The Extent of God’s Forgiveness

He will again have compassion on us; He will tread our iniquities under foot. Yes, You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

–Micah 7:19

Perhaps you made the decision to trust in Christ a long time ago, but since that time, you’ve strayed from God. Maybe your straying was due to a sudden, dramatic event in your life, such as a divorce, an affair, bankruptcy, or the death of a loved one. Or maybe your spiritual life has just been slowly eroding. And you wonder, What is God’s attitude toward me, a Christian who has wandered away from Him? How can I be forgiven?

In Colossians 2:13–14, Paul explained the extent of our forgiveness: “He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.” Notice that Paul said God has “forgiven us all our transgressions” (emphasis mine). If you have a hard time accepting this truth, I encourage you to write down the sins you have difficulty believing God could forgive you of. One by one, draw a line through each sin and write the word “forgiven.” That’s what God says: He has forgiven you of all your transgressions–not just the little sins but the big sins.

But Paul was referring not only to the kind of sins God has forgiven but also to the timing of those sins. In our minds, we see our lives as a timeline. One point on that timeline is the moment we trusted in Christ as Savior and received God’s forgiveness. So we wonder, What about all the sins I committed after that point? Let me remind you that when Jesus Christ died for your sins two thousand years ago, all your sins were still future. He died for all your sins. They have been forgiven forever.

I’m reminded of the story about a couple who went out to celebrate their wedding anniversary. As the husband drove them to the restaurant, his wife complained, “When we were first dating, we used to sit so close together and cuddle with each other in the car, and now look at us–you’re way over there, and I’m over here.” The husband replied, “I haven’t moved.”

No matter how far you’ve wandered away from God, He hasn’t moved. He’s right where He’s always been, and His attitude toward you hasn’t changed. He’s still waiting, working, and longing for your return home. Will you come?

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Today’s devotion is adapted from “The Waiting Father” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2009.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org.