Jesus the Forgiver
You are my dear children, and I write these things to you so that you won’t sin. But if anyone does sin, we continually have a forgiving Redeemer who is face-to-face with the Father: Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
The Apostle John, Jesus’ beloved disciple, opens this passage with a beloved statement to his church: “My dear children.” In Christ, you are God’s son or God’s daughter. You are beloved and held dear in your Heavenly Father’s eyes.
John’s opening phrase of chapter two demonstrates such love and humility, grace and truth, to the people of God. John’s purpose for writing this letter is crystal clear: “so that you will not sin.” In other words, so that you will not threaten or harm this love-filled relationship that God desires with you. In his letter, John is imploring every Christ follower to think differently about your decisions in order to keep your love relationship with God healthy and surrendered from our short-sighted ways to God’s enduring promises.
Yet, John knows how broken we are. Like the great hymn from decades past, “We’re prone to wander, Lord, we feel it; prone to leave the God we love.” Our lives are set within a tension between our present victory in Christ and our present brokenness of sin. Embracing our victory in Christ must always be our hope and vision. That is your reality to claim in Christ. Yet, John also knows that our hearts are prone to wander and leave the God we love. When this happens, the Good News of our faith declares that Jesus advocates on our behalf. He pleads our case before our Heavenly Father, and substituted His life for our ours, as the only one and true righteous sacrifice that atones for our sins. Jesus’ atoning sacrifice justified our lives once and for all who place their trust in the Messiah!
Jesus’ sacrifice made you at one with your Heavenly Father, justifying you as if your sin never happened. God has forgiven you of your trespass against him. In fact, the Apostle wrote in his letter to the Roman church, “Since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.” (Romans 5:1 NLT)
Friend, may you live most fully and faithfully into your freedom and forgiveness in Christ with peace and satisfaction.
