Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Christian Podcast Central

Home
Evangelical - Sponsored
Meeting People Head On 20: Clean Slates For Everyone!*

Meeting People Head On 20: Clean Slates For Everyone!*

Last updated on: February 24, 2016 at 12:05 am by Christian Podcast Central

Meeting People Head On 20: Clean Slates For Everyone!* 2016-02-24T00:05:33-08:00 Christian Podcast Central

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Meeting People Head On 20: Clean Slates For Everyone!* Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

In our last episode, I discussed how we can be absolutely assured that we have eternal life in heaven, just as the Bible promises.

This week, we’ll talk about God’s love and forgiveness and how it plays in our lives today.
It all starts with a simple Bible verse: John 3:16

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.

So, we see here that Jesus Christ is God’s visible “reaching out” to you and me – His way of saying, “I love you!” Christ gave His life sacrificially to pay our penalty for sin so that we could have His righteousness and with that, eternal life. And this proves God’s amazing love for each of us. His love (Agape) is unconditional – based on who God is, not based on what we do or who we are. Not only does He love us while we live here on earth, but He wants to spend eternity with us and provided the only way possible for that to happen through Jesus.
Now, everybody is free to approach this relationship however they decide. You can either accept who Jesus is, or turn away from it. The choice is yours. But God doesn’t stop loving you. He gives you this entire lifetime to decide whether or not you want to take Him up on His loving offer to recognize who Christ is (our Savior and Lord) and invite His Holy Spirit into our lives, or to deny that you need Him and live life on your own.
One of the greatest evidences of God’s love is that in having Christ pay the entire payment for our sin, we can receive forgiveness. And because Christianity is a personal relationship with God – not just a religion – it’s based upon who Christ is and how much God loves you.
We see this in 1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Sin is an act of disobedience to God and His Word. It causes us to fall short of the holiness of Who God is. And we have all sinned.
But as a Believer, we can sense, know, and experience God’s love and forgiveness for our lives. The incredible promise that 1 John 1:9 assures us of is that God forgives us when we do things that are not pleasing to Him.
But what does it mean to “confess our sins”? It means to see your thoughts and actions as God does. You don’t try to justify them. You don’t make up excuses. Instead you need to own up to your sin. Admit it. Take responsibility for your actions and thoughts.
You see, you are in total control of each thought, action, and decision you make in life. You are the one to decide whether or not to sin and quench God’s Spirit, or to behave in such a way that pleases Him. So, confession means you own up to it and call it what it is.
And God promises that He is faithful and just if we confess our sins. You can count on Him to keep His word, no matter what. He also promises to not only forgive you, but to wipe away the sin entirely, cleansing us from all unrighteousness. God is talking about COMPLETE cleansing here. Just like he talks about in Isaiah 1:18

“Come now, and let us reason together,”
Says the LORD,
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow;

No sinful residue. No crevices where a grudge can be held. No sin too huge that it’s beyond God’s forgiveness. Just complete purification.
So, if you have chosen to follow Jesus, in those moments when you realize that you have sinned, if you confess that sin to God and ask for His forgiveness, He will. He will forgive you and cleanse you. And best of all, He will continually do this all throughout your life.
Rejoice in the fact that if you own up to what’s going on in your life that’s not what God wants for you, you can be cleansed and continue to walk in fellowship with God.

For more encouraging and engaging podcasts and videos, visit the E-Squared Media Network at www.e2medianetwork.com.

Uncategorized

bible

christian

christian bible study podcast

christian culture podcast

how to become a Christian

how to have eternal life

is the bible reliable

what does it mean to be born again?

why did Jesus die?

Worldview

Previous Post

April 2, 2015

Jesus in HD 105: "Bye-Bye Jesus"

Next Post

April 3, 2015 Real Stuff My Dad Says 75: Why Does the Church Exist?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Brad Stine Has Issues Christian Podcast Central Classic Podcast Experience God Life Grounded Ouxano Parent Like You Mean It The Protest Show with Thor Ramsey The Summit Lecture Series Uncategorized What You’ve Been Searching For

Select a Month July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 June 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz