You Are Totally Forgiven
by Rick Warren — August 21, 2022
From The Foundation of a Life Well-Lived
“There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
Romans 8:1 (NIV)
When you give your life to Christ, God doesn’t just reverse your sin—he releases it and forgives you completely.
The Bible says, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1 NIV).
Without Christ’s forgiveness, you live with guilt and shame. The apostle Peter put it this way: “At one time you did not know God’s mercy, but now you have received his mercy” (1 Peter 2:10 GNT). What happens when you receive God’s mercy? He wipes out your sins. It’s as if all your sins are written on a whiteboard and he takes a giant eraser and wipes them all away.
It’s called grace.
Some people, even Christians who have accepted the love of Christ, still don’t understand grace. When something bad happens in their lives, they think, “God’s getting even with me.” But does God really treat his children that way? Does he get even with his kids? No, he doesn’t. That kind of response wouldn’t be grace.
Here are two reasons you can be confident that you are totally and completely forgiven by God:
God’s nature is to forgive. Have you ever thought, “I wonder if God gets tired of me coming back to him and asking for forgiveness over and over”? God has answered that question: “I am the God who forgives your sins, and I do this because of who I am. I will not hold your sins against you” (Isaiah 43:25 GNT). He forgives because of who he is—wow!
Jesus has already paid for all your sins. Ephesians 1:7 says, “For by the blood of Christ we are set free” (GNT). God forgives you—not because you’ve somehow earned forgiveness—but because Jesus has already done the work to make forgiveness possible. Jesus’ death on the cross paid for every sin you’ve ever committed—and ever will commit.
God is merciful and forgiving. He wants to forgive you. Will you receive his mercy today?
Connect with Pastor Rick Warren