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Archive for the ‘Forgiveness’ Category

Expunged

Posted in Explanations, Forgiveness, God, Guilt, tagged on April 23, 2011| Leave a Comment »

Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. – Hebrews 10:22-23

The Bible’s Letter to the Hebrews uses the rich imagery of the Old Testament to present the central benefit of Christ’s sacrifice for sin — a cleared conscience!

Clear, not from having done nothing wrong or sinful, but cleared by having our wrong deeds expunged by Christ’s actions. How do I know? God said so and I have no reason to doubt him. If the Judge, himself, says “Not Guilty!” who am I to argue?

Sound Bite: My criminal record with God has been expunged. In Christ I can walk with God as if I had never sinned.

-fritz

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Strange Scripture – Sins You Don’t Forgive

Posted in Apostles, Forgiveness, Jesus, tagged on April 16, 2011| Leave a Comment »

“If you forgive anyone’s sins, they will be forgiven. But if you don’t forgive their sins, they will not be forgiven.” – Jesus (John 20:23 CEV)

Some think Jesus in this verse gives the apostles (and their the successors) the authority to decide who gets forgiveness and who doesn’t. This view has resulted in many abuses and is inconsistent with Christ’s mission to bring forgiveness to all who would receive him. So what did Jesus mean?

Jesus wasn’t putting them in charge of who gets forgiveness, he was giving them a commission.  I think he was saying his plan for taking his forgiveness to the world is through his followers participation – us offering our forgiveness as God’s divine forgiveness working through us.   I think he was further saying he has no backup plan – if we refuse then it won’t get done, the world will die in their sins, and it will be our fault.

This only makes sense – how can my neighbor (or brother, sister, boss, employee – you name it) know the forgiveness of Christ if I am unwilling to offer it through me?

Sound Bite: Christ’s forgiveness comes through us and if we don’t do it, it won’t get done.

– fritz

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2 Birds, 1 Stick, Red Thread, and a Branch

Posted in Forgiveness, tagged , , , , , , , on February 25, 2011| Leave a Comment »

“Then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two birds alive and clean, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop:

And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water: As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water:

And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose into the open field. ” – Leviticus 14:4-7

What’s this with the birds (not just one but two), the thread (it must be red), a stick (it must be Cedar), and a branch (it must be hyssop)?! It all seems arbitrary until we see Jesus!

THE PLAYERS:
Two Birds – Jesus and us. Christ set aside his glory to become one of us – completely human.1

Ceder Wood – The cross – Christ’s and ours.2

Scarlet Thread – Thread representing what keeps us bound, Scarlet representing, sin3. It is our sin that binds us, breaks our relationships, and keeps us from living free.

Hyssop – Used for sprinkling sacrificial blood, water, or whatever on the people and things around the altar4 – God’s blessings, His word, and His will are to be applied to our daily living, not just kept as theory.

Earthen Bowl – The real, tangible, physical world in which we live.5

Running Water – Life, activity, constant motion.

THE ACTION:
One bird killed, his blood gathered in an earthen bowl over running water – Jesus sacrificed on the cross at a point in time and a real place while life moved on and many never noticed.

Second bird, stick, thread, and branch dipped in the sacrificed bird’s blood – Our lives, our daily trials,7 our many sins, are to be touched by Christ’s sacrifice.8 His “blood” is to be applied to us and all we are or hope to be and do.

Second bird release – When touched by Christ’s work on the cross we are set free from sin’s bondage, released to live a full, abundant life!9

See, those laws are not arbitrary at all – the whole Bible is a book about one man – Jesus the Christ.10

– fritz@langgang.com
1 – Hebrews 2:14
2 – Luke 9:23
3 – Isaiah 1:8
4 – Numbers 19:18
5 – 2nd Corinthians 4:7
7 – Luke 9:23
8 – Hebrews 9:11-12
9 – John 8:36
10 – Hebrews 8:1-6, Hebrews 9:9

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