Never Too Far Gone to Be Forgiven

What are you doing here Elijah?

Many people want to know God when they hear the gospel message and the truth hits home. Some will. Some won’t. Some will not think they need to. Some don’t believe God will forgive them for the things they’ve done. Many are happy to continue doing their best to live what they consider a good life and do the right thing. Some will never know that God wants to take away the baggage they’ve been carrying, because they have not heard the full story of Jesus and the forgiveness of sins. I tend to believe that if the people who wanted to be forgiven knew what God had truly done for us, they would turn and give the weight of their past to Jesus Christ. Your sin would also be wiped clean, and your life would be renewed before God, in Jesus. But that is why God gave testimonies and left witnesses in the world – a way to let those who don’t know the truth, hear it and consider. We now believe because some of those witnesses told us about the work of God in Jesus Christ, and so we carry what we learned for people who are alive today – you are never too far gone to be forgiven by God.

I truly believe that if we found the worst person on earth God, would forgive their sin and the wrongs they’ve done, because of what Jesus Christ did on the cross. It is a fact that when we are sincere in our hearts God will let us draw near to him. If we turn to Jesus, heaven will celebrate the one life redeemed by grace. Jesus says so plainly in the book of Luke chapter 15 verse 7 “I tell you that there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance”. It does not matter what we have done before we turn to Jesus, what matters is that we are never too far gone, never too far fallen, and never have too much shame to call on Jesus Christ and be saved. When looking into the Bible, there are clear instances where God waited patiently to deliver the punishment he spoke about through the prophets, so that those who received His warning have ample time to alter course, so that He may also change punishment to forgiveness, even healing. Like the passage from 1 Kings 19:13, when God was trying to refresh Elijah so he would go back to prophesy to Israel. When God saw that Elijah was a broken man, God relented, still, he said, “I have reserved 7,000 Israelites for myself who have not bowed the knee to Baal”, Baal was a god of the Canaanite people of that time.

We have all been down some roads we weren’t supposed to take; just a little stroll to see what’s there and then get back on the right path. Months or years later, we see where we are and think back to where came from, and realize that we stayed on the block too long. Start wondering if we can go home. Will the door be open? Will God let me back in the door if I knock? I believe most of us have been there, except 144,000 people out of the history of the entire world who remain pure, according to scripture. Unless we’re among this group, we will think we have a lot to worry about, God had other plans, plans to redeem and restore. A study of the Bible explains what we lost and what God worked tirelessly to redeem us from and restore us to.

In the book of John chapter 6 verse 37, Jesus sums up perfectly, “I won’t turn away anyone that comes to me”. When we read the books Isaiah, Jeremiah, and even as far back as Exodus we see God pleading with the Israelites to turn back to him, rather than face the punishment he said he was sending. God does not want to punish humanity as some erroneously point out, He wants to save, and sent Jesus to die the death we deserve, so that we could live forever with Him, by believing in Jesus. We repent and submit to God who then gives us a new life and a new heart through His Spirit.

There isn’t enough shame in the world to keep God from accepting you as you are. People like you and me are the people God wants to turn back to him. The same that had broken Elijah’s spirit. The same who cursed Jesus, even today there are some; our lives are lived before God night and day. Our basest and best moments are open before God. All our shame is laid bare before his eyes at all times. We understand what God sees when we read the Bible and see what the Lord says to His people of the past. But none of our shame is enough to disqualify us from being forgiven.

If you are among those who say “If only God knew what I did he would never let me near the door”; The Lord already knows what you’ve done. He will still open the door to you if you knock, it must be of your own free will. In 1 Kings, during the time Elijah was a prophet in Israel, Ahab was king. Ahab was an evil king who had even murdered a man to get his property. God pronounced judgment on king Ahab and sent Elijah to tell him that he would die for what he’d done. But Ahab repented and wept. Tore his clothes, and put on sackcloth and ashes. Seeing what Ahab did, in 1 Kings 21 verse 29 God goes calls to Elijah before he had left the building where Ahab was, and says; “Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me. Because of this, I will not bring the evil in his days.” This is how God treats us when we believe in Jesus. Forgiven. Wiped clean.

In the book of Jeremiah 31 verses 31 to 34, God gives us a promise to help us understand what He is willing to do for us. This promise was for a new covenant with the people born during the time of Christ and after. God said, “I will put my laws in their minds and write it on their hearts, and I will be their God and they will be my people.” This is a special promise for the generations Jesus was sent to redeem. With Jesus fulfilling all the laws and requirements for us, we now have access to God simply by believing that God sent Jesus into the world to die for our sins, that Jesus is the savior, the Son of God. Christ says he will not turn anyone away. The Lord is faithful.

The day Jesus died, he said that “it is done”; Jesus conquered sin and death for us on the cross, and once for all, atoned for our sins. That means that anyone who believes in Jesus can repent of their sin, turn to Jesus, and be forgiven. Call God and he will answer you. Believe in Jesus and forgiveness is given to you. But each of us must make the decision to accept God’s free grace for ourselves.

Does that mean we have forever to do as we please? No! You don’t know if you’re going to be alive tomorrow. You don’t know if tomorrow is the last day of Earth. None of us do. If you die before you believe in Jesus, you will wake in the resurrection to die. Seek God while you’re alive, the Bible says. The new covenant God made with mankind is simple. Believe his message that Jesus Christ, our Messiah is His son and that his death and resurrection freed us from sin. The rest will fall into place during your lifetime as you continue to pray and mature in the Spirit, and God renews your heart and mind.

God loves us so much that he sent Jesus to die so that anyone in the world could be saved through his death, simply by believing in Jesus. When we repent and believe God forgives us. All God wants is for us to believe and to call on the name of Jesus Christ. There will not be any other name or sacrifice, and the time is short.

The overwhelming mercies and grace of God is to our benefit. We can believe in Jesus as long as we’re alive. We can confess what we’ve done in prayer and all of it is forgiven. Remember that everything we do is like an open book in front of the Lord, so the only shame will be to not believe in Jesus and meet him at the resurrection for the first time after you die. We choose to believe or reject God’s mercy for ourselves. But all of us can find a little corner and say; “Lord forgive me my sin, I want to know Jesus Christ”. Your confession from there is between you and God. No one who truly believes God’s message will judge you of anything, because every one of us fell short of God’s grace, and most of us have pasts we’d prefer not to remember. We also know that if we judge you, we are calling down righteous judgment on ourselves.

I can confidently tell you that the forgiveness and love you find with God is awesome. What God gives as He renews our spirits is awe-inspiring. In Christ “complete joy” takes on a special meaning. And the peace of God in Jesus Christ will give you plenty to celebrate as you learn and grow in the Spirit.

As for me, I believe the message of salvation spoken of, through the prophets and Jesus Messiah (Christ). And I choose to make it the desire that will replace all other desires, as I learn to let go of who I thought I was, to become who God is making me, a temple in the Kingdom of God. No matter what you’ve done or believe you have done, turn to Jesus. Just call on Him. Know that the Lord God never gives up on us, you shouldn’t give up or let anyone persuade you not to turn to God. If the worst of God’s children repent in their hearts, he is celebrating and forgiving.

Don’t hesitate to ask questions or share your inspiring stories in a comment.

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