PLEASE READ THIS FIRST: Luke 5:21-26
What do you sense the Lord saying to you in this passage?
“Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Luke 5:22)
To forgive someone is to release them from their fair due.
If you owe money to me, I can release you from your debt.
In a sense, we owe a debt to God and others for every failure to love.
How can Jesus release this man of his debt to God?
What if Jesus is announcing what he knows to be true.
He shows this in his parable on forgiveness (Matthew 18:21-35).
God HAS decided to release us from our debt, to cover it for us.
The Son of Man, God’s human representative has authority to do this.
And we have this authority to forgive with/like/for God too.
We are commissioned to declare this to everyone: God forgives you!
Not ‘if you repent’ or ‘if you believe’; God HAS forgiven you!
What people do with this news is up to them, but it remains true.
I see every person as a much-loved, forgiven child of God.
But who is going to show and tell them?
PRAYER
Lord, in your name, I can forgive sins! Help me not to treat others as under God’s wrath, but as forgiven by God’s grace.
Jesus healed the paralyzed man to confirm that He has the authority to forgive sins: “But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” The Pharisees and teachers of the law had a way of forgiving sins as per the sacrifices – which was their authority – but did they really know what it would cost Jesus to forgive sins – our sins/my sins? The healing was a small thing in perspective – but they couldn’t do that – but Jesus proved He could! He is my saviour and he heals me completely! His grace has covered me and so I may also share that grace of forgiveness to others!
My focus, our focus is usually on the physical needs. That is good. But more important are our spiritual needs – the forgiveness of our sins. That is what the Lord God gives through our Saviour. That is what I need the most. That is life giving.
1 Grace and truth shall mark the way
Where the Lord His own will lead,
If His word they still obey
And His testimonies heed.
2 For Thy name’s sake hear Thou me,
For Thy mercy, Lord, I wait;
Pardon my iniquity,
For my sin is very great.
3 He who walks in godly fear
In the path of truth shall go;
Peace shall be his portion here,
And his sons all good shall know.
4 They that fear and love the Lord
Shall His holy friendship know;
He will grace to them accord,
And His faithful covenant show.