Post by jrabbach on Feb 18, 2010 8:03:12 GMT -6
You have burdened me with your sins; you have wearied me with your
iniquities. I, I am He who blots out your transgressions for my own
sake, and I will not remember your sins. Isaiah 43:24-25
I hear this, and I am struck by the language we use as Christians to talk about the forgiveness of sins. I know I'm guilty. When trying to explain our faith we talk about the gift we have been given through Jesus, and how he died for the forgiveness of our sins. True.
But, lets look at that act in context of the Isaiah passage above. Yeah, we feel bad when we sin, but the gift of forgiveness isn't first and foremost about getting rid of that little feeling you get in your gut when you know you've screwed up.
We see in this passage that WE BURDEN GOD! Our sins are truly hurtful to him. When God forgives us, it is so that He no longer has to carry the burden of our sins, our acts of separation with Him. God wants to be in relationship with us so badly, that it is a burden, a pain to Him when we sin.
Forgiveness is first and foremost about God, and the relationship we have with him; not our ability to move on guilt free from our transgressions.
Sin is already about selfishness, don't make forgiveness selfish as well...
iniquities. I, I am He who blots out your transgressions for my own
sake, and I will not remember your sins. Isaiah 43:24-25
I hear this, and I am struck by the language we use as Christians to talk about the forgiveness of sins. I know I'm guilty. When trying to explain our faith we talk about the gift we have been given through Jesus, and how he died for the forgiveness of our sins. True.
But, lets look at that act in context of the Isaiah passage above. Yeah, we feel bad when we sin, but the gift of forgiveness isn't first and foremost about getting rid of that little feeling you get in your gut when you know you've screwed up.
We see in this passage that WE BURDEN GOD! Our sins are truly hurtful to him. When God forgives us, it is so that He no longer has to carry the burden of our sins, our acts of separation with Him. God wants to be in relationship with us so badly, that it is a burden, a pain to Him when we sin.
Forgiveness is first and foremost about God, and the relationship we have with him; not our ability to move on guilt free from our transgressions.
Sin is already about selfishness, don't make forgiveness selfish as well...