FAITHFULWORD.ORG | TEACHINGS

John 3:16-18; Psalms 103:1-4, 107:20; Matthew 26:27; John 10:17-18; Luke 22:19-20; Isaiah 53:5; Colossians 1:14; I Peter 2:24; I John 1:9-10, 2:1-2; Hebrews 4:14-15; Acts 10:34-38, 26:18-19; Psalms 51:1-10; Jeremiah 17:14; Mark 5:25-34p Matthew 26:26-28

We should be persuaded that forgiveness and healing are ours. Because we are not perfect and live in an imperfect world, we will experience sin and sickness, and thus need God’s forgiveness and healing. When we became God’s children, we were given the promise of eternity with God, when there will be perfection in every category. But for now, as we await Christ’s return, God deals with us like a good parent would. When we break fellowship with Him (sin), we step outside the parameters of love, thus losing the blessings we would otherwise enjoy. When we come before Him honestly and seek His forgiveness, we can be confident in God’s justice and promises to receive that forgiveness. This is illustrated beautifully in the parable of the Forgiving Father (or The Prodigal Son). God wants that intimate fellowship with His people, and is aware of the frailty of our flesh.

To help us, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, our perfect sin substitute He endured the suffering and death which was the price for eternal life, but even with this, God knows that we will not automatically walk perfectly once we have been given spirit, in spite of our best efforts to do so. So He made provision for His children to receive forgiveness and to get their healing. Once we take the religion out of our thinking, we see how simple this is. And what does God get out of this? Us! And all He wants in return is our love for Him.

Love is God’s nature, and He is a loving Father who does not condemn us any more than His Son did. After all, we do a good enough job of condemning ourselves. To help us remember how much He loves us, He chose the thing we do more than anything else, except sleep. When we eat, we can be reminded of our redemption and healing made available by Jesus Christ’s sacrifice. It is all about forgiveness and healing, and is an accomplished reality. I Peter tell us that by Jesus’ stripes we were healed. As one who was tempted in all the ways we are, he is the perfect representative to stand before God on our behalf.

When we sin, we must remember the goodness of God and go to Him in honesty, confessing our sin and expecting forgiveness; when we hurt or are sick, we can expect healing as well. Forgiveness and healing are ours!