Does God Forgive Or Not? :: By Grant Phillips

Published on: March 9, 2022 by RR7

Far too many people are walking around with a heavy load of guilt for one reason or another. Some have even contemplated suicide to end their long nights of despair, while others have actually carried out those thoughts.

Not every anguish of soul is about forgiveness or the lack thereof, but often that is the case. I truly believe that many of those sleepless nights can be avoided if we actually believe in the complete forgiveness that comes from Almighty God.

Every man, woman and child can receive total and complete forgiveness from God for any action or thought they may have had or have. There are only three requirements; (1) we must admit we are a sinner and need forgiveness, (2) we must accept God’s only way to forgiveness which is through His Son Jesus Christ, and (3) we must ask.

Those who refuse to believe in Jesus must suffer the penalty of their own sins, and that penalty is eternal separation from God in hell. Those who have trusted Jesus as their Savior and Lord will never pay the penalty for their sins because Jesus took that penalty upon Himself and paid it for us.

For a believer or unbeliever, that isn’t to say that if you steal and get caught, you won’t go to jail. If you are caught speeding, you will pay a fine. The law is not designed to forgive, only to punish. Also, someone you wronged may not ever forgive you. The question is, “Will God forgive us for our sins against Him?”

Bottom line for unbelievers: if you are not a true Christian, God is not your Father and will not hear your prayers until you come to Him by faith through His Son Jesus and become His child.

Bottom line for believers: if you are a true Christian, God is your Father and will hear your prayers.

In the remainder of this article, I will list several Scripture references that speak of forgiveness for the child of God. Keep in mind that this is not an exhaustive list, but it can provide a great start for your own study time.

Many true Christians are carrying heavy loads of guilt around with them, and this should not be so. When we carry these guilt feelings around, we are doing exactly what Satan wants us to do. Why is that, you say? I’ll give you two answers.

First, when we sin, it affects the fellowship we have with our Heavenly Father. When we do not confess those sins and ask His forgiveness, we remain in that state of broken fellowship. Let it be clear, we do not lose our salvation, but our fellowship with Him has been cut off.

Secondly, when our fellowship with God is broken, we obviously are not growing spiritually and are an unproductive Christian.

One problem with many Christians in this state of confusion is: they will not forgive themselves. Now think about that. If God will forgive us, just who do we think we are? Are we better than God? Also, aren’t we calling God a liar? That’s not good. Think about this again. If we can’t forgive ourselves, then we must not believe His promise to forgive His own children. The fact is … God does not lie.

In the following verse, King David is calling out to God. This was probably after Nathan confronted him about sinning with Bathsheba and murdering her husband Uriah. When confronted with his sins, those sins beat him down to a pulp, but then he went to God and confessed. As terrible as his sins were, God recognized his true humility and forgave him. The slate was clean between David and God, but as you read the rest of David’s life, it’s easy to notice that he paid dearly.

Psalms 32:1-5

“Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones grew old Through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah. I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,’ And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah'”

Another prayer of David shows you and me is that our God is good. He is ready to forgive and is abundant in mercy when we call upon Him.

Psalms 86:5

“For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.”

I love this next song of David. Notice that God pities His children (that’s us!), and notice just how far He removes our sins (transgressions). East and west can never meet! True forgiveness.

Psalms 103:12

“As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father pities his children, So the LORD pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust.”

Another favorite verse is this one from Isaiah. When we go to Him in humility, He will make our scarlet sins as white as snow. Even if they’re crimson red, they will be as wool.

Isaiah 1:18

“Come now, and let us reason together,’ Says the LORD, ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.”

God blots out our sins and never brings them up again. This is what we do not do. We bury the dog but leave the tail sticking out so we can pull it back out again. God forgets it. Why can’t we?

Isaiah 43:25

“I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins.”

Again, in the next verse, we are told that God blots out those confessed sins.

Isaiah 44:22

“I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, And like a cloud, your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.”

If we just return to Him, He will have mercy on us.

Isaiah 55:7

“Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.”

Even in our rebellious state, our Father forgives when we come on our knees to Him.

Daniel 9:9

“To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him.”

Would you like to have your sins cast into the depths of the sea, never to be seen or heard of again?

Micah 7:19

“He will again have compassion on us, And will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.”

If you’re like me, you’re so thankful Jesus said these words in Matthew. I’m sure my 490 times expired long ago, but I also know I can still go to Him anytime.

Matthew 18:21-22

“Then Peter came to Him and said, ‘Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.'”

In this next passage, Jesus says for us to forgive our brother every time he comes to us in repentance. Do you think He would tell us to forgive our brother repeatedly and He not do so?

Luke 17:3-4

“Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”

Just as He blotted out our sins when we were saved, He will do so as we come to Him confessing our daily sins, which is truly a time of restoration.

Acts 3:19-21

“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.”

Blessed means to be happy, and who wouldn’t be happy when their sins are forgiven, covered, and never credited to us. They’re never imputed (credited) to us because Jesus paid our debt.

Romans 4:7-8

“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered; Blessed is the man to whom the LORD shall not impute sin.”

As children of God through Jesus Christ, we have been forgiven to the utmost and reconciled to Him.

2 Corinthians 5:18-19

“Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.”

When we sincerely confess our sins to Him, what does He say He will do? He will not throw them in our face later.

Hebrews 8:12

“For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”

In this passage, He repeats that “I will remember them no more.”

Hebrews 10:17

Then He adds, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”

If we go to our Heavenly Father and confess (name) our sins to Him, and ask His forgiveness, He will forgive those sins and also wash us clean of any sins we are not aware of that are in our life.

1 John 1:9

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Don’t let Satan take the joy from your Christian life. When you were saved, you were forgiven, so forgive yourself. Still having an old sin nature and being in these earthly bodies, we still keep sinning, so take them to Him as in 1 John 1:9 (above) and put them behind you, as God does.

Who wants to go through life carrying Satan’s bag of rocks? Not me! How about you?

Notice the following Scriptural facts concerning God’s forgiveness in these Scripture passages.

The Lord is good.
He is ready to forgive.
He is abundant in mercy.
He will remove our transgressions, as far as east is from west.
He pities those who fear Him.
He knows our frame, that we are from dust.
Our sins like scarlet, He makes them white as snow.
Our sins red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
Blots out our transgressions
Does not remember our sins
He redeems us.
He has mercy on us.
He abundantly pardons.
He has mercy and forgiveness.
He has compassion on us.
He subdues our iniquities.
Casts our sins into depths of the sea
He will forgive repeatedly, without end.
He covers our sins.
He will not impute sin.
He reconciles us.
Forgives our sins
Cleanses us of all unrighteousness

For all true Christians broken down by the guilt of sin, your salvation is guaranteed, and your fellowship can be restored by going to Him in repentance and asking His forgiveness.

Hopefully, no true believer in Christ would ever think this is a license to sin.

“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” (Romans 6:1-2).

No, it is not a license to sin, but our opportunity to remain in fellowship with our Lord and defeat sin.

“O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24).

Grant Phillips

Email: Phillip5769@twc.com
Pre-Rapture Commentary: http://grant-phillips.blogspot.com
Rapture Ready: https://www.raptureready.com/featured/phillips/phillips.html

Pass It On Again :: By Dennis Huebshman

Published on: March 9, 2022 by RR7

Matthew 28:19-20; “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit; teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” This is the ultimate “Pass It On” from our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. (ESV – all emphasis mine)

Acts 8:12; 14-17; “But when they believed Philip, as he preached good news about the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for He had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then, they laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.”

Luke 3:16; “John answered them all saying, I baptize you with water, but He who is mightier than I is coming; the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

Finally, Acts 2:1-4; “When the day of “Pentecost” arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly, there came from Heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them, and rested on each one of them, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” It should be noted, all the apostles had been previously water baptized, but this occurrence was the ultimate “immersion” into the Savior. From this point on, they were led by the Holy Spirit.

When Philip was at Samaria, it said he preached the “good news,” which means he preached the “gospel.” He was passing on to them what they needed to save their souls for all eternity. Through their water baptism, they were showing they believed in the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord and were seeking forgiveness of their sins. Their “true immersion” came when Peter and John laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit just as the apostles had at Pentecost.

It should be noted, Samaria was an area that Jews avoided, as Samaritans were not to be associated with. Of course, Jesus changed all that with the woman at the well (John 4:4-42). Through His “visit” with the people there, he was showing that John 10:16 applies to all people, all over the world as His “other sheep.”

Water baptism is significant as a demonstration of one’s desire to become a part of the Savior’s flock; Holy Spirit baptism completes the process.

In Acts 10, Peter received a vision that he was to go to the house of a Roman Centurion, who believed in and had faith in the Lord God. Acts 10:44-48; “While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the Word. And the believers from among the circumcised, who had come with Peter, were amazed because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, ‘Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.”

In the Old Testament, people were saved that were in the will of the Father. One faithful person who found favor with God was Abram, later called Abraham. The Genesis 12:2-3 blessing is a covenant God made with Abraham that still applies today. All who honor Abraham’s offspring – the Jews – will be honored; likewise, all who dishonor the Jews will be cursed.

Another place in the Old Testament that is repeated twice in the New Testament is Joel 2:32a; “And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Peter uses this in Acts 2:21, and Paul includes it in Romans 10:13. In the “ABCs” of salvation, confessing that Jesus is Lord, believing God raised Him from the dead, and calling on Jesus to be our Savior is what saves us (Romans 10:9-13).

Through the Great Commission, our Savior was telling us we need to pass on, to all who will listen, the message of receiving Salvation.

Initially, the Jews believed they would be the only “chosen” ones, but in John 10:16 as mentioned above, Jesus set this concept straight. “And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice. So there will be one flock, one Shepherd.” Please note, Jesus did not say that all religions worship the same God. Our Heavenly Father is the only true Creator, Lord God Jehovah, and the only way to Him is through His Son, Jesus the Christ (John 14:6; Acts 2:21).

Kurt Kaiser (12/17/1934 – 11/12/2018) wrote a song called “Pass It On.” It is a breath of freshness in today’s troubled world. There are three, but powerful, verses.

(1) It only takes a spark to get a fire going; and soon all those around can warm up in glowing. That’s how it is with God’s love once you’ve experienced it; you spread His love to everyone; you want to pass it on.

(2) What a wondrous time is spring, when all the trees are budding. The birds begin to sing, the flowers start their blooming. That’s how it is with God’s love once you’ve experienced it; you want to sing “It’s fresh like spring”; you want to pass it on.

(3) I wish for you, my friend, this happiness I’ve found. You can depend on Him, it matters not where you’re bound. I’ll shout it from the mountain top – Praise God! I want the world to know, the Lord of love has come to me; pass it on.

Everything that is taking place today is Bible prophecy coming to life. God is not surprised by anything that is happening, and soon two major prophecies will be fulfilled. First will be the removal of all true believers to keep us from the coming wrath (1 Thessalonians 1:10; 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17, and 1 Corinthians 15:51-53). After the Rapture, an evil world leader will come forward, and the 7-year Tribulation will take place. What is unfolding all around the globe today is a prelude to this. He’s being held back right now, as a “Restrainer” is not allowing him to come forward. When that Restrainer is taken out of the way (2 Thessalonians 2), then all those who are indwelt by Him will be removed also.

The “lawlessness one’s” way is being prepared right now by the new world order who will be happy that all the “haters” are gone. At least initially.

Our “Commission” today is to pass on the Gospel to all who would receive it. We need to be faithful prayer warriors, asking the Father to touch the hearts of all our loved ones, to give them encouragement to seek Jesus. We are past the Luke 21:28 warning of the beginning of signs of the end of this age. Jesus could call His flock to rise up to meet Him in the air at any moment now.

Those who receive and accept the gift our Savior gave us, and are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, are truly born again. Our eternal address changed from eternal darkness to eternal light, and to live in glory forever with our Lord and Savior.

In the ABCs of Salvation as mentioned earlier, Admit, Believe and Call, are what is required. Nowhere does it say we have to do “works” or whatever else to earn our Salvation. That’s covered in Ephesians 2:8-9. We’re saved by the Grace of the Savior, through the Mercy of the Father. Best part of all, no one who truly calls on the Lord will ever be turned away. He won’t force anyone, but the bottom line is that all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.

We have not been given the exact day or hour that our Savior will call, but it could be at any moment now. Today would not be too early to receive and accept Him; tomorrow could just be too late. It will still be possible for souls to be saved during the Tribulation, but the cost will be enormous. Doing so will very likely lead to martyrdom.

God’s word is true and faithful (Titus 1:2), and with all the things that are happening right now, Jesus Is Coming Soon! God wants no one to fail and is possibly holding off for just a bit to give all a chance to repent and come to Jesus (2 Peter 3:9). The door will close soon – be sure to be on the proper side of it when it does.

Maranatha – Come, Lord Jesus!

huebshman46@gmail.com