Bill Knott’s GraceNotes: WHAT CAN WASH AWAY MY SIN? (May 07, 2021)

2021-05-06

Wilt Thou forgive that sin where I begun, Which is my sin, though it were done before? Four hundred years ago, the poet John Donne wondered aloud whether God would actually forgive the wild, foolish choices he had made in his life. In the last four days, at least half the people in the world have silently wondered the same thing. Can God—will God—actually erase the record of our anger, lust, and dishonesty? Or will those choices always drag behin...

Wilt Thou forgive that sin where I begun,

Which is my sin, though it were done before?

Four hundred years ago, the poet John Donne wondered aloud whether God would actually forgive the wild, foolish choices he had made in his life.

In the last four days, at least half the people in the world have silently wondered the same thing. Can God—will God—actually erase the record of our anger, lust, and dishonesty? Or will those choices always drag behind us as painful reminders of our foolishness?

God’s promise for those who turn to Him is clear and categorical: “I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more” (Jer 31:34). The Father knows that we have doubts about His goodness, and so the Bible tells us, “If we confess our sins to God, He can always be trusted to forgive us and take our sins away” (I John 1:9). And just in case we need a visual reminder of His promise to repair our brokenness, we hear: “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us” (Psa 103:12).

There’s nothing more dependable than God’s promise to forgive your past. Trust His promise: experience His freedom.

And stay in grace. -Bill Knott

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