“When you were dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.” Colossians 2:13-14

I challenge you ladies to find a more powerful, comforting, triumphant verse in all of Scripture. Okay, perhaps you could persuade me to another, simply because I love the word of God, but this one is high up on my list.

I love this little passage because it captures the threefold message of the gospel. We were dead, we have been made alive, and it is only by the power of the cross. Each of these snippets has vast importance in the understanding that you have been forgiven.

Did ya catch me?

You are forgiven, precious one.

We have been in the trenches. We have been beaten up, bruised, toyed with, and spit on by the enemy and if he has his way we will continue on in a state of regret and guilt. None of this is the way it was designed to me, and you need to know that.

You need to understand that if you are in Christ, you are forgiven. You have been made new. ((Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 2Cor5:17)) Ya’ll, this is good news!

I can hear you already. You’re saying, “Jenn, you don’t understand what I’ve done. You don’t understand where I’ve been.” You are right in saying this, I won’t pretend otherwise. But Christ knows. That is precisely the beauty of the gospel. He knows all about where you have been and all about where you are going, and His love has not (nor will it ever) change, falter, or pause. Not even for a second.

“If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

Okay, so there’s a catch: confession and repentance. The word confess in the Greek is homologeo and it means “to agree with” or “to concede” or “to profess.” To confess your sins is to agree before God just as he spoke through Paul, “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins…” (Ephesians 2:1) [Are you ready for a little Greek lesson? :)] In the verse we see from 1 John the word confess is in the subjunctive tense. There are lots of different tenses in the Greek language. The most common is the indicative tense which states reality. “I’m typing on my computer.” That would be indicative. The subjunctive tense, however, is almost more of a suggestion. “I may go get a cup of coffee.” See the difference? So “If you might confess your sins…” would be a more accurate expression of the subjunctive. John is explaining what will happen if we confess. So forgiveness and cleansing is only a result of confession. That is lovely.

I want you to think for just a moment what you have been forgiven of. What comes to mind when you think of the weight of God’s glory compared to your sin? Is there anything that you think is too far from grace? Too “bad” to be forgiven? I pray that you will see the beauty of redemption and the depth of God’s love and grace towards you. “In Him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.” Ephesians 1:7-8

This grace was poured on us according to God’s perfect wisdom and full understanding. You are in good hands, sweet girls. Find peace, comfort, redemption, and forgiveness in this blessed truth.

Father God,

I do not deserve Your forgiveness but I am so thankful that in Your wisdom You lavished Your grace on me. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for being patient with me. I don’t understand why You show me such grace, and I am sorry that my obedience to you is inconsistent. Teach me to walk in obedience. Help me to hear Your voice. I love you.

Amen.