Jesus Takes Away the Sin of the World


For the season of Lent I'll be sharing devotions from Grace Lutheran's devotional book: "Forgiven." 

While these devotions are not my words and may not represent my own faith or theological understanding, they are valuable personal faith perspectives of 40 of Grace's members and I am so grateful for their generosity in sharing them.

Part One: Forgiveness & Wholeness

John 1:24-34 (Jesus takes away sins of world)

Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. They asked him, “Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.” This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing.
The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.” And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.”

This passage describes Jesus about to be baptized by John the Baptist. Unlike the other three gospels, this one does not actually describe the baptism.  Instead, the writer emphasizes that John was baptizing with water to wash away sin, but Jesus has come to wash away sin with the Holy Spirit.  He is the Lamb of God and will take away the sin of the world.  A dramatic moment on the bank of the River Jordan!  John’s mission was to point people in the direction of Jesus.  He draws back the curtain and Jesus takes center stage.

From our earliest years we are taught to forgive sins.  Mothers teach us to, “Say you’re sorry.”  I never understood why, it never made me feel any better.  

As I grew older I thought of forgiveness as a two-way street.  Over the years, I have had to forgive others for an assortment of issues.   If we hang on to the sins of others, it will only fester and can leave us paralyzed to continue a relationship.  This often happens to those we love the most.  Families hold grudges that last for decades.  They don’t even remember what caused the rift.  

The other side of forgiveness has to do with when I need to ask forgiveness of others.  What, ME do something WRONG???  All the time.  My mouth moves before my brain, I make judgements based on my own lens; the list goes on and on. I feel disappointed in myself and become paralyzed about how to move forward.  I need to continually practice self-awareness.  In order for me to feel whole, I need to own my faults and not be afraid to ask forgiveness.

Google says: Forgiveness is for our own growth and happiness. When we hold on to hurt, pain, resentment, and anger it harms us far more than it harms the offender. Forgiveness frees us to live in the present. ... Forgiveness allows us to move on without anger or contempt or seeking revenge. (There’s the wholeness part).  

The Bible is crystal clear on forgiveness:  Just do it!   
Jesus told Peter 70 x 7

Forgiveness is not a feeling, it is a choice. Choosing forgiveness will mean that you have to go to God on your knees for the power to forgive. It’s choosing not to let thoughts of hatred rule in your heart. It’s choosing to go to God to find help and comfort instead of dwelling on the past, even when our feelings would rather do anything but. The power we need for this we get from the Holy Spirit. 

Prayer:
Lord God: Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me.  I know I’ve made mistakes in the past, and I’m going to make mistakes and commit sins in the future. As I rejoice in your forgiveness, I long for your guidance. In Jesus name, 
Amen


Joy

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