Hosanna Restoration Church

Forgiveness is truly good but it is not best. It occurred to me recently that oftentimes people get forgiveness but do not really get God. Think of the Old Testament when the people were regularly forgiven. They knew that at certain times of the year the priest would go in and provide for their forgiveness, but remember they really did not want to get close to God. They wanted someone else to talk to Him.

Forgiveness by itself does not really change anything permanently. Unless of course we get our forgiveness like the thief on the cross and then die. Forgiveness from God was intended to lead to intimacy with God!

The reason Jesus came was to show us how to be one with God and to draw us into that intimacy. Every person knows that they need forgiveness. Very few people are beyond feelings of remorse over some things they have done. The very fact that we try to justify certain actions proves that the potential for sorrow and repentance are there.

The failure to move into intimacy with God is the very reason that people often give up on God. When people settle for forgiveness as an end without relationship it leads to a place where forgiveness is provided by some ritual or act by another person and a spiritual blindness settles in.

This is the point where people begin to make religion their God; so instead of a joy in the Lord they have a dependence on religion. There is no real joy in that. This leads to frustration with the whole thing.

Being forgiven should produce feelings of gratitude, and that should not be treated the same way we might treat a nice breezed on a hot day or dip in cool water after a hard work out.

Forgiveness is intended to cause us to desire the one who made it possible. In other words, there is so much more. Next week is Palm Sunday. We remember Jesus triumphal entry. Those present did not have a clue what was really coming. The next Sunday is Easter. We celebrate the resurrection of our Lord. Those present still did not really have a clue. It was when the Holy Spirit came to lead them to all truth that the lights came on.

I will be honest and say that I really did not have a clue when my eyes opened. I knew very well I needed forgiveness, but then what. My declaration for all of years with God has been there has to be more to Jesus. That has been and remains my quest; to find all there is. I knew forgiveness would not keep me. It rescued me and continues to rescue me, but only Jesus can resurrect me. By all means, repent! But do not fail to get closer and closer to Him who takes the sins away. Don’t get forgiven and forget the forgiver!