name’s sake”. The “his” refers to Christ (cf. 1 John 2:1-2, 6). Through His atoning, vicarious sacrifice we have forgiveness of all of our sins based upon walking in the light (cf. 1 John 1:5-10).

When Christ is preached so too is the forgiveness of sin. Peter replied to those who were pricked in the heart with the Gospel message in Acts 2:38, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Later in Acts 5:31, that same Peter and the apostles told the Jewish council regarding Christ, “Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.” In Acts 13:38, the apostle Paul exclaimed, “Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man [Jesus - see v. 33] is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins.”

Let us live such that we believe that with all our hearts and help others to know Christ is The Way out of the bondage of sin and into eternal life (cf. Acts 4:10-12; John 8:31-36, 14:1-6)!

Trent Thrasher