Whenever talking on the subject of forgiveness, someone will say, "I've never been able to forgive myself for what I've done." Many still carry a sense of guilt and shame over their failure. Though they know that God can forgive them, deep down they do not believe they are truly, fully forgiven. They find it difficult to accept God's mercy and forgivness. They feel that in order to be restored into favor and fellowship with God there is something further they must do to atone for their sin; that they must do 'penance'; that perhaps they can be good enough to make up for the wrong they have done.
The problem is that a lifetime of 'good deeds' is not sufficient to deal with the guilt of even one sin against a holy God. Sin makes a stain that cannot be washed away by any amount of human effort. There is only one 'solution' that can deal with the guilt of our sin:
"What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus; What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus."
In Psalm 85:10, we find a beautiful description of the Lord Jesus and what He did for us on the cross; Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other."
It was at Calvary that God's mercy and love for sinners and the Truth of His holy hatred for sin found a meeting place. At Calvary, God heaped upon Jesus all the punishment for all the sin of the world. At the same time, he offered peace and reconcilation to sinners who had been estranged from Him. The Cross show us in the starkest possible terms what God thinks of our sin; it reveals the cost He paid to redeem us!
Ladies of Today Posts
Most of us would never say, "God is not really good." We know better. Theologically, intellectually, we know that God is good. But deep in many of our hearts, there lurks a suspicion that He may not really be good--at least, that He has not been good to me. Let's go back to the beginning. When Satan wanted to tempt Eve to rebel against God, he did so by planting in her mind a seed of doubt about God's goodness. The implication was that "God must not be good- if He were, He would not have denied you something you really wanted."
When turbulence, disappointment, or pain comes into our lives; when we lost people we love; when things don't go as we had hoped or planned, Satan tempts us to wonder, "Is God really good? If He were, how could He have let this happen?" or "Why would He have kept this from me?" Once we doubt the goodness of God, we feel justified in rejecting His will and making our own decisions about right and wrong. The Truth is, God is Good! Whether or not His choices seem good to us, He is good. Whether or not we feel it, He is good. Whether or not it seems true in my life or yours, He is still good! Psalm 119:68 "Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes."
A great many things in God's divine providences do not look to the eye like goodness. But faith sits down before mysteries such as these, and says, "The LORD is good, therefore all that He does must be good no matter how it looks. I can wait for His explanations!"