Forgiven

"Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little." -Jesus in Luke 7:47

I was sitting in church listening to this message preached by Pastor Aaron Kunce, and something about this verse really grabbed a hold of me. It has been resounding in my head ever since. What Jesus was saying was that those who have been forgiven of more sin are more grateful for it.

So many of us shudder at the idea of God letting murders and rapists into Heaven, even though we know that they have to do is believe, just as we have. I thought of this from a new perspective yesterday:

God created us in His image in order to bring Him joy. His ultimate joy is accomplished when we truly love Him. In this parable, Jesus spoke of two men who owed money to another man but neither were able to repay the debt. One man owed 50 shekels, and the other owed 500 shekels. Since neither were able to pay, the creditor forgave both debts. Then Jesus asks which of those two men would love the debtor more.

It is the same way with our sins, those of us who are forgiven more, appreciate it more. So if God's ultimate goal is to be loved by us, then of course He will forgive all of us, even those who have "transgressed more" than others.

When I was explaining this to my wife, I said that only men see sin as different layers or dimensions. God sees sin as one dimensional. It is all the same in His eyes.

Have you ever been discouraged and wondering how God could ever forgive you of something you had done? Next time you feel that way, refer to this parable and remember: Christians are not perfect, they are just forgiven.

Luke 7:36-50


This blog was inspired by the sermon preached by Pastor Aaron Kunce at Living Word Community Church on July 11, 2010.