We all have a past. None of us can go through life without missing the mark sometimes; thankfully, our shortcomings don’t have to hold us back. When other people remind us of our past mistakes and the sins we’ve committed, we can truthfully say that none of that matters now. The believer has received forgiveness, and his transgressions have been removed as far as the east is from the west.

Because of the finished works of Jesus, God doesn’t punish us for our sins or deal harshly with us like we deserve. Our sins aren’t an issue anymore because Christ paid for them on the cross, even the ones we have yet to commit. Getting saved doesn’t save us from our future mistakes; the difference is that now when we sin, we can acknowledge that we’ve been sanctified and set apart through the offering of Jesus’ body once for all. This is grace in action.

We’ve been freed from the guilt, shame, and sin-consciousness that living under the law caused. We can now focus on the things of God instead of on our sins. Being born again allows our old, sinful selves to die so that we can become new creations in Christ. As new creations, the Holy Spirit lives inside us causing us to want to please God; this didn’t exist under the old covenant.

When we got born again, God created clean hearts in us and renewed right spirits in us. We have the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace, and He has chosen to blot out our sins for His own sake and remember them no more. Our right-standing with God is permanent and doesn’t depend on our behavior. For the believer, the doors to abundant life that were once shut tight have been flung wide open.

Prayer:

God, because of what Jesus did, You no longer hold our past against us. We’re free to move forward in life with no guilt or fear of the future. Thank You for Your forgiveness. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Scriptures:

Psalm 103:12

Psalm 103:10, NLT

Hebrews 10:10, 14

2 Corinthians 5:17

Philippians 2:13

Psalm 51:10

Ephesians 1:7

Isaiah 43:25

For more on how Jesus’s blood sacrifice paid the price for our sins, click on the link to find Jesus: The Peacemaker, in our eStore.