By John A. Huffman Jr.
You and I are privileged to march to a different drumbeat. We are privileged to not run away from suffering and difficulty but to claim the help of the Lord through the tough times of life, forgiven men and women, part of His forever community right here on earth, as well as in heaven.
Last week, I read to you 1 Corinthians 6:9-11. This illustrates what I am trying to say. Paul specifically mentions specific types of sins that label a person and declares they are disqualified for the kingdom of God. But then he shifts gears and declares that some of them used to wear those labels as fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, sodomites, thieves, greed, drunkards, revilers, robbers. But he declares that by God's grace they are redefined to being something much more. He writes, "And this is what some of you used to be. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God" (1 Corinthians 6:11). You see, they now have a whole different identity. That's how all encompassing God's forgiveness is! They move on to something more. You and I can too!
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Let us now look at what you need to do to experience forgiveness.
There are four actions on your part that will enable you to experience forgiveness. That forgiveness is there for you, but that does not mean that each of us appropriates it.
First, RECOGNIZE your need for forgiveness.
Anselm, once the Archbishop of Canterbury, declared, "You have not yet considered the heavy weight sin is."
Think about that. Have you considered the heavy weight sin is? I am talking to both believers and nonbelievers in Jesus Christ. We don't quit struggling with sin the day we are born again. The fact is that we still have the old nature that battles with the new nature. Satan is still functioning in this world. Temptation is there and although those of us who, in the past have received Jesus Christ as savior are forgiven of past sins, we need to keep up to date with Him.
The story is told about a little boy whose mother told him it was time to get ready for Sunday School. He said, "I am not going." She said, "Oh, yes you are!" He said, "I don't want to go." She said, "I don't recollect asking you if you want to go. You are going." He then asked, "Why do I have to go to Sunday School?" She responded, "To learn to be a good little boy."
This is where the little fellow demonstrates to us tremendous insight into human makeup. His answer was, "I already know how to be a better little boy than I want to be."
Whether you are a believer or a nonbeliever, there is a kind of war going on inside of you, between what Satan would love you to be and what God would dream for you to be. The Apostle Paul recognized this within himself. In Romans 7, he describes the battle going on within. He tells how the things he wanted to do he didn't do, and the things he didn't want to do he ended up doing. What's important is, he recognized his need for forgiveness. Do you?
