Jesus meets the greatest need of man-the forgiveness of our sins.
Jesus has the authority of God to forgive sins
Jesus knew the authority that had been given to him by his Father. He said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matthew 28:18), just before he ascended into heaven. His miracles proved that He had authority over both the natural world and the supernatural world. And He also proved to everyone’s amazement that He had the authority to forgive sins.
The most important thing Christianity has to offer is the forgiveness of sins. This is unique among all the other religions of the world. Other religions try to teach its adherents how to win acceptance by God. This is usually done through some combination of good works, rituals, and piety.
Christianity, on the other hand, teaches that we are helpless to do anything for ourselves that can earn favor with God. We are sinners deserving of eternal punishment and separation from God. But God graciously provided us with a sacrifice for sin that would justify sinners before a holy God. The only condition is that we must receive this free gift by faith alone in Christ alone. Only then will Jesus forgive our sins.
Jesus forgives and heals the paralytic
Matthew 9:1-8, Mark 2:1-12, and Luke 5:17-26 all record an event that proved Jesus had the authority to forgive sins. One day, Jesus was healing the sick in a crowded room of a house. Pharisees and teachers of the law from Galilee, Judea and Jerusalem were also there to presumably gather evidence against Jesus that could be used to get rid of Him.
Jesus forgives sin
Four men, who were carrying a paralytic on a mat, were trying to bring him before Jesus. But when they couldn’t do it because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him down, on his mat, through a hole in the roof tiles that they had made. When Jesus saw their faith, He said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven” (Luke 5:20).
The Jews commonly believed that a disability, such as paralysis, must be associated with a serious sin. He not only would have to suffer from his physical condition and helplessness, but also from the shame he must have felt from the community in which he lived. He came to be healed, but his greater need was for his sins to be forgiven, and Jesus knew it.
Proof that Jesus is authorized to forgive sins
The Pharisees and teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Luke 5:21) Jesus knew what they were thinking, and asked them, “Why are you thinking these things in your heart? Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven’ or to say ‘Get up and walk’ “?
The religious leaders must have thought that anyone could just say, “Your sins are forgiven.” But how could Jesus prove it? They would be right if Jesus were just a man, but everything is possible with God.
Jesus continued, “But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins….” he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” (Luke 5:22-24) The man immediately got up, took his mat and went home praising God. The crowd was amazed by what they saw, and they also praised God.
Only Jesus can forgive sin
We know that the whole world is under the control of the evil one (1 John 5:19). All of us have sinned and need to be forgiven to be reconciled to God. God has graciously provided a way that is both just and merciful at the same time by means of a substitutionary atonement.
As the God-man, Jesus is the only One who was qualified to offer Himself to God as a suitable sacrifice for sin. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6). And the apostle Peter preached, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
God “wants all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men…”(1 Timothy 2:4-5)
The signs of unforgiveness:
“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death” (Proverbs 14:12). Every soul will eternally exist, but there are only two destinations possible. Those who have been forgiven will inherit eternal life with God. But those who “die in their sins” will reap what their sins deserve, an eternity of conscious and unimaginable torment in the lake of fire.
Jesus gave His adversaries several warning signs that they were headed to the latter (John 8:12-31). Take heed that the following signs of unforgiveness do not describe you!
Self-righteousness
Jesus told the Pharisees that He was going to a place they could not come. But they scoffed at His remarks. They said to one another, “Will he kill himself?” In their minds, suicide was the worst possible sin, and those who killed themselves would end up in the darkest part of the pit of hell. They couldn’t imagine themselves, as self-righteous leaders of Israel, not going to be with God when they died.
However, Jesus was speaking of Himself going back to His Father, where they could never go. The Pharisees never recognized their need for forgiveness. They viewed themselves as being self-righteous and having a special relationship with God based on their Jewish heritage.
The apostle Paul lamented the Jews condition. He wrote, “the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith, but as if it were by works (Romans 9:30-32).
One sure way to miss heaven is to think that you have any right to it based on anything good you have done. God will not allow anyone to take credit for his or her salvation. All glory goes to the Lord!
Love of the world
Jesus told the Pharisees, “you are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world” (John 8:23). Elsewhere, Jesus revealed the truth that what a person values most is where their heart is at (Matthew 6:19-20). Our time, attention, actions, and energy is focused on whatever we value above all else. For the Pharisees, they valued their privileged position and money above God.
The apostle John wrote, “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. … The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever” (1 John 2:15,17)
A sure way to miss heaven is by valuing the man-centered, sinful ways of the world more than you love God.
Unbelief
The way of salvation is clear in both the Old and New Testaments: The righteous shall live by faith. Jesus warned the Pharisees, “I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am who I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins” (John 8:24). Christianity is about Christ. If you belong to Christ by faith, you will receive every benefit He has to offer. Without Christ, there is no hope for sinners.
Jesus told Nicodemus, one of the Pharisees, “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son” (John 3:18).
Willful and obstinate ignorance
The Pharisees kept asking Him, “Who are you?”, even though Jesus had repeatedly claimed to be God’s one and only Son. They knew who He claimed to be, but they had stubborn hearts and willfully dismissed His claims.
Before God remakes our hearts, we’re like the Pharisees. Sinners are naturally biased against the truth that condemns them. Jesus said, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed” (John 3:19).
We simply will not seek God on our own, and gradually our obstinate heart hardens to the point where we are unable to believe the truth unless God initiates a change of heart in us (Romans 3:11, 8:43, John 3:3). Therefore, we are responsible for our decision, but God is sovereign in His call to the elect.
The love generated by forgiveness
Those false teachers, who believe God’s grace is “easy believism” that only leads to more sin, have misunderstood the impact that saving faith has on true believers. To illustrate this, Luke 7:36-50 records the following story of a sinful woman who loved the Lord because she had been forgiven of much sin.
Jesus anointed by a sinful woman
A Pharisee named Simon invited Jesus to a dinner at his home. It was customary on such occasions for the invited guests to recline as they ate and for others to gather around them so they could also take part. A woman who had lived a sinful life came and brought an alabaster jar of perfume. She stood behind Jesus at his feet weeping. Then she began to wet his feet with her tears, dry them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.
The dialogue between Jesus and Simon the Pharisee
When Simon saw her, he thought to himself, if this man was a prophet, he would know what kind of sinful woman she is. Jesus, knowing Simon’s thoughts, told him a story about two men who owed money to a moneylender. One owed 500 denarii (about 16 months wage) and the other 50 denarii (almost 2 months wages). The moneylender cancelled both debts because neither of them could repay. So, Jesus asked Simon, which debtor would love the moneylender more? Simon said he supposed it would be the one who owed the larger debt. And Jesus told him that he was right.
Jesus then described how the woman had treated Him in comparison with Simon. He didn’t give Jesus any water for His feet, but she wet His feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. Simon had not given Jesus a kiss, but she hadn’t stopped kissing His feet from the time He had entered. And he did not anoint Jesus’ head with oil, but she poured perfume on His feet.
The relationship between forgiveness and love
So, Jesus told Simon, “Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven–for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.” Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven. Your faith has saved you; go in peace” (Luke 7:47-48,50). And the other guests were asking each other, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”
This woman exemplifies the love, gratitude, and devotion of true disciples of Jesus Christ. Rather than treating grace as a license for sin, believers know they owe their whole lives to Christ and want to live to please Him as a token of their love. Their love for Christ is much more of a restraint upon their sinful desires than any set of rules and regulations could ever be.
The way to forgiveness
For you to be forgiven by the Lord, you must first recognize your great need for forgiveness. Your guilt must be removed. God will not just overlook your sin since He is holy and just. He will either punish you directly if you die in your sins, or Jesus has taken the punishment in your place and will forgive you if you place your full trust in Him.
Forgiveness is the most important matter for a sinner. It will determine where you will spend eternity when you die. God wants you to be saved, not damned. But you must come to Jesus by way of the cross.
Ask yourself two very important questions. First, are you sure that you’ll go to heaven when you die? Secondly, are you certain why God should let you into heaven? If you don’t know for sure, you can settle that matter today. Visit my post, How to Begin Your Life Over Again and you’ll know where and how you’ll spend eternity.
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