Forgiveness - Is it possible?

Is forgiveness a mountain that is too hight to climb?

In whom we have redemption through his blood, the 

forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

The Bible - Ephesians 1:7

So what's the verdict?

Really there are a number of questions which we need to answer to answer the main question - Forgiveness - is it possible? I'll address them one by one: 

Why do I need to be forgiven?

Are guilty feelings just manufactured by how we are brought up? Are they just a legacy from more religious days? Are these just hang ups that we should be clear of now that we live in a more liberal society? 

These are good questions.  Let me start with what the Lord Jesus said. He believed that we all need forgiveness and that His Father, God, is the person that we need to go to for forgiveness. If you have ever said the Lord's prayer you will know this to be true. 

The Lord's Prayer - Matthew 6:9-13

9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

The Lord Jesus added:

14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

So the Lord Jesus believed that:

1. we need forgiveness, 
2. it can be obtained by prayer to his Father and,
3. the evidence that we really have it will be seen in whether we are prepared to forgive others!

Who have I wronged when I do wrong? 

The Bible teaches that God is our Creator, our Judge and the setter of the rules.

God summarises and concludes in the letter to the Romans chapter three that 'there is none righteous, no, not one' (v10) and 'there is none that doeth good, no, not one' (v12). You might think that this is very tough but remember the God as Creator and the Almighty is the 'setter of the rules'. God is not saying that no one ever does any good or that no one ever gets anything right but He is saying that we are not characteristically right (we are morally wrong and sinful) and we are not consistently good in what we do.

Could God not just forget sin and ignore it; after all he is a God of love isn't he?

God is a God of love but that is only one aspect of His character. He has other qualities that sit comfortably with the fact that 'God is love".

God is just and fair. In Psalm 97:2 he describes His throne (his seat and style of administration -  'righteousness and justice are the foundation of his (God's) throne'. In Genesis 18:25 we discover that from the earliest civilisations of planet earth God was described as 'the judge of all the earth' and he always does what is right i.e. He is righteous. 

Men in the Bible realised that their sin was essentially against God. It affected and indeed wronged others but it was against God as it broke His Laws. In Psalm 51 King David confessed - 'against thee, thee only, have I sinned'.

God has appointed His Son, The Lord Jesus as the judge in the final court. There will be no appeal procedure in place, John 5:22 and Acts 17:31.  He has not only been appointed to  judge the world one day but presently He is the Saviour of the world (John 4:42).  His offer today is one of forgiveness (Matthew 9:6). This is only possible because he 'died for our sins' in full and final payment to God for all wrong and evil.


In life only the person who has been sinned against is in a position to offer forgiveness. So it is with God. We have all sinned and come short of the glory of God (Roman 3:23). It is God we have wronged and He chooses to offer forgiveness through His Son, Jesus Christ.

What if I don't have the means to pay; I just can't meet God's demands on my life?

This is where the grace of God comes in. God commends his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners Christ died for us, Romans 5:8. God doesn't ask us to pay, he offers forgiveness on the basis that His Son has already paid through the death of the cross. 

Your move!

God calls for a response from you. The words repent, confess, call, trust, believe, come,  and receive Christ all come to mind. You cannot acquire forgiveness on the back of a good or religious life but you can receive it by faith in Jesus Christ. 

I leave you with the words of Acts 13:38,39 - 38 Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: 39 And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.

To access podcasts and videos explaining the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk

This site will give you access to Bible Teaching Audio's and Video's as well.

6 reasons why Christianity should never be a state religion

All photos are courtesy of Unsplash 

No 1 - Legal coercion will not produce the kingdom of God in a fallen world. 

No 2 - Because Christians agree to make room for non-Christian faiths (including naturalistic, materialistic faiths), not because commitment to God’s supremacy is unimportant, but because it must be voluntary, or it is worthless. 

No 3 - Because we have a God-centered reason for making room for atheism. The Lord Jesus said, 'My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight,' John 18. 36. Christians don't have the right to alter this world or to get involved in its political system, Phil 3. 20. The fact is that God will establish His kingdom through the supernatural miracle of faith, not firearms or force. This means that Christians in this age should not endorse coercive governments, Christian or secular or get involved in Christianization of society!

No 4 - Christians resist, in principle, the coercive secularization implied in some laws that repress Christian activity in public places. 

No 5 - It is not that we want to establish Christianity as the law of our land. That is intrinsically impossible, because of the spiritual nature of the kingdom of God, Romans 14. 17. It is rather because repression of free exercise of religion and persuasion is as wrong against Christians as it is against secularists. 

No 6 - Tolerance is rooted in the very nature of the gospel of Christ. The current spiritual nature of God’s kingdom is until Christ comes to implement rights and authority that we do not currently have.

So what is required of us? 

The primary responsibility of the Christian is to go into the world with the gospel. Jesus said - 'Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen, Matthew 28:19,20. 

For more information go to www.seekthetruth.org.uk. 

Give yourself a soul valuation!

All photos courtesy of Unsplash

Jesus said - ‘what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose [or forfeit] his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?’.

 

·    The top ten companies in the world have combined revenues of      

     about £2000 billion per year.

·    All the gold above-ground in the world could be worth as much as 

     £1000 billion. 

·    The British government’s annual income is around £600 billion and

·    The ten richest people in the world have about £300 billion between 

     them.

 

These enormous figures are way beyond our understanding. The nearest some of us can get to this in our understanding is that the average wage earner in the UK might earn about £1,000,000 in a working lifetime, and the average UK house price is currently around a quarter of a million pounds. 

What Britons believe about God!

What Britons believe about God!

A recent survey concluded that Britons are more likely to believe in ghosts and karma than a Creator. It’s probably important to note, however, that ‘Christian’ is a cultural identification for many. Last year, YouGov found that only 55 per cent of self-identified Christians believe a God exists.

In fact it would seem that in British society a trend of ‘christianaphobia’ is rising. Christianity is accused of some amazing things. A couple of years ago, in a large circulation Regional Newspaper in England, Christianity was accused of being the source of the 'tide of disrespect engulfing us'. Is this really an honest assessment?

The impact of Christianity on the world is indisputable! Following the principles Jesus taught produced social reform, improved education, the development of science and medicine and influenced literature and philosophy!

The consequences of failing to follow the teachings of Jesus will be catastrophic both for society and the individual! The Bible teaches that Jesus will return to earth one day to judge the world righteously, Acts 17:31. All wrong will be judged; sadly unbelief in God, and his Son Jesus, is one of those wrongs that will qualify. 

This may seem harsh but essentially unbelief is the worst crime of all because of what it leads to. 

God is light therefore unbelief leaves you in moral darkness. 

God is truth therefore unbelief leaves you with all that is false. 

God is life therefore unbelief leaves you with death. 

God is holy therefore unbelief leaves you with sins unforgiven.

Ultimately unbelief leads to all the depravity that we readily accept is wrong and harmful. Thankfully today we all have the opportunity to 'believe in the Lord Jesus Christ'. In that day it will be too late.

In closing I want to pass on a ‘Global Warning,’ (excuse the pun)! This is not about the effect of the mismanagement of our planet and its resources, important though that is, but about an issue which has a longer lasting effect. This planet will come to the end of it's life cycle one day, see 2 Peter 3. However our souls will never die! The warning is that if we do not actively get back to God then we will find that we are, on death, forever at a distance from God and all that God is i.e. love, justice, peace etc. 

How can we come to God? The answer is in seeking the Lord while he may be found, repenting of our sin (turning away from it) and placing our personal trust in Jesus Christ.

The scripture teaches - 'Christ died for our sins....and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day,' 1 Corinthians 15.3,4.

The solution is to 'repent and believe the gospel,' Mark 1.15.

May you come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour as a result of considering these thoughts from the Bible. 

To access podcasts and videos explaining the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk

This site will give you access to Bible Teaching Audio's and Video's as well.

You can be sure of heaven - 1 John 5:13-21

1 John 5:13-21

13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:

15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

16 If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.

17 All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.

18 We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.

19 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.

20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

Explanation

John is writing to Christians, verse 13 makes that very clear. He is writing, however, so that the believers instead of doubting their faith in Christ might know  that they have eternal life. That means it is possible to have eternal life but live a life of doubt where you are lacking assurance. That need not be the case. The Lord wants believers to live lives in full assurance of faith, enjoying and appreciating their faith in the Lord Jesus. When John wrote his gospel he ended it by saying 'these are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you might have life through his name'.

Here is a disciple who is confident that if he asks God for anything that is in keeping with His will that it will be granted, v14,15. The question and challenge then is to seek out and find out what the will of God is! Searching the scriptures is the only realistic way to do this. The first and biggest aspect of God's will for any person to discover is that he 'will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth,' 1 Timothy 5:4. 

In verses 16-18 we are confronted with the fact that there are some sins which can be forgiven and some that cannot. You might have thought that all sins could be forgiven. This is basically right but there are a couple of exceptions! The only sin that I can think of that cannot be forgiven is the sin of unbelief. That is if you refuse to believe that Jesus is the Son of God and you reject God's offer of forgiveness then you are excluding yourself from forgiveness. All the other examples are closely linked to this. There might be a sense in which this verse has a very special meaning that was unique to Bible times. For instance the sin of attributing the power behind the miracles of Jesus to the devil would be relevant in the days of Christ and similar to refusing to believe the gospel.  Again turning your back on Jesus as the Messiah, Lord and Saviour and going back to Jewish beliefs and sacrifices was described as the sin of apostasy; this again is a form of unbelief. 

Verse 17 confirms a fact that is often spoken about in the Bible - 'all unrighteousness is sin'. That is a definition of sin. Sin is everything that does not come up to God's impeccable standard. Romans 3:23 states 'for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God'.

The next three verses (18-20) show that there is a marked difference between a believer in Jesus Christ and an unbeliever. This is seen in their behaviour. A Christian is not expected to constantly sin. It is also seen in the fact that a believer is careful about how they live and what they allow into their lives. The Christian is also preserved from the wicked one (the devil) getting a firm grip in their life. The world is under the devil's control but the believer's source of life comes from God.

In summary - 'We know that the Son of God is come and has given us an understanding'. The reason is that 'we might know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son, Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life'. 

A warning - Little children, keep yourselves from idols, Amen.

To access podcasts and videos explaining the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk

This site will give you access to Bible Teaching Audio's and Video's as well.

Time to move on!

Migration of people from Africa and Middle Eastern Countries to Europe is a major problem for the leaders and politicians of all the nations that comprise the European Union. Why are there thousands of people who want to move on from their home and family and friends, to go to a foreign land and people who do not speak their language? There are numerous reasons, some are fleeing for their lives, their homeland being torn apart by war and the violence of wicked men and women. Some see that in their homeland that they will always be poor, with no prospect of improving the quality of their living.

One could ask who or what is causing all this distress to thousands of people making them uproot from the land of their birth to risk body and soul on perilous jouirneys, moving on to a better life and place? Religion must be held responsible for many lives being lost, and exploitation of the poor by rich businesses, politicians and landowners, the list could go on, but I must move on.

If there is security and prosperity to be found in Europe why are there terrorists from Africa and the Middle East who want to kill and maime folk, taking their own life in the act of bombing innocent people in European Countries. It is senseless murder!

Personal relationships can sometimes hit troubled waters and tears are shed. Thankfully, those experiences can sometimes deepen the love and trust between folk and move on to happier days. Sad to say, the opposite can be true. Often because of selfishness, one is let down by the behaviour or lack of love by one, and the other chooses that it is time to move on. If that is the case with a married couple then that is a tragedy. Men and women should be able and responsible to sort out their problems under their own roof and not walk away. It is adisgrace that there are so many broken homes with one parent families on the increase. When a wife or husband chooses to move on into another relationship, sadness and heartbreak is often left behind, particularly with children.

In work relating matters it is good at times to stand still and take stock of what is happening in the workaday life, or, we can get into a rut and things become mudane. It is good when a person loves their work and is being adequately rewarded for their effort.

There are times along life’s journey when you are wronged financially, which can be very distressing, particularly when friends or relations are involved. It can take years to resolve but sometimes it cannot be resolved and you have to walk away from the trouble. 

It is always good to seek God’s will and direction in life, and when one does that He will move you on to bigger and better things for family and livelihood. The gospel is not a health and wealth message but those who trust the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour are in His hands and are kept by the mighty power of God. It is great to move on with  the Lord.

The Bible reveals many examples of moving on, going forward to something better, leaving behind disturbing unhappy situations into the mists of time.

In Noah’s day things were horrific, Genesis 6:5 and 11 reads, “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” “The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.” God gave to Noah instructions and plans to build the Ark, a massive vessel with sufficient accommodation for any who would go on board. Only eight people believed that God was going to bring a universal judgement by flooding the world and destroying all flesh upon the earth. It took 120 years for Noah and his family to finish the Ark.

Did you ever think of the vastness of that work that Noah undertook, for example, how many tons of pitch did they use to cover the vessel inside and out? Incidentally, the word ‘pitch’ is the Hebrew word ‘Kaphar’ which means ‘to cover over’, it is also translated ‘atonement’, meaning to propitiate. The blood of the sacrifice covered sin in the Old Testament, the blood of Christ takes away sin in the New Testament. The pitch covered the Ark and protected all that were inside from the judgement waters outside.

Moving on, Jesus said in Matthew 24:37, “But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”  The Ark was the means of salvation for eight souls, only a few were saved, the majority, who did not believe, perished. Christ is the means of salvation today, for all who believe and receive Him as their Lord and Saviour.

The children of Israel were glad to move on, away from their slavery and bondage in Egypt, to the promised land and their inheritance. God is good! What He promises He fulfills, and He always will for it is impossible for God to lie.

The Apostle Paul was always moving on in his service for the Lord, for he had set his sights high, he said in Phil.3:13, “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” He had expressed his choice in ch.1:23, “having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better.” And so it is!

Last week I attended the funeral of an aged sister in Christ, she was the same age as the Queen. During her working life she was in the Police Force moving on through the ranks to become the first woman Police Inspector in Northampton. When the coffin had been lowered into the grave I said quietly to her younger sister, “She won’t be here long, the Lord is coming!”

When that lady died her soul and spirit went to be with Chist. She left the ranks of the Police and now she has moved on to join the ranks of the Christians in Heaven. It will not be long before the SHOUT is heard, and the dead are raised. It’s moving on time.

Written by a Guest Blogger for FTMP.


For more information and further explanations of the message of the bible via videos, blogs and podcasts please visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk