'forgiveness' Tagged Posts
Daily Devotions
Consequently he is able for all time to save those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” vs. 25 Hebrews 7:23-25 After the death and resurrection of Jesus his followers continued to go regularly to the temple and make full use of the sacrificial system. After all they were faithful Jews and this is what they were accustomed to do. But after the temple was destroyed in 70 AD they were flummoxed–they needed…
Daily Devotions
He is able to deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is subject to weakness; and because of this he must offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the people.” vss. 2-3 Hebrews 5:1-10 During the days of Temple worship in Jerusalem, the high priest was in charge of the whole sacrificial system. He was the one who organized the days on which sacrifices could be made, made sure there were always…
Daily Devotions
Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him with pain. When you make his life an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring, and shall prolong his days; through him the will of the Lord shall prosper.” vs. 10 Isaiah 53:10-12 While it may once have seemed logical to understand the death of Jesus as a fulfillment of Isaiah 53, such a notion is now regarded by many Christians as untenable. For one thing the prophet…
Daily Devotions
Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” vs. 12 Hebrews 4:12-16 There are times in our reading of scripture or in listening to a sermon, that some word or phrase absolutely nails the truth of who we are. We are pierced to the core and feel the righteous judgment of God…
Daily Devotions
And I said: ‘Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!’” vs. 5 Isaiah 6:5-8 Isaiah had caught a glimpse of God’s holiness, and became deeply aware of his own sin and inadequacy. And not only that, his eyes were opened to the fallen condition of his own people. Whatever he’d been trying to…
Daily Devotions
Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord, and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn, saying that he has done it.” vss. 30-31 Psalm 22:25-31 Twenty-five hundred years ago the psalmist declared to his congregation that future generations would be told about the Lord and hear the good news of their deliverance. And he was right! The good news of our gracious and merciful God continues to be heard all around the globe in…
Daily Devotions
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” vss. 8-9 1 John 1:8-2:2 For some these are familiar words. They were once said by pastors as an invitation to confession in nearly every regular worship service. We might not have known them as bible verses, but we…
Daily Devotions
You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him.” vss. 5-6 1 John 3:4-7 Just a few paragraphs earlier John had told his readers that anyone who said they did not sin was a liar, and we would heartily agree. That certainly fits our experience! But he doesn’t mean to imply that we should…
Daily Devotions
When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” vss. 22-23 John 20:19-25 The gospel writer John understood that the Holy Spirit could not be contained and said that it was like the wind. We could hear the sound of it but not know where it was coming from, or where…
Daily Devotions
But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed.” vs. 5 Isaiah 52:13-53:12 When the prophet wrote these words about the Servant, he likely had in mind the nation of Israel, and the horrible suffering that had been endured by his people. They’re powerful words, and likely helped his readers come to terms with the punishment their ancestors had endured–perhaps there had…
Daily Devotions
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us…” vs. 1 Hebrews 12:1-3 Preachers often use sports metaphors to make points about our life in faith, and the writer to the Hebrews is no exception. Unfortunately, he didn’t know anything about golf, the most metaphoric game of all, but he…
Daily Devotions
But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” vs. 33 Jeremiah 31:31-34 For hundreds of years Israel had prided itself on being a covenant people. God had chosen them out of all nations and had promised to be their God forever.…