“So that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . .” (Matthew 9:6)
We all have a tendency to mistake wants for needs. We frequently say, “I need this” or “I need that,” when in actuality we don’t need it at all; we simply want it, and we want it so badly that we have placed it in the category of need. With that being said — and that should give us all a moment of pause to check our want list today — let me encourage you by sharing the importance of understanding our greatest need and how it has already been met.
The greatest need every person has is the need for forgiveness. Unless our sins are forgiven, we will spend eternity separated from the love of God in a terrible place where there is never any happiness or comfort, but only weeping and gnashing of teeth (Luke 13:28). To die without Christ is to die in our sins.
But this will not be the case for those who understand the truth of our verse for today and have embraced that truth by grace, through faith. Our Lord Jesus Christ has the authority and the power to forgive our sins — all of our sins. Jesus was born as a babe in a manger to die in our place in order to pay the penalty for our sins, and at this very moment He has the power to pardon, no matter what we have done. His wounds bear witness to that power and authority.
He who knew no sin became sin for all those who will trust in Him as Lord and Savior. The penalty was paid . . . atonement made . . . debt satisfied. God the Father put His supernatural stamp of approval on the cross work of His beloved Son by raising Him from the grave on the third day, just as the Scriptures had said. He has granted repentance for sin to all His elect, and He has also guaranteed remission of sin. The power of His passion is perpetual; never shall the divine fountain of forgiveness run dry.
May this truth set us free from the gnawing guilt that keeps us from growing into the person God is calling us to be. To be sure, every Christian should be filled with a godly sorrow when we sin and break the heart of God. But after we have taken our sin to the throne of grace, we are to remember that it has been nailed to the cross and cleansed by the blood of the Lamb. We really are forgiven!
Beloved, because your greatest need has been met, you should be experiencing the peace that passes all understanding every day. Don’t let the evil one make you a prisoner to your past. We must learn from the past, yes, but not live in it. Because our Lord’s mercies are new every morning, you can rise up this day and live as one who has been eternally forgiven and will never be forsaken. You have His Word on that.
Oh, the joy in knowing that our greatest need has been met and is met each day by our Master!
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 