Reason #1 - He will forgive all your sins

“Of Jesus, all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.” Acts 10:43

Do you sense a need to be forgiven by God for things you’ve done?

For the longest time, I didn’t.

I knew I was a “sinner,” but somehow, I never thought I’d done anything really bad. The things I did were common for people my age. I felt God would understand my human weaknesses. He knew I tried my best to do right. He wouldn’t hold against me the times I’d made mistakes.

That whole perspective changed once I began to read the Bible for myself.

The Bible teaches that “there is none righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10) and “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

God gave us His set of standards in the Ten Commandments. They tell us to worship the one true God and no one else, not to use His name disrespectfully, to honor our parents, not to murder, steal, engage in sexual immorality or to say false things about or to others.

But the Ten Commandments are just the beginning. Jesus taught that God looks at the heart - our deepest motives and desires, the real you and me. For those who prided themselves on not being violent, He warned that being angry with your brother or calling someone a demeaning name merits God’s severe judgment. Lusting for a woman revealed a sinful heart even if you restrained your behavior. Greed, jealousy, bitterness, holding a grudge - all are things in our hearts that God sees. These sins need God’s forgiveness.

Certainly you have done things of which you are ashamed. And, unless you are a psychopath, you have done things for which you feel guilty. This is God’s way of telling you that you need forgiveness. In fact, forgiveness for our sins is the fundamental need in all of our lives.

Jesus Christ has the ability to forgive your sins. A paralytic was once brought to Jesus to be healed. Jesus told the man his sins were forgiven. The audience was aghast, exclaiming, “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” What was Jesus’ response? “In order that you may know that I have the power to forgive sins...arise, take up your pallet and walk,’ which is exactly what the man did!” (Mark 2:3-12). He demonstrated the power to forgive this man - and He can forgive you as well.

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