Friday, July 11, 2014
Luke 7:48-50 Then He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?" Then He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you. Go in peace."
GO IN PEACE!
This week we first considered that this woman was saved by her faith. As we've seen, she did not come to faith on her own. She was brought to faith in Jesus as her Savior from sin by the Holy Spirit working through the Gospel.
And so it is that we, who daily sin much and indeed deserve nothing but punishment, have been brought to faith by the working of the Holy Spirit through the Word. Through this faith we have the forgiveness of sins. Because of the operation of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, we know that we have received full pardon for our sins through the perfect life, suffering, and death of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
We know that our sins are great in the eyes of God. Like the woman in our text, who was forgiven much, we too know the full extent of our sins better than anyone else. Like the woman in our text, much has been forgiven us by that same Jesus Christ who forgave that woman.
The result of this forgiveness? Like the woman in our text, our response to our Savior's love and forgiveness will be love. Love that is shown in our lives. We cannot help but show that love. Imagine! All of our sins are forgiven! How can we not show our love to the Lord? That love will be shown in our lives in the form of fruits of faith. We, as believers, knowing that we have been forgiven when we deserved eternal death, will strive to live God-pleasing lives out of love for Him.
The ultimate result of the forgiveness that has been granted to us is peace. Eternal peace. When someone is dying others will ask him if he has made peace with God. But that is not the case. God has made peace with us. We will join Him in heaven at the end of our lives here on this earth because He has given us the Savior from sin. He has brought us to faith in that Savior. He has forgiven us all of our sins.
"Your faith has saved you. Go in peace."
