Our sins are great, but His love is greater
Yesterday, we ended with this question: Who was Jesus referring to when He said “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34 NIV)?
Was He talking about His captors, His torturers or perhaps His friends who had abandoned Him?
Here’s another possibility I want you to think about… What if Jesus was talking about you and me?
After all, it is for the forgiveness of our sins that Jesus had to die on the cross:
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. – Romans 5:8 NIV
And:
He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. – 1 Peter 2:24 NIV
While Jesus was dying on the cross, it was our forgiveness He was asking the Father for.
Thinking of Jesus’ unbearable suffering on the cross and realising that it was our sins that put Him there, can trigger a sense of guilt. But here’s the most beautiful part: while Jesus was on the cross, there was a joy before His eyes that allowed Him to endure the suffering:
For the joy that was set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame – Hebrews 12:2 NIV
You and I, were that joy! The prospect of a reconciled relationship between us and God is what drove Jesus to endure the cross (2 Corinthians 5:18 https://www.bible.com/bible/113/2CO.5.18).
Our sins may be great, but His love for us is even greater.
If you have never done so, accept Jesus’ forgiveness for your sins today with this simple prayer:
“Lord Jesus, I accept you as the Lord and Saviour of my life. I recognise that I am a sinner, but I thank You that You died for my sins. Help me to leave my old ways behind and become a follower of You. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
