Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

—Isaiah 1:18.

Where are your confessed sins? And why should we remember what God has forgotten? We live in a time when Christians are plagued with the guilt of past sins, but what does the Bible have to say about our confessed sin? Here are a few verses that I hope will encourage and strengthen your relationship with the Lord, or equip you to better help others.

As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. —Psalm 103:12.

Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back. —Isaiah 38:17.

I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins. —Isaiah 43:25.

I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee. —Isaiah 44:22.

And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. —Jeremiah 31:34.

Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy. He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. —Micah 7:18–19.

Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. —Romans 4:6–8; Psalm 32:1–2.

Note: These verses apply to those who have trusted in Christ as their personal saviour. If you have never done this, or are unsure, please see the “Eternal Life” page here.

Ask of me

It is only when the whole heart is gripped with the passion of prayer that the life-giving fire descends, for none but the earnest man gets access to the ear of God; and that is the purpose of prayer.

—E.M. Bounds. James 5:16–18.

Understanding

Doubt thee, my Lord? I could doubt all except thee; and doubt myself most of all.

—Charles Spurgeon. Proverbs 3:5–6.

Salt lick

As God’s  people, our “saltiness” for God attracts others to Him. If we have a peace, joy, and strength that carries us through all circumstances, others will want what we have. God uses us to create a thirst in them, so they too can known the One who fives them the living water so that they never thirst again.

—Mark Rasmussen. Matthew 5:13.

And beneath the shelter of His wings…

Wrong thinking leads to wrong feelings which lead to wrong actions. It seems so easy to be consumed with the negative, difficult, hardships of life that we forget about the positive, encouraging, blessings of God.

—Rand Hummel. Philippians 4:8.

Epaphroditus

Those who believe themselves to be worthy of honor and esteem are not the ones whom God calls the saints to recognize. Rather, those who are willing to take the lowly path and not seek great things for themselves are the ones whom the Lord will exalt in due time.

—H.A. Ironside. Philippians 2:29–30.

City Baptist Church, Hoboken, NJ after Hurricane Sandy

City Baptist Update from CityBaptistChurch on Vimeo.

City Baptist Church is one of the church plants I’ve worked with over the past year. I’ll let the video speak for itself. You can reach them at citybaptist.com.

The primary aim

The great preachers of the past have not gone to the Scriptures with the primary aim of meeting human need but of finding and declaring the mind and purpose of God. In so doing, they have met human needs.

—Ernest Pickering. Nehemiah 8:7–8.

See ye not all these things?

Matthew 24 is knockin’ at the door
And a day or one day more could be the last

—Johnny Cash. Matthew 24.

In the midst

The shocking reality of the unperverted, untwisted, absolute truth of God’s Word is the only light left in this increasingly dark world. You can’t be a blameless bright light and complain at the same time. You can’t be a harmless bright light and attack others with your argumentative spirit. You can’t be a pure and innocent bright light while contradicting everyone who does not think just like you.

—Rand Hummel. Philippians 2:14–15.