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Your Past: Gone!
Ephesians 1:7 'In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace.'
 Because Jesus died, Christians can boldly proclaim the total forgiveness of sins. The old King James Version of the Bible sometimes called this the 'remittance of sins.' The word means the once-and-for-all removal of our past sins and the guilty shame that went with them. Jesus taught that, when we repent, or turn our backs on our old ways of life, and place our faith in him, our sins are not only covered over, they are totally removed from our lives. We are given a completely clean slate before God. This idea was revolutionary at the time. Until then, the Jews to whom Jesus spoke were used to the idea that their sin could be, at best, covered once every year when the priests shed the blood of animals on their behalf. They knew, though, that next year they'd have to come back and go through the process again, because the shed blood of animals was only a temporary fix for their broken fellowship with God. Jesus declared, though, that through the shedding of his blood on a Roman cross, all men and women could be totally clean of their sin for all time, if they would but place their faith in what he'd done for them. This is the basis for the 'new covenant' between humankind and God: we no longer need the blood of animals shed once every year. Now, we a sacrifice has been made that covers all sin for all time, provided of course that we remain in union with the Lord, walking in his ways and doing our best to stay close to him. It's no wonder Jesus spoke so much about freedom: it's a huge load off your mind when you realise that he has dealt with your sin forever. You can start to live for the future, instead of being weighed down by the emotional and spiritual baggage of the past.
Prayer: 'Lord, thank you that I am free from sin. My old way of life with all its moral and spiritual failure, is totally gone through what you did for me on the cross. Help me to live in the true joy of that freedom.'
© 2003-2004 Mal Fletcher
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I'm 21 & I'd just like to say what an excellent programme you've created, in EDGES. In a world where image is everything, a lack of excellence often distracts people from the main point.
Ben, United Kingdom
We've all been affected to some degree by this latest news of terrorist activity. Yet what an opportunity to share the GOOD news with those who are looking for answers!
Ann, Australia
Mal, I so enjoy your teachings. Europe truly is the dark continent.
Eric
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