Lie #1: “Jesus’ Forgiveness Has Run Out for Me Because I Have Messed Up Too Much.”
Lie #1: “Jesus’ forgiveness has run out for me because I have messed up too much.”
This is such a common lie people believe, but that lie doesn’t line up at all with what scripture says. Before I start, I want to invite you into this conversation with an open heart. I want you to take a second to pray and ask the Lord to reveal whatever He wants to reveal to you in this moment. Whether that is a memory of rejection or hurt that has led you to believe this lie or for Him to reveal a root that has gotten in between you and the truth.
Jesus, allow our hearts to be open to you. Allow our hearts to be open to hearing what your truth says. Allow our hearts to be trusting of your word. Allow our hearts to be completely exposed to your goodness and your love. Let us not try to hide anything but allow your love to expose the darkness that has tried hiding your light.
Alright! Where does this lie originate from? It starts with deception. Deception isn’t a new thing in our generation. It started with Eve being deceived about what God said. Genesis 3:1, “Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The enemy trying to decieve us about what God has said isn’t new. But we do need to be careful, mindful, and discerning in every part of our life.
So the lie that society has believed is that Jesus’ forgiveness has a limit. That Jesus’ forgiveness stops happening when you hit the final mess up. The enemy has deceived us into thinking that. Satan deceives but it is on us whether or not we will believe it and live lives according to it.
Romans 5:7-8 says, “For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die- but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Friends, while we were still in sin, while He KNEW what sin we would do even when we knew of grace, while we would REJECT HIM, He died for those who weren’t following Him.
When I was in high school I would hear that Jesus died for me but I didn’t believe it because I thought “that was thousands of years ago, he didn’t know me and the decisions I would make.” But in Ephesians 1:4-5 it tells us, “even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,”
This shows us that He foreknew everything we would do, say, and choose. He knew what sin we would struggle with and how many times we fell into temptation. Before the foundation of the earth was formed, He chose you KNOWING your sin and mistakes and lack of self control. He also knew that you NEEDED Jesus because you couldn’t be saved otherwise. Which means, when he died for your sins on the cross, He was thinking of you. He was thinking of His children that were now going to live through grace, not the law. The law was perfected through His perfect life. The law was perfected through His resurrection. You are now free and called to through faith in Jesus Christ.
This is why all those who believe in the finished work of Jesus Christ will be saved (through grace) because of faith in Jesus. Romans 10:9-10, “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”
Alright, hopefully you’re still here reading along. It can be heavy and a bit to understand and fully grasp (we never will fully grasp btw.) I see the importance of the heaviness of scripture because that is the only thing that will replace the deep lies that have formed. So take a moment to write down the scripture I have stated and do some more research and studying in your quiet time… it WILL change your heart and what you believe.
So what does this all mean?
It means that because Jesus foreknew everything, He knew what sin you would struggle with and what you would choose. BUT HE STILL DIED FOR YOU.
Throughout Hebrews 10 it explains Christ’s sacrifice once and for all. Hebrews 10:9 says, “then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” Meaning, to fulfill the law that we were supposed to complete in perfection. Hebrews 10:10, “And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all.”
With this, we need to know that God cannot stand sin. He loathes it. So that is why the law was created, but He knew it was humanly impossible. His love for His children was so intense that He sent himself down to fulfill the law. Jesus didn’t come to die for us, He came to die for the Father SO THAT we could have a way to the Father. This is why the cross is so important to know because it leads us into knowing what He did for His children. When God views us, it’s not through eyes of condemnation anymore (Romans 8:1) it is through the finished work of Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 10:14, “For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” Friends, we live through grace and forgiveness. We are living through the belief that Jesus died on the cross for ALL of our sins. We know that Jesus dying on the cross was MORE than enough for all of our sins.
Hebrews 10:17-18, “then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.” Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin.”
YOU GUYS!!!! God doesn’t even hold onto our sins. He doesn’t hold them against us because of Jesus’ great sacrifice for His children. We don’t need to work our ways back to love. We don’t need to work harder for grace. We don’t need to justify why we did what we did. We don’t need to be punished because of what we did. His forgiveness is enough. Did you catch that? HIS. FORGIVENESS. IS. ENOUGH. We need to have faith and believe that Christ is enough. The forgiveness of sin is a promise to God's children, not all humanity.
Friend, He has already forgiven you for lying.
He has already forgiven you for cheating.
He has already forgiven you for falling into sexual temptation.
He has already forgiven you for everything you are shaming yourself for.
But YOU need to RECEIVE His forgiveness. He wants to lavish you with love, forgiveness, and grace, but cannot walk in freedom until you receive the forgiveness and start walking in it. Freedom is great but it requires action on top of repentance. We are forgiven, but He commands, “Go and sin no more.” Our life is to live and become more and more like Christ, when we continue sinning, yes we are forgiven, but we aren’t becoming more holy. We aren’t being sanctified. We are giving into the desires of our flesh, instead of denying ourselves like Christ has commanded us to do. Freedom from forgiveness means denying your flesh and walking in the new power and authority Christ has given you.
You need to overwhelm your heart with the knowledge of what Christ has done for you and you need to walk in that. You can be deceived all day long, but you are just furthering the glory God is going to receive when you hit your breakthrough. God wants your breakthrough to be right now and He wants to redeem what you have done. Romans 8:28, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Every bit of what you have done. He wants to redeem and use for His glory, but you need to walk in the forgiveness first.