“This is the covenant I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds, then he adds, ‘I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more’” Hebrews 10:16-17
God has given us his law and so there is no excuse. We cannot claim ignorance. We cannot say, “I had no idea! I did not know!” God’s law is quite simple. You don’t need a lawyer to figure it out. God did not veil his law in fancy words and concepts. Murder is murder; theft is theft, adultery is adultery, etc, etc. If we are ignorant then it is a willful ignorance - we don’t want to know. We are not fooling God but making fools of ourselves.
Conversely, God forgives us when we repent and seek his favor. When we confess our sins he generously forgives for the sake of Christ who made for us a once/forever sacrifice so that our sins and lawless deeds would be remembered no more.
We must not presume, however, to misuse this sacrifice1. We cannot do as we please; we cannot continue to practice sin, saying, “God will forgive.” He did not give such a gift so we might use it to promote sin and lawlessness but to cleanse, pardon, and redeem when we go astray.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, by the power of the Holy Spirit, keep me faithful to your law as my guide for a good and fruitful life pleasing to you. Give me the desire to please you in all things. Likewise, give me the faith to trust in your mercy and goodness seeking forgiveness through Christ Jesus when I fall short of your glory. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” Romans 6:1-2
“No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.” 1 John 3:9