Forgiven

As I think about this topic, I find myself remembering of my favorite Sanctus Real songs, "Forgiven." Part of the lyrics go like this:

In this life, I know what I've been
But here in Your arms, I know what I am
I'm forgiven, I'm forgiven
I don't have to carry the weight of who I've been
Cause I'm forgiven

What a relief to know we don't have to carry the weight of who we once were. When we receive God's forgiveness, we're no longer that person - we're made new.

This was always a hard concept for me. I found myself asking forgiveness over and over again for the same sins because I didn't feel forgiven. I didn't feel cleansed and renewed because I allowed my shame and disappointment in myself to overshadow the truth that my sins were washed away. I think back to those times and imagine God saying to me "I already forgave you. Don't you believe me?"

A few nights ago, I was listening to one of Beth Moore's videos from her series on David. She was speaking about forgiveness and used Romans 4:1-8 to explain that our righteousness is not reckoned according to our behavior, but rather according to our belief. We are made righteous in God's eyes not by our works, but by believing His Word and the truth of who we are in Christ. When we believe God is bigger than all sin and that we're renewed and forgiven by His grace, it will then show in the way we act. We always act out of what we truly believe.

This made perfect sense to me. The times I fell back into sin were the times I felt defeated, not good enough, and unforgiven. That's what I believed I was, so that's what I continued to be. I'm so thankful God is a God of mercy who doesn't give up on us when we make mistakes.

What's even better is God doesn't stop at forgiveness. In Isaiah 43:25, we see God showing mercy to Israel when they were unfaithful. He says "I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions, for My own sake, and remembers your sins no more."It's not that He can't remember, but He chooses not to. He takes our scarlet-red sins and washes them white as snow. Where would we be if it weren't for Christ's sacrifice? He didn't just lift our sins from us; 1 Peter 2:24 says he himself bore them in his body on the cross. By His wounds, we are healed.

The song "Forgiven" ends with these words: "When I don't measure up to much in this life, I'm a treasure in the arms of Christ." We are treasures in the arms of Christ - It's this simple truth that makes all the difference and helps us accept His free gift of grace.