Forgiveness Full and Free

There have been sins among us as among ancient Israel, but thank God we have had an open door which no man can shut. Men may say, “I forgive all the injuries you have done to me,” but their forgiveness would not blot out one sin. But the Voice sounding from Calvary—“My son, my daughter, thy sins be forgiven thee”—is all-efficacious. That word alone has power and awakens the gratitude in the grateful heart. We have a Mediator. There is but one channel of forgiveness and that channel is ever open, and through that channel a rich flood of divine mercy and forgiveness comes pouring down to us….

Many have expressed wonder that God demanded so many slain victims in sacrificial offerings of the Jews, but it was to rivet in their minds the great and solemn truth that without shedding of blood there was no remission of sins. A lesson was embodied in every sacrifice, impressed in every ceremony, solemnly preached by their priests in holy office and inculcated by God Himself—this great truth that through the blood of Christ alone there is forgiveness of sins….

I wish I could present this matter before our people just as I view it—the great offering made in behalf of man. Justice asked for the sufferings of a man. Christ, equal with God, gave the sufferings of a God. He needed no atonement Himself. It was for man—all for man…. His depth of agony was proportionate to the dignity and grandeur of His character. Never shall we see and comprehend the intense anguish of the sufferings of the spotless Lamb of God until we feel how deep is the pit from which we have been delivered, how grievous the sin of which humanity is guilty, and by faith grasp the full and entire pardon.

Here is where thousands are failing. They do not really believe that Jesus pardons them individually. They fail to take God at His word. He has assured us that He is faithful that hath promised to forgive us and be just to His own law. His mercy is not wanting in anything. Were there one defective link in the chain, then we are hopelessly ruined in our sins…. There is not one flaw in it, not one missing link. Oh, precious redemption! Why do we not bring this great truth more fully into our lives? How broad it is, that God for Christ’s sake forgives us—me, even me—the moment we ask Him to, in living faith, believing that He is fully able to do this.—Letter 85, July 24, 1886, to Uriah Smith, editor of the Review and Herald.
The Upward Look p. 219
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Prayer Requests
—-I have a prayer request that the Lord will work in an important situation. LS
—-Please pray for the family and friends of Jason who was killed in a motorcycle accident. Rose
—-PLEASE pray for a friend of mine! She has been sick with Covid 19 for 3 days and she is VERY SICK! HER THROAT FEELS LIKE IT IS CLOSING UP AND SHE CAN HARDLY BREATHE! Connie
—-Please pray for a Soldier with whom I served-he just lost his wife unexpectedly. His name is Quentin. Clayton
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Friends,
One time, while our children were still living at home, Esther got in the mood to rearrange the living room. She had been begging to do it for several months. Finally, I gave her permission. It was a good thing I did. As the four of us moved the furniture, we discovered many things had found their way underand behind the sofa. Jokingly, we called our sofa “the black hole” because so many items had ended up behind and under it.
For awhile the living room looked really messy. When it looked its worse, Ronnie Jay snuck to the front door, knocked, opened it, and pretended that someone was coming to visit us. “Oh no!” I thought, “I don’t want anyone to see the house in this condition.” Soon we discovered that there was no one there as Ronnie Jay began laughing heartily. After the startled feeling wore off, we all joined him. By the time Ron got home, everything was clean and orderly. We all agreed that the new arrangement made our old, worn out furniture look better.
Just as our house needed to be “stirred up” and rearranged, so it is good to do a little spiritual housecleaning from time to time. How many times, things need rearranging inside us. Our heart often becomes cluttered with the “junk” of this world. How often we need to pray as did David, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Ps 139:23, 24 Paul urged us to do this spiritual housecleaning when he said, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” Then he puts his advice in perspective. “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” Phil 2:12, 13
Jesus is coming soon! Now is the time to rearrange the “furniture” in our mind that no “clutter” will be found there at His appearing, for then it will be too late to make it right. Now is the time to clean out from under the “sofa” in our heart. Now is the time to make the necessary preparations that we “may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.” 2 Peter 3:14 And if we find things within us that must be put out of our heart, we have the promise, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”1 John 1:9-2:2 Praise God! He offers us the forgiveness we need! We can be cleansed from all iniquity! Our Great Redeemer “shall supply all [our] need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Phil 4:19,20
Today, He is knocking at your heart’s door pleading for entrance therein. “To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.” Heb 3:15 “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. Precious promise! “Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:10,11
May we allow our Loving Saviour to clean us up inside and do the rearranging necessary to make us ready for that Great Day of His Appearing is my prayer.
Rose