Completely Saved

Reflect on God’s Word

Does shame ever keep you from truly believing that Jesus is able to forgive you? Do you fear that your sins are too many or too egregious?

Maybe sins you committed yesterday keep nipping at your heels like an angry dog, refusing to let you go, and you find yourself pulled backward into shame and regret. Maybe failures from decades ago, when remembered, still have the power to draw you down into despair.

Though you may have trouble moving forward and forgiving yourself, God doesn’t have any trouble doing that. He has forgiven you completely. Your sins and failures can’t keep you from God. You are completely saved.

Hebrews 7:25 says of Christ, “Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.”

What a beautiful verse! It really contains every aspect of the gospel message for us. Jesus is able to save. Not might be able to save, but can save! And when he saves, he does it completely, once and for always. He is able to do this because he sits next to the Father as our advocate, interceding with God on our behalf. Amazing!

John 10:28 says that nothing and no one can pluck us out of the hand of God. Picture yourself securely in the hand of God—forever, completely, perfectly, and for eternity.

In 1 John 2:1–2, the apostle John writes, “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”

That word advocate describes someone similar to an intercessor, someone taking up for you when you can’t do something yourself. Courts have advocates for children who are in unstable or dangerous situations. Called a “guardian ad litem,” these people are appointed by the court to represent the best interests of the child.

And then there’s the term atoning sacrifice. Jesus assumed the punishment for our sin. He took our place. He intruded into the courtroom and paid the debt we owed. He covered it. Picture that in your mind. See Jesus physically covering you, protecting you, shielding you from the effects of sin and judgment. He reconciled us to God by dying on the cross for our sins because Scripture says in Leviticus 17:11, “For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.” And Hebrews 9:22, referring to the verse in Leviticus, says, “In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”

How do you respond to the truth that no matter what you have done, Jesus has exchanged places with you? He took your sins on himself, and he paid the penalty for everything you have done or will do.

Psalm 103:12 (ESV) says, “As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.”

So how far exactly is the east from the west? That line extends for eternity. God has removed your sins and thrown them so far away that they can never be found. The accuser can never use them against you. Imagine the devil trying to accuse you of sin. He comes up empty. Your sins cannot be found.

You are in Christ’s saving grip, and nothing is strong enough to tear you out of his hands.

Release Your Shame

Take a deep breath, hold it for a moment, and then let it out slowly. As your breath leaves your body, feel your shame being blown away. Feel your body relax. Still your mind and your heart.

Spend time now thanking God for his plan to save you and to bring you back into relationship with him by his grace, through faith in his Son.

Picture a balloon that over your lifetime has been blown up by all of the shame you have ever felt. Maybe it’s the things you’ve done. Maybe it’s things others have done to you. That balloon holds every harsh and demeaning word, every tear, every dark thought. You’ve been carrying that balloon around with you like a child in the park. Looking at it, holding on to it, believing all that it holds.

Now picture God taking that balloon and poking a hole in it. Even as you watch, everything that balloon held flows out of it. Soon there is nothing left to hold that balloon up. Now watch as God breathes new life into that balloon. All the holes and weak spots seal, and it lifts higher and higher, grows bigger and more beautiful, until it is like a glorious hot-air balloon, filled with God’s glory, his forgiveness, and his grace.

Do this now: Cup your hands softly, now grip them together tightly. Imagine your life, your soul, being forever locked into the soft, tender, loving, protecting hands of Jesus. You are completely and forever saved. That new life in you can never be taken away.

Dear God of good news, I accept these words you have given as a gift today and every day. Give me the humility and courage to accept that you, Christ Jesus, are able to save me forever, completely, perfectly, and for eternity. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for calling me to yourself and giving me a desire for you. And thank you for living to intercede and intervene on my behalf before the Father. In your precious name I pray, amen.

JOURNAL PROMPT: What has been filling your balloon? With the help of the Holy Spirit, list those things that have brought you shame. Don’t be afraid. Jesus is right there by your side. When you are done, in bold letters, write the word FORGIVEN over the entire list.