1 John 2:2
“He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”
Jesus is the atoning sacrifice for the entire world. Every sin that has ever been committed, every sin that will ever be committed, is forgiven when it is brought before the cross of Christ and submerged in His atoning blood. What a gift! God has given us the ultimate means of redemption. No more yearly sacrifices that only cover us for a short time. No more sin offerings to atone for us in between. We have all the atonement we need in Christ.
Sometimes we carry our sins with us even after we claim to have given them over to Christ. We allow feelings of guilt and unworthiness to haunt us even though we’ve repented and placed those sins under the blood. Satan wants us to think that God hasn’t really forgiven us. He wants us to feel like there is more that we need to do. Why? Because Satan wants to diminish Jesus. If we continue to try to atone for our own sins, we turn our back on the finished work of Christ. We say in our hearts that His death and resurrection were not enough to cover our sin. It might be enough for someone else’s sin, but not for my own. And so we hang on to things we don’t need to hang on to, and we separate ourselves from God’s love and work in our lives.
Don’t let Satan rob you of the blessing of an atoning sacrifice. Place that sin and guilt and shame and any other negative feelings that go along with it under the atoning blood of Jesus once and for all. Tell Satan that Jesus is who He says He is and that His offering is more than enough to cover every single sin….even ours. Then refuse to pick that guilt back up again. God never meant for you to carry it. That’s why He sent Jesus.
Father, thank you for the gift of your Son Jesus Christ. I thank you that that sacrifice is more than enough to cover over everything I have ever done wrong and anything I ever will do wrong in the future. When I bring my sin to the cross and put it under His blood, I can leave it there. I don’t need to pick it up again. I don’t have to carry any guilt or shame that the devil wants to put on me. You already carried it all for me. I will accept your offering on my behalf and I won’t insist that I need to do more than you have already done. It is finished. It is enough. Thank you, God, for your great love for me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
A Beautiful Mess 