As we study what it means for us to be forgiven in Christ, I’m sure y’all will forgive me for being a day late with this post. I was a little behind in getting started, & as I got into studying the verse for this post, it was just too good to rush through.

If you are “In Christ,” you are forgiven. Have you ever taken the time before, to sit & study & really learn what that means for you? Every time I do, it gets me so excited! To know that, in God’s eyes, none of the wrong choices I made in the past & any mistakes I may make in the future, even exist to Him, is so wonderful!

Maybe you struggle, like I once did, with forgiving yourself for the things you’ve done. Maybe you were once promiscuous. Perhaps you struggled with drugs. Maybe you sold them. Maybe you just chose to surround yourself with all the wrong kinds of people, allowing yourself to get caught up in the wrong kind of lifestyle & weren’t a very good parent. Guess what? You’re not alone. Many, like myself, have been through all of the above. Perhaps you’re one of many more who’ve done worse than all of the above. But God has a way of bringing us back to Him. Like the father of the prodigal son in Luke chapter 15, He never stops loving us, & when we came running back to Him in sincerity, He was waiting with open arms to say “I love you, I forgive you, what sin? I have thrown it as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12), & I’m here to celebrate your return & give you a new life.” Have you ever tried to go east until you start going west? It’s physically impossible! And if God doesn’t know us by our sins & mistakes, then who are we to judge ourselves by them? They no longer belong to us!

He bore our sins in his body. It is said that as Christ hung on the cross, He became so disfigured that He didn’t even look like a recognizable human being anymore. All because He took on all of our sin- every sin you’ve ever committed, every sin that could ever be committed, every grotesque act of human kind beyond our imaginations- He took it on Himself in His body, to take the punishment for us, so that we might have the opportunity to be forgiven.

The Greek word for forgiven is “charizomai” or “xarizomai,”- to show favor, give freely; pardon, forgive, show kindness. HELPS Word Studies puts it this way: “God giving His grace to pardon. This is freely done & therefore not based on any merit of the one receiving forgiveness.” Again, I just love how Thayer’s Greek Lexicon explains things “…graciously restore one to another who desires his safety (e.g. a captive…), to preserve for one a person in peril, to give up to another one whom he may punish or put to death” (emphasis mine). This is what God did for us- we were in peril, undeserving captives to the law of sin & death, & He offered up His Son in our place (Romans 8:3), because He graciously desired to pardon us & keep us safe from death! WHOA! (Feel free to take as long as you need to run, jump, dance, praise & give glory to Him here 😉 )

Now, let’s define death- physical death is separation of our spirit from our bodies; spiritual death refers to spiritual separation from God. God wanted a family, & so He created people. People were not created to die- why do you think we fight it so hard? Death entered the world, when sin entered the world- the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). When we live in sin, which is the natural state of man (thanks to the events that occurred in the Garden of Eden), our flesh is dominated by the law of sin & death (Romans 7:23,24), our bodies are alive, but we are spiritually dead- separated from God. To be a sinner, is to be a slave to sin (John 8:34), living in darkness & separated from God. To be truly alive, we must be spiritually restored to Him.

We are spiritually restored to God when we receive (notice I didn’t say ask for- we don’t ask for what’s already been given to us) forgiveness from God, accepting Jesus as our Savior into our hearts. This is where religion will try to mess you up- they will give you a list of do’s & don’ts & tell you that you must follow the law & they will make it seem like you will never be good enough to earn the salvation God gave to you. And, on your own, you will never be good enough; there is nothing you can do on your own to earn your salvation. But you don’t have to. It’s already yours. No amount of effort to live up to a law that no person other than Jesus was ever good enough to fulfill, will save you. The law gives sin its power, & praise God, Jesus fulfilled the law & set us free from it, freely giving us victory over sin & death.

In Matthew 26:28, Jesus tells us that His blood is poured out for the remission of the sins of many. Merriam-Webster defines “remit” – “to lay aside partly or wholly… to release from the guilt or penalty of… to cancel or refrain from inflicting; to give relief from (suffering).” This tells us that, because of Jesus’ blood shed for us, our sins have been laid aside, we are SET FREE FROM GUILT, given relief from all suffering that results from sin. He took it for us, now we don’t have to suffer! Through Christ, you are good enough. You are worthy & you are made righteous.

Sweet child of God, you are forgiven. Whatever it is the enemy continues to try to hang over your head, let it go. Rebuke him in the Name of Jesus, & speak God’s Word over yourself, & forgive yourself, receiving your relief!

Therefore there is now no condemnation [no guilty verdict, no punishment] for those who are in Christ Jesus [ who believe in Him as personal Lord & Savior]. For the law of the Spirit of life [which is] in Christ Jesus [the law of our new being] has set you free from the law of sin & of death. – Romans 8:1,2 (AMP)