When you sin, do you ask for forgiveness?
Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy. Proverbs 28:13
There is a true story about a former NFL football player who owns a vacation home in upper state New York. Over the Labor Day week-end, 300 teenagers broke into his house and did over $20,000.00 worth of damage!!! Since they are kids and into ‘social media’, they went on-line to post pictures and brag about the BIG party. Obviously, this was an admission to their guilt.
The owner of this home, took a very different route of ‘teaching them a lesson’! Instead of turning the damaging information over to the police, he used social media as well by creating a website to post the pictures of the ‘guilty’ kids. His plan was to ‘Help save the 300”. He wrote that if they would come and help him repair the damage and return the stolen items, he would not press charges. He wanted to give them another chance.
In other words, if they would repent their sin, he would forgive them. Only 4 showed up to help. They even brought some friends who had not been at the party to help.
He’s not going to press charges on those 4 that came to help clean up.
The ‘Key to cancelling sin is repentance!’
In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. Galatians 4: 3-5
So, do you ask the Lord for forgiveness when you sin? Do you repent?
And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” John 8:11
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In the example below, the former NFL player required the kids that did the damage/transgression to repair it in order to be forgiven. The biggest difference and maybe the hardest thing for us human to except is that Jesus gave Himself for us (Forgiveness) without expecting anything in return. So forgiveness came at a very high price payed by Him alone. Nothing is required from me or you in order for us to be forgiven. No need to go back and repair some of your past sins. No need for you to do anything. There is a big debate about salvation and how does it come about. Does God have to convince you of your own shortcomings because we are not capable of such (Total Depravity)? Or, do we have the capability to repent on our own based on the offer, similar to what the example on this article describes? That’s a good question that I, myself struggle with. Are we chosen beforehand for Salvation (Predestination/Election)? I don’t know. But, what I know is that God has forgiven my past, present and future sins. How does that translate into practical day-to-day transformation I don’t know? I think this is the struggle between the spirit and the flash that Paul talks about.
God Bless!
Joe,
Well said!! Yes,, we are saved by Grace, not works. (Eph 2:8-9).
The football player wanted to so something to turn the kids around..to help them from making any more mistakes.
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