you can count on HIM…

GOD has made some incredible guarantees to you and me.  HE has put them in writing.  so, looking at GOD’s faithfulness, i want to look at some wonderful guarantees that GOD has promised you can count on.

one is  i, count on GOD to forgive my sins.

i john 1.9 (ph), if we freely admit that we have sinned, we find HIM reliable and just.  HE forgives our sins and makes us thoroughly clean from all that is evil. 

reliable and just – the two characteristics of GOD that guarantee your forgiveness.  In other words, GOD’s forgiveness is based on who HE is, not on who you are. 

now look at this, in every promise there’s a premise, there’s a condition.  GOD says if you do this, I will do this.  and in this verse it is admit.  admit your sin, confess it to GOD.  and the promise is GOD forgives us.  i admit it and HE forgives us.

now does this verse say anything about working for your forgiveness?  does it?  no.  yet, it is in our nature to try to earn our forgiveness from GOD. 

we bargain, “if you’ll just forgive me this one time, i’ll never do it again!”  we bribe, “if you’ll just forgive me, i’ll tithe 20%... read my bible every day ... i’ll talk to that person at work about you.”  or beg, “please, please... forgive me”,  as if you had to convince GOD to forgive you. 

listen, you don’t need to bargain, bribe or beg.  you just admit your sin and GOD says, “I will forgive.”  HE’s faithful!  count on it!  i can count on GOD to forgive my sin.

just a thought from the front porch…