have lived here on earth. Perhaps your mother or father was one of them. You revere their saintly memory. I thank God for my won derful parents, too. But good men are also sinners. There is only One who was tempted in all points like as we are, and yet He was without sin. I refer, of course, to our Lord Jesus Christ. It took One who was perfect in order to meet and to fulfill the absolute demands of the Law. The righteousness of God can only be filled by a perfect keeping of the Law. This Christ did. Other wise, the righteousness of God must be satisfied by paying the penalty for breaking the Law. This Christ did, too. He fulfilled the Law in both ways exactly and com pletely. No less price than the blood of Jesus Christ could ever secure redemption. In verse seven of Ephesians 1 it says that we have forgiveness of sins. The term "for giveness" is given to us in several senses. First of all, when by faith we receive Jesus Christ as Saviour, we have eternal forgiveness. We are pronounced right then free from guilt; just as if we had never sinned. Our record is eradicated; the slate is wiped clean. There are a lot of people who go through life with a guilty conscience. Re member, no matter what the past, it is all covered by the blood of our Saviour. In the courtroom there is that which is known as double jeopar dy. This means that when once acquitted for a crime, the accused can never be put on trial for that offense again. When once Jesus Christ's blood has cleansed us, and God has pronounced us justified in His sight, we can never be put
on trial again. Then, there is still more than that. There is that which is known as restorative forgiveness from day- to-day. How desperately we need this aspect too. The Lord is very clear and explicit on such a subject as restorative forgiveness. I John 1:9 assures our hearts, "If we con fess our sins [this is written to believers, as the context clearly shows] he [Cod] is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us [or to keep right on cleansing us] from all unrighteous ness." When we sin and ask for Cod's forgiveness, we are not being saved all over again. It is rather a matter of having our communion, or our fellowship, restored. After having lost our joy, the Lord gra ciously bestows it upon us again in abundant measure. A short time ago I received a letter from a listener in which she wrote, "I am a Christian and have a wonderful husband with three children. About two years ago I felt my husband hurt me concern ing something. I became involved with another man. My husband is very understanding and willing to forget, yet it still preys on my mind. Please help me to pray that the Lord will allow me to forget." What a weight she has been carrying. Perhaps you, too, have a similar load. God wants us to purge our minds. When He wipes the slate clean, we do not have to continue to turn these things over in our minds. He who forgives also for gets! So should we, too. Several years ago my wife and I were privileged to be on a Biola tour to the lands of the Bible. It was a thrilling experience and I
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