The greatest and truest joy we can ever experience is knowing that our sins are forgiven. Only when we truly understand the gravity of our sin can we then be able to acknowledge that the greatest thing that could ever happen to us is to stand forgiven before God, against whom we have sinned. 

The Bible makes it clear that there is something fundamentally wrong within us – our hearts are wicked and desperately sick (Jeremiah 17:9). Right from the beginning, we see the rebellion of man against God. This is a theme that goes on throughout the Bible. In Romans 3, the Apostle Paul comes to the conclusion that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.  

Being that we have all sinned, God’s wrath is set upon us because He is holy -He cannot dwell where there is sin. However, God’s love and mercy towards us is so great that He provides a way for us to be made right with Him – His son Jesus Christ. Unless we believe in His son, we remain under His wrath.

By believing in Jesus Christ, we receive a pardon for our sins. This is not something that we can do by and for ourselves. No amount of human ‘goodness’ or self righteousness can make us right with God. It is only by believing in the finished work of Christ on the cross.

“For Christ also suffered for our sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God.”

1 Peter 3:18

When we put our faith in Christ, God takes away our hard and impenitent heart- our heart of stone that is rebellious to Him and gives us a new heart and a new spirit that delights in pleasing Him (Ezekiel 36:26-27). He takes away our proud hearts that make us think we are okay and in need of no help and He helps us see our sinfulness for what it truly is.

He removes our transgressions from us as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). He remembers our sins no more and justifies us. To be justified simply means we become as if we had never sinned. Only then can we be able to join the Psalmist in saying that:

“Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.”

Psalm 32:2-3

If you are born again, it is my hope that as you continue to read you will be spurred to remember God’s loving kindness towards you and to rejoice that your sins have been forgiven. Remember that it is by God’s grace you have been saved and this is not from yourself, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9).

If you are not born again, my hope and prayer is that God will grant you repentance that will lead you to a knowledge of the truth. In John 5: 24, Jesus tells us that “whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgement, but has passed from death to life.” Therefore, put your hope and faith in Christ, for there is no other name under heaven given by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12.).

I also hope that you will find the poem below edifying. It has been written by a friend called Derek Mwangi. In it, he writes about the joy of standing forgiven in Christ and trusting in His finished work on the cross.

“Innocent”. Guilty. Forgiven. Knowing.

Months later with this 

Once tainted 

But now cleansed heart

I hear echoes of whispers

From a once indulged in

Sinful trade of “innocence”.

I was never again the same.

The righteousness of self

I once cleaved to

Became smeared with guilt

And no matter how much

I tried to hold on

To what I believed 

To be my standards

The parts of me 

Given away in the trade

Reminded me that I was guilty.

My standards could not support me,

They condemned me

And by them

“God could never accept me.”

I blamed her

To feel justified,

But even then

Evidence of memories

From both traders 

Confirmed that I was there

And active.

I no longer had standards

No longer had pride in self

No longer had reasons to “earn God’s love”

And what once were a list of “don’ts”

Became a sad song replayed

With the tune of guilt.

Memories of once being righteous

Became unbearable

Because now I was no longer so,

But it was right here

That I saw God’s free love

Which I could never earn; 

Even with my “righteousness”.

My standards confirmed

That I was only a slave of sin,

And it was people like me

That Christ came to save,

Poor, weak and condemned.

I could never stop sinning

To turn to Christ,

Christ had to turn to me

To stop me from sinning.

And though I have faith in Him now,

This faith comes ONLY

From His finished work on the cross.

I didn’t just fall short 

Of my standards,

I fell short of God’s standards

And deserved a punitive sentence of

His eternal wrath

Which the torment of guilt

On my conscience

Is nothing compared to.

So if through the finished work

Of Christ on the cross

God’s wrath against all my sins

Was satisfied

Then my sinful trade of “innocence”

Was also forgiven.

And if through the finished work

Of Christ on the cross

I am set free 

From the slavery of sin

Then I can no longer live in sin.

I no longer rely on my standards

But God’s standards 

Freely given

Through His salvation.

I am no longer working

To attain a righteousness of my own

Because God has granted me

His own

Through Jesus Christ.

I no longer need her

To blame to find justice

Because Christ took the blame

And suffered God’s punishment

So that in Him

Before God I am justified.

See, it is no longer me

Stopping me from sin

But Christ who overcame sin,

And His Spirit at work in me.

Now my life is no longer

A monument of guilt

But a confirmation of 

God’s forgiveness

Because He lessens 

My burden of guilt

With His word of truth.

So everyday I know

More than I am guilty

That I am forgiven.

-Derek