“For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”
Hebrews 8:12
I mentor men in prisons. Every man I’ve mentored has—often with tears—talked of an acute sense of guilt and shame. They regret their crimes and the pain they’ve caused; they have a hard time believing that they can be forgiven.
But God does not want us caught in a quagmire of guilt and shame. He freely offers forgiveness that will pull us out of the spiritual and emotional mess we’re in.
Paul wrote in Romans 7:15-18, “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate …. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.” Left to our own ability to keep the law, every one of us is lost.
So God entered into a new promise with His people. We call this the New Covenant. In it Jesus became our substitute, taking our sin and giving us His righteousness. Therefore, God tells our incarcerated brothers and sisters (and all of us!) that He will be merciful and will remember our sins no more. We can move ahead confidently and leave our forgiven sins behind.
But God does not want us caught in a quagmire of guilt and shame. He freely offers forgiveness that will pull us out of the spiritual and emotional mess we’re in.
Paul wrote in Romans 7:15-18, “For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate …. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.” Left to our own ability to keep the law, every one of us is lost.
So God entered into a new promise with His people. We call this the New Covenant. In it Jesus became our substitute, taking our sin and giving us His righteousness. Therefore, God tells our incarcerated brothers and sisters (and all of us!) that He will be merciful and will remember our sins no more. We can move ahead confidently and leave our forgiven sins behind.
Scripture Focus
Hebrews 8:8-12
Insight
If you are a believer in Christ, then God has cast your sins into the deepest sea. Rest in His forgiveness every day.
Bible In A Year
- Exodus 17-18
- Psalm 34
- Mark 14