Altar Call –
Opelika-Auburn News
Walter Albritton
January 12, 2020
Your sins are forgiven
Jesus was a supper guest at the home of Simon, one of
the Pharisees. A woman who had lived a sinful life interrupted the meal.
Standing behind Jesus, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then, to the
dismay of the Pharisee, the woman wiped the feet of Jesus with her hair, kissed
his feet and poured expensive perfume on them.
Simon was infuriated that Jesus would allow such a
sinner to even touch him. Sensing Simon’s angry attitude, Jesus raised an
interesting question with his host. First, he described two men who owed money
to another man. One owed a large amount, the other a small amount. Neither had
the money to pay their debt so the man canceled both debts. “Which of them,”
Jesus asked Simon, “will love him more?”
Simon replied with the obvious answer, “I suppose the
one who had the bigger debt canceled.” After commending Simon for his answer,
Jesus invited him to take a new look at the sinful woman as he compared Simon’s
inconsiderate welcome into his home with the lavish welcome of the woman. Because
her many sins had been forgiven, Jesus said, “she has shown me much love.”
Then, to Simon, Jesus spoke the stinging words: “A person who is forgiven
little shows only little love.”
Turning to the woman, Jesus said tenderly, “Your sins
are forgiven.” Imagine how she must have felt at that moment. Surely those were
the most beautiful words she had ever heard. She had known the pain of being
despised, of having people look at her as though she was a piece of trash. Now
this captivating teacher, in whom she saw the love of God, had spoken with
liberating authority the transforming words, “Your sins are forgiven.” Those
words birthed life-giving hope for her future in her heart.
Given the fact that we are all sinners, in need of
God’s mercy, are those four words not the words each of us needs desperately to
hear from God? There are other beautiful words. If you tell me, “God loves
you,” I realize that is good news. But knowing God loves me does not set me
free from the devastating guilt of my sins. So good news only becomes great
news when I hear the Lord responding to my repentance by saying, “Walter, your
sins are forgiven.” That is the liberating, holy moment of a lifetime!
As we travel life’s journey, we can look through the
windshield at the future or we can look at the past in the rearview mirror. Looking
at past wrongs can be paralyzing. Guilt may overwhelm us when we recall the
shameful deeds of our youth. Will a just God forgive us?
Such pondering can result in bondage to the past. We
are not free to enjoy life today. Guilt prevents us from inhaling the pure joy
of knowing that we are alive by the pleasure of the God who made us and also
loves us. So our most desperate need is what
Jesus gave the sinful woman -- God’s forgiveness for our sins.
The gospels make it abundantly clear that we cannot
obtain God’s forgiveness simply by asking for it. We must first forgive those
who have sinned against us. If we are unwilling to forgive someone who has hurt
us, we cannot enjoy God’s forgiveness for our sins. In the words of Jesus, “if
you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
This is an uncomfortable truth if you are estranged
from someone who has sinned against you. But if you are to have peace with God,
you must forgive that person – and the sooner the better since you know not
when your own life with end. Three little words can end the agony of
estrangement. Those words are “I forgive you,” three of the sweetest words in
the English language.
Is there someone in your life who needs to hear those
words from your lips? If so, you know what you need to do. Grab yourself by the
nape of the neck, swallow your pride, and go do it! You can do it – and the
Lord will help you do it.
Saint Paul understood the necessity of forgiveness.
Writing to the Ephesians, Paul urged them to “get rid of all bitterness, rage
and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.” He followed
that with one of the most profound admonitions in the Bible: “Be kind and
compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God
forgave you.” So nothing, absolutely nothing,
strengthens your relationship with God more than your willingness to forgive
those who have sinned against you.
Many great truths can be summed up in few words: “God
loves you;” “God forgives you.” Those words are like proclamations of the
Church. But proclamations do not change our hearts and give us peace with God.
That only happens when we become willing to say the beautiful words, “I forgive
you,” to someone who has hurt us. Saying that to someone is like saying what
Jesus said to the sinful woman: “Your sins are forgiven.” That gives God the
opportunity to do what He does best: reconcile and heal our relationships.
At the center of Christianity is a cross, an ugly
cross upon which Jesus died. Why did he die? So that all who believe in him
might receive forgiveness for their sins. In a sense, when Jesus was dying upon
that cross, God was saying to the world: “Your sins are forgiven.”
The living Christ, loose in the world since his
resurrection, is forever empowering people of all races to forgive one another
and to experience the joy of knowing their sins are forgiven. Millions of people
have not heard this good news. Think of the people around you. There is likely
someone in bondage who would be blessed to have you, as a caring friend, share
the good news that their sins are forgiven. Hearing the words, “Your sins are
forgiven,” could very well convince some miserable person that God really does
love them. + + +