What do I do when I sin against the Lord?
Simply stated, I say, “I’m sorry, Lord.” I may also talk about my thoughts and feelings and the details of the situation, not as an excuse or because I need to explain it to Him but to bare my heart with Him. (And I am unabashedly “for real” with Him.) In other words, I lean into my fellowship (sharing my life) with Him.
But I do not ask Him to forgive me. Because even though there is no “harm” in doing so, I realize from the Scriptures that forgiveness is already mine by the once-and-for-all sacrifice1 of Christ. When I placed my faith in Jesus as my Savior, not only did God forgive my sins up to that point, but I became a forgiven person2 for all time and eternity. No matter how badly I’ve sinned or how sorry I am for doing so, God literally has no more forgiveness to give me than what I have already been given.3 Forgiveness for a believer is not an installment plan with God. There was one payment, in full, for all time, made by Jesus, and by that one payment He has perfected (forgiven) forever those who believe in Him. We are not “perfect” in our behavior, but we are in our status before God. Practically speaking, day-by-day the Holy Spirit is aligning our imperfect behavior and attitudes with our perfect identity in Christ.4
When I sin, I give thanks that, because of Christ, I live in a perpetual state of forgiveness. I now have a peace with God5 that frees me to tell Him my secrets, confess my sins and enjoy His everlasting care.
1 – Hebrews 10:14
2 – Ephesians 1:7
3 – Hebrews 10:18
4 – 2 Corinthians 3:18
5 – Romans 5:1
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