Forgiveness

Forgiveness

All of us have strayed away like sheep. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the guilt and sins of us all.

Isaiah 53:6

How do you introduce yourself in social settings? “Hi, I’m Ellen Elwell. I’m Jordan’s mom,” is what I typically say if I’m attending a school event. If I’m participating in a piano teacher’s convention I might say, “Hi, I’m Ellen Elwell. I teach piano in the western suburbs of Chicago.”

One way I’ve never introduced myself is “Hi, I’m Ellen Elwell and I’m a sinful human being.” Speaking those words in a social setting might feel awkward—both for me and for the listener. But the words are entirely accurate. The truth is, we’re all sinners and we all need God’s forgiveness. From Genesis to Revelation, we discover that the best of the patriarchs, psalmists, prophets, and disciples were sinners, just like us.

One Sunday morning, a preacher named Vance Havner spoke on the topic of sin and the depravity of man. After the service was over, one of Havner’s parishioners approached him and said, “Pastor, I’m having a hard time with this idea you say the Bible teaches about the depravity of man. I just can’t swallow it.” The pastor smiled and replied gently, “You don’t have to. It’s already in you!”

It was seeing my sin that first prompted me to desire God’s forgiveness. Since the day I first placed my faith in Christ, I’ve continued to grow in my new identity. I’m a child of God who’s blessed with holiness, freedom, and wisdom—among other things—because of Christ’s death on the cross. Although I’m growing and learning, I realize that I will struggle with sin until the day I die. Those struggles prompt me to depend on Christ each day because he is the only one who has power to forgive my sin and to help me live righteously. “I remember two things,” said John Newton, “that I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Savior.”

Father,

I praise you that you are a God who wants to forgive. Thank you that you take away our guilt and replace it with joy. In the name of Jesus, amen.