Wednesday August 03, 2017

 

The starting point of many people’s faith is forgiveness. The catalyst that leads to this is coming to terms with imperfection and sin. As I look back at my life, I can appreciate that there have been seasons, which I have regretted, there were things I wish I had not done, and there were things I wish I had not said. Some of these regrets were miscalculations or mistakes but others were deliberate acts of sin. I am certain that we all have chapters or moments in our lives that we regret or that we would like to do over. However, since we cannot remove our past sins, in order to feel better about ourselves, we look at and point the finger towards others who have behaved worse than us or we look for reasons and excuses to explain away our sins. We might also look at ourselves and feel shame and guilt and retreat and seek other coping mechanisms. The problem with this behavior is that these strategies are temporary solutions. What we need is to look for something that will remove our sins; what we need is everlasting forgiveness.

 

In the First Century, the Jewish people were under the rule of the Roman government; they believed that the reason for their downfall was directly related to their sins. One day, a man named John the Baptist captured their attention when he began preaching about baptism, repentance, and forgiveness of sins. According to the Scriptures, everyone from Judea and Jerusalem set out to see him (Mark 1:5). The people felt they needed a new starting point knowing that their justifications and excuses were insufficient to remove the guilt and shame they carried as a result of their sins. So, they set out to see John in hopes that if they accepted his baptism, they would finally receive what they desperately needed, permanent forgiveness. To their surprise John said:

 

 “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” – John 1:26-27 NIV

 

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! – John 1:29 NIV

 

No amount of good deeds, excuses, penance, and no religious system will ever be sufficient enough to remove our past sins. For this reason we look to Jesus and his death on the cross as our starting point, and to his resurrection as the culmination of our faith.

 

Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from beginning to end.

– Hebrews 12:2 GNT