How Do I Forgive Me?

Berean Baptist on November 18, 2019

One of the most common issues I encounter in counselling concerns guilt because of sin. As you know, I am never shy of preaching the horrible weight of sin that is against us, and that preachers ought never to let sinners off the hook by saying people feel too guilty already and we do not want to add to their guilt. No, if you are not a Christian, you do not understand how deeply guilty you are. If I can pound that point home clearly and without equivocation, only then I have done my duty to the gospel. You need forgiveness of your sins through the blood of Jesus Christ.

However, pay close attention. The Bible says nothing about forgiving yourself of sin. Much less does it speak of a person who trusts Christ as having any time in their life regardless of their sin that they must forgive themselves. The Bible never allows a Christian to think Christ’s forgiveness is not enough—that we need to take an extra step and work on forgiving ourselves before we are made whole.

The question, “How do I forgive myself,” was answered insightfully by H.B. Charles in a recent devotional. He said, “The most faithful response to this question is to reject it as an illegitimate question. The biblical teaching about forgiveness can be summarized in two main ideas: God forgives sinners freely, completely, and sacrificially. Ultimately, divine forgiveness is paid for by the cross of Christ. Christians must forgive those who wrong us, as God has forgiven us for the sake of Christ. That’s it. Sermon over. There is no third point. God has forgiven us, and we must forgive others. Period…the Bible does not teach that we should forgive ourselves. It does not explain how to forgive ourselves. It does not say anything about forgiving ourselves whatsoever.”

            Charles went on to say that self-forgiveness is self-centered psychology that suggests we are the ones who need to be appeased. In effect, it suggests that we are the God that is offended which he termed not just erroneous, but blasphemous. And yet, this concept is often found in self-esteem preaching. In self-help books, this is often part of their step program much like AA has a twelve-step program to wellness.

            Self-forgiveness betrays the sacrifice of Christ by proclaiming it less than sufficient. It is nothing less than one more self-righteous works religion that is the backbone of all false religions. Adam began this religion by grabbing fig leaves to cover his nakedness. Self-forgiveness is another fig leaf that is odious to God’s grace in the full and free pardon of sin in Christ. Self-forgiveness evidences a person does not understand the work of Christ. The same people who would never think of doing penance by working the beads of a rosary have in fact embraced the same religion by laboring to emancipate themselves from guilt figuring how they can forgive themselves.

            Charles also made this comment: “You do not need to supplement divine forgiveness with any self-forgiveness. Your forgiveness in Christ is complete. Receive it. Remember it. And rejoice in it. If your testimony is, ‘God has forgiven me,’ that is enough! You do not need to forgive yourself.” I submit this is the heart of the gospel. It is a gospel of grace that leaves nothing for us to do. Notice Charles said, “Receive it.” You are the recipient not the giver. As in your salvation, you do not “accept” it as if it must be evaluated and found to meet your approval. No, Christ approved it, you only need to receive it.

            If you receive the forgiveness of sin accomplished by the grace of God, it is enough. Nothing needs to be added. Indeed, God wants nothing from you nor accepts anything from you. Christ took care of it. “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1)

                                                                                    Pastor V. Mark Smith

A Psalm of David or a Psalm of Peter?

Berean Baptist on May 8, 2017

Psalm 86

As the title of Psalm 86 reveals, this is a psalm of David. As I read the psalm this week, I noticed how David’s thoughts parallel what must have been in Peter’s mind after he denied Jesus for the third time. This was a dark period in Peter’s life. This is the lowest point, the farthest he ever sunk in the trials of Christian living. Although he made the great confession of faith in Matthew 16, and although he steadfastly protested when Jesus told him what he would do, he still had a moment of weakness that was as bad as the traitor Judas.

The purpose of the story of his failure at the end of Matthew 26 is to show how easily we can fall into denial. In persecution, we may stand strong; in times of heightened sensitivity, we may gather ourselves and with strong resolve, we will not give up our faith. However, Satan rarely attacks at those times. He prefers to wait until we are unprepared; until we are smug and self-assured before he slings his fiery darts. When you lay aside the armor or are too casual to pay attention, Satan has the advantage. Peter was not felled by a burly Roman soldier, but by a little harmless maiden who made no threats.

Peter’s failure was not as sudden as we might think. It was a step by step process. The same is true of our failures. We rarely go from a stellar workhorse for Christ to a scared little weasel who pretends not to know Him.

How does this fit with the psalm? The psalmist wrote in a moment of despair, “Bow down thine ear, O Lord, hear me: for I am poor and needy.” We catch up to the psalm after Peter’s denials. This is when Peter realized his awful mistake. It was when Jesus looked at Him with disappointment that he knew how miserably he failed. Peter’s reaction was the reaction of a true Christian, not of a Judas. It was a gut-wrenching moment and he could not live with himself for what he had done. His tears were not merely tears of regret, but much more deeply felt. They were tears of godly repentance. Can we not image when Peter went out and wept bitterly that verses 5 and 6 of this psalm were the cry of his heart? “For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. Give ear, O LORD, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications.”

Peter’s denial was as serious as it gets. Jesus said those who deny Him before men He will deny before His Father in heaven. Peter denied before men, not once but three times. What kept Christ from denying Him? It was his repentance. He proved he was a child that God promised never to forsake. David and Peter prayed with the same confidence knowing that when they fell they would not be finally cast down.

When we sin, their plea must be our plea. Paul wrote, “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” No sin is too big for God to forgive. Peter’s story teaches us this lesson. Bitter tears of repentance are always followed by blessed forgiveness and renewal. It is God’s word and you can always count on it.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

 

 

 

Doomed to Repeat the Past

Berean Baptist on February 20, 2017

Psalm 78

In the 78th Psalm, we come to one of the many instances in which the history of Israel, the ups and downs of their relationship with God, is recounted. The purpose of these places is to teach that we must remember the failures of the past and to warn those who have not yet learned the lessons we have learned how to avoid the holes we have fallen into.

In dealing with the Corinthian church, Paul encouraged them to pay attention to Old Testament scriptures. They are not passé and of no benefit. Rather, he says in the 10th chapter that the experiences of Old Testament Israel were for our example. In Acts chapter 7, Stephen used the historical record to point out how the Jews of his time were no different from their forefathers. They claimed to be the righteous children of Abraham, but Stephen skillfully discovered to them they were certainly more like the children of Abraham than they cared to admit. At every turn, their forefathers continually rejected the grace of God and these more modern Jews were no different. They proved it when they crucified God’s own Son (Acts 7:51-52).

Psalm 78 can be rightly called a reminder of Deuteronomy 6:6-7:  “And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” The power and might of God in taking Israel to the Promised Land were to be an incentive to follow faithfully. Whenever Israel failed, it was a direct result of disobedience, of stubbornness, and refusal to remember what happened each time they disobeyed.

I believe we find the same incentive in the New Testament in words that are written to Christians. Hebrews 12 speaks of chastisement which we strictly want to avoid, but who among us has not gone back to the same sins time and time again? Who learns the lesson well that the same sins always yield the same results? It seems we have great difficulty learning our lessons as if the holes we fall into are not hard enough at the bottom to make us want to keep from stepping into them again.

While there is no excuse for this, we do have to chalk it up to human nature. We surrender to the flesh rather than continually crucifying it with its affections and lusts (Gal. 5:24). If you wonder how Israel kept doing what they did after seeing the power of God to deliver them, just remember we fare no better. Many times the authors of scripture tell this story about Israel and many times we are challenged to be strong in the faith. Shouldn’t one chapter in one book of the New Testament be enough to keep us straight? Apparently not because encouragement to forsake the flesh and follow Christ is an often repeated theme.

God wants us to keep up the fight. We are not to surrender because the way is hard. Every temptation has a means of escape just as Paul described in 1 Corinthians 10. God knows we will fail—He understands us better than we do ourselves. For this reason, He offers forgiveness rather than condemnation. As the Psalmist wrote in verses 38 and 39, God knows us: “But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath. For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind that passeth away, and cometh not again.”

Thank God His compassion is deeper than our holes. When we repeat the past, His forgiveness is there. When we come in confession and repentance, He never fails to forgive. In our flesh, we may be doomed to repeat the past, but the blessing of our salvation is in Christ. He took the blame for us for which we will be eternally grateful.

 

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Do You Hate Him?

Berean Baptist on December 5, 2016

They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away. (Psalms 69:4)

When commentators comment or preachers preach on the death of the cross, they write and speak with an outsider’s view. We speak without personal experience because we have not been through the great pain and suffering the Saviour endured. In this psalm, the story is not told from a commentator’s view, but from the mind of the precious Saviour Himself. This is one of the fascinating pre-manifestations of Christ as He speaks personally through the pen of David. His story concerns the terrible anguish He must endure.

The psalm begins with the analogy of a flood. Calvary is the place where the torrent of God’s judgment was unleashed upon Christ. Like a flood that completely overwhelms, the Saviour was engulfed with both the sins of the world and God’s’ wrath against it. I can imagine these statements may well have been a part of Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane as He contemplated the death of the cross. Luke records His anguish was so great that His sweat was as it were great drops of blood. The mental anguish was so great that capillaries burst pouring blood into His sweat as it beaded and fell to the ground.

There is much to consider in this psalm, but today I am drawn to verse 4 and this phrase: “They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head…” Jesus quoted this verse in John 15:25:  “But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.” They hated Him without cause is probably the most perplexing statement ever spoken. For what good reason should we turn our backs on the one who offers forgiveness, who saves us from certain destruction, and who promises the unfathomable blessings of heaven? Why are we not rather lost in wonders of ceaseless praise? And yet, we are not—none of us would have saved Jesus from the cross because we also hated Him without cause.

In the Lord’s Supper, we picture what men did to Christ. The bread is broken to symbolize the beating of His body. The cup is poured to reflect the blood pouring from the wounds in His head, His back, His hands, and His feet. As we solemnly partake of the symbols, we no longer hate Him. We are reconciled to Him by the cross, and the one we hated becomes precious. The contrast of the before and after picture is demonstrated by Peter: Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,  And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. (1 Peter 2:7-8)

We are humbled by the marvelous grace of our loving Lord who has made us partakers of the divine nature. Our sins are the cause of His torturous death, and His love is the cause of His triumphant redemption. The agony of Psalm 69 leaves us no excuse for any longer hating Him. When we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8).

Which side of the psalm are you on? Have you trusted Him? If not, you hate Him without a cause. If you are not with Him, you are against Him (Matt. 12:30). I sincerely hope you will trust Him today. The only way to find out why He is truly precious is to see Him from the safety of His mercy, love, and grace.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

 

 

The Blessing of Forgiveness

Berean Baptist on November 16, 2015

“Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.” (Psalms 32:1-2)

 All of us are familiar with the life of David. The two major events that usually stand out about his life are the victory he had over Goliath as a very young man and the terrible sin of adultery he committed with Bathsheba after he had become king. This sin only worsened as he tried to cover it up by murdering Uriah her husband. These two notable events show in the first an incredible demonstration of faith, and in the second a despicable demonstration of failure. Even though David defeated the giant Goliath, we would more remember him for his failure than his faith if not for this one important factor—God is merciful and He is always willing to forgive our sins.

This psalm is a psalm of forgiveness. It is possible in the worst of our failures, in the deepest poverty of our sins, to find God’s forgiveness. The key is repentance. The joy of forgiveness David found was not until he uttered the words, “God, I have sinned.” It was then and only then that David was restored to happiness and fellowship with the Lord.

The beginning of this psalm is an expression of the forgiveness found: “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.” “Impute” is not a word we often use but it simply means “to charge to the account of.” “Blessed is the man whose sins are not charged to him.” This statement begs for further explanation. How and why does God not charge sin to a person who is as obviously guilty as David was? If God is a God of justice and true righteousness, how can He overlook sin? This is a very good question and one which has a rock solid answer rooted in the divine satisfaction of justice. God never lets sin go unpunished. Every evil deed must receive a just recompense of reward.

If this is true, how was David granted forgiveness? The only answer is that somehow sin was punished by being meted out upon some other who bore the guilt of David’s sin. The New Testament has the answer for this: “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:20-21). This is in response to the Old Testament teaching of Isaiah 53:6:  “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” The death of Christ on the cross provided the means for double imputation without which none of us could ever be forgiven. Second Corinthians expresses it by saying Christ was made sin for us (our sins imputed to Him) and He is made righteousness for us (His righteousness imputed to us). This is the way God’s justice was satisfied for David’s sin and is the basis for his forgiveness. Our sins were punished in Christ and the merits of His righteous life are given to us. This all takes place by faith which was displayed by David when he recognized his sin and repented. He expected that God would do what He always promised—when there is sincere repentance, God always forgives. Later in the Psalms, David wrote: “Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalms 51:9-10).

Today we rejoice as David did because the same God that forgave him will also forgive us. You may have failed God deeply and you wonder if you could ever be forgiven. The answer is “yes.” Repent of your sins and place all your confidence in Christ. Trust Him as the redeemer of your soul and His death as the satisfaction for your sins. When you have done this, you will know the joy of David when he said, “Blessed is the man whose transgression is forgiven.”

Pastor V. Mark Smith