Martin Luther, who was a key figure in the Reformation movement of the 1500s, once had a dream where he was being attacked by Satan. The devil unrolled a long scroll containing a list of sins that Luther had committed and held it before him. When the scroll was completely unrolled and every sin had been read, Luther asked the devil, “Is that all?” “No,” came the reply, and a second scroll was put in front of him. Then, after the second, came a third. Luther said to Satan, “You’ve forgotten something.” Satan asked, “What have I possibly forgotten? All of your sins are here.” Luther replied, “You need to write these words on each of the three scrolls: ‘The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanses us from all sin.’”
Truly, “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit” (Psalm 32:1–2).
Have you ever thought about how blessed Christians are to have their sins forgiven by God? Every person who has ever lived has sinned many times and in many ways (Romans 3:10, 23; 1 John 1:8, 10). Sin leads a person to spiritual death (Romans 6:23) and separation from God (Isaiah 59:2). Scriptures like Psalm 32:1–2 demonstrate the amazing opportunity people have to escape that.
Forgiveness is one of the greatest blessings a person can receive from God. People are blessed when their transgressions are forgiven; this is the reason Jesus was willing to shed His blood (Matthew 26:28; Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 9:14; Revelation 1:5). People are blessed when their sin is covered. When something is covered, it disappears from sight. God has covered the sins of those who belong to Him, taking them out of sight. People are blessed when the Lord does not impute their sin to them; what an awesome thought that God does not hold the sins of His people against them! This is reflected in Hebrews 8:12, where the writer says that God no longer remembers His people’s sins; they are removed from His mind and sight. Christians can confidently proclaim the words of Psalm 103:12: “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”
God’s forgiveness must be received through human obedience to what He has said in His Word. To be forgiven, one must believe in God and repent of sin: “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:19). Scripture tells us that baptism is the point at which God initially forgives and washes away people’s sins: “Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit’” (Acts 2:38); “And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16).
The blessing of God’s forgiveness should change the way people live. Christians must walk in the light for their sins to be continually forgiven through Jesus’ blood. As John writes, “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). Because God has forgiven us, we should be willing to forgive others. As Jesus says, “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14–15). Forgiveness is a blessing that we both receive from God and extend to others.
-Tyler Alverson
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