Have you ever wondered if the way you live impacts your ability to be saved by God? Are you irredeemable because you’ve gone too far and wide? Thinking God could never forgive your sins because they’re unforgivable. I’ll have to disagree with you because I too use to think this way before Jesus saved me from myself. I now see God differently not because of anything I’ve done but through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Growing up, I did not go to church, read the bible or have a religious upbringing. In the summer, my grandma would send my cousins and I across the street for Vacation Bible School. I thought it was just to get us from hanging around outside playing games. We hated every minute of it but I believe the Lord used Vacation Bible School to plant seeds into our soul. From that moment on I always thought church was about following rules dressing or acting a certain way. Knowing and memorizing the scripture and only being able to be around the church community. At the time, I was too young to understand. Those religious thoughts did follow me to adulthood until God showed up and showed me something different. The story on how I was randomly saved one day is available on the Saved by Grace blog.
Before I was saved, I use to think the things I’ve done were not forgivable and that God was always judging me and wanted to bring his wrath and judgement down on me because of my choices. Recently, I read 2 Chronicles 30: 17-20 NIV.
17 Since many in the crowd had not consecrated themselves, the Levites had to kill the Passover lambs for all those who were not ceremonially clean and could not consecrate their lambs[a] to the Lord. 18 Although most of the many people who came from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover, contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the Lord, who is good, pardon everyone 19 who sets their heart on seeking God—the Lord, the God of their ancestors—even if they are not clean according to the rules of the sanctuary.” 20 And the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people.
The people were not walking in the ways of the Lord and Hezekiah being the good king at that time, was restoring the people back to the ways of the Lord. This was the first Passover they had in a while. I immediately thought the people were not going to be able to be apart of Passover since most had not consecrated themselves. But Hezekiah prayed that the Lord would pardon those who sets their hearts on God but were not clean by sanctuary rules. And God in all his graciousness healed the people. He could have been angry and had the earth swallow them up but God pardoned the people and healed them. I could not help but notice His compassion toward us even though we mess up so many times. He is willing to forgive us. Also, that God changes his mind.
Throughout the Old Testament, I see God over and over again bringing judgement to His people because they refused to acknowledge and seek Him. God continually found ways to redeem His people, eventually sending His son Jesus down to earth to save us all. We are now all able to be saved. Romans 10:9-10 says
9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.
The Lord is just so beautiful, and I truly don’t know another like Him. I say all this to say that regardless of what you’ve done you’re not irredeemable or unforgivable there is nothing God can’t forgive unless you willingly decide to reject him and not accept Him as Lord and Savior. I don’t want that for anyone. Once we accept Him into our hearts as Lord and Savior and are baptized in water we receive the Holy Spirit who will lead us into all truth and from there is where my life started to change. Be blessed and have a great week!
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