What Does the Bible Say About Forgiveness? Part 3

Walking In The Joy Of A Clean Conscience

Up to this point, you may be feeling less optimistic than you did when you started this article. If you are, it is a good sign. Believe it or not, you are closer to freedom than you have ever been! As we stated earlier, to be free from any problem, we must first recognize that we have one. Sometimes this is the hardest part. Recognizing and dealing with our sin is the only way to overcome the consequences of it. Are you ready for the good news now?

You can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that if you were to die tonight, you could stand before your Creator with a clean conscience. You don't have to rely on hopeful wishes or vague optimism. You can be washed clean and fragrant and sparkling. You don't have to hide from the guilty feelings that oppress you deep inside. You don't have to mete out penance for yourself to ease your conscience. You don't have to feel unworthy to come before the Lord in prayer, or accept the evil things Satan would try to do to you as your "punishment" from God. (Satan loves to masquerade as God Himself)!

God already punished Jesus in your place. If you were to receive your true punishment, you'd already be long dead! God's grace has kept you alive this long for a reason. Part of it is bringing you to this very place so you can hear Him calling out to you. It's not too late! No matter what you've done, it isn't too late for you to repent and to change you ways! If you are willing and ready to change your life, God is more than ready to help you, forgive you and restore you.

When Jesus cried out "It is finished!" on the cross, and took His last breath, the curtain in the temple was ripped from top to bottom. This curtain was extremely thick, and separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. This inner sanctuary was where the presence of the Living God dwelled. No unclean thing could enter into this sacred place. A priest only went in once a year and if he had any sin in his life, he would die as he came to minister before the Lord. Yet, when Jesus finished the work on the cross, that curtain that kept us away from God's presence was ripped open, symbolizing a new relationship that we can now have with the Living God.

Jesus' atoning death on the cross made it possible for us to receive complete access to the presence of God. We can be forgiven of all our sins and no longer need to cower in the distance, afraid to face God. This problem has been dealt with once and for all, but we need to apply it for it to have any significance in our lives. This will not work if we agree only in theory. It must become a practical action in our lives.