“Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” (Psalm 103:1-5 NKJV)
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23 NKJV)
“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV)
Here we go! I am so excited to share the benefits of living in the Kingdom of Heaven. The first benefit is the foundation on which all of the other benefits are built. I am completely forgiven: past, present, and future. WOW! Let that sink in for a moment. There is nothing that can separate me from the love of God. There is nothing that will stop the flow of God’s grace in my life. Just like I could never have been good enough to earn my way into the Kingdom of Heaven, I will never be bad enough to be kicked out. I am forgiven!!
Prior to accepting Jesus as my savior, sin was a huge deal in my life. It was sin that separated me from my Heavenly Father and kept me out of the Kingdom of Heaven. I needed to be aware of my desperate situation as a “sinner” and realize that I would never be able to find a way apart from Jesus to bridge the gap that existed between me and God. It is forgiveness that bridged the gap. Thank you Jesus for giving your life for me. Thank you for becoming sin so that I could become the righteousness of God!
I have heard it said that “good” people go to Heaven. I don’t agree. It is “forgiven” people that go to Heaven. Actually, when someone called Jesus “good” He responded by saying that there was no one “good” except the Father in Heaven. Again, it’s not about “good” or “bad” people; it’s about being “forgiven” or “unforgiven” people. The forgiveness needed to enter into the Kingdom was freely given to me when I chose to receive it by making Jesus the Lord of my life.
Have you been forgiven? Have you called on the Name of Jesus? Is He the Lord of your life?
Forgiveness sets me free from both the penalty and power of sin. It sets me free from the sin that tries to bring me down. It also sets me free from the iniquities that have been passed on to me from my ancestry. Just like I was born with physical DNA that shape much of who and what I am, I was born with “spiritual DNA” (iniquity) which influences me in areas in which I struggle with sin. An iniquity is a “bent” or tendancy that I am born with toward a particular area of sin. Many people argue that it is acceptable to live certain lifestyles because they were “born that way.” They further argue that since they were born that way it must be the way “God made me.” To make matters worse, those who don’t accept that logic make the mistake of arguing that they weren’t born that way. Actually, a person very well may have been born that way, but not because God made them that way. They may have been born that way because it was their iniquity. No one is as perfect as God. We all have sinned and fall short of God’s expectations. We all need to be forgiven. Bottom line, born that way or not, forgiveness is the answer.
I, for one, celebrate…
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 33: “There are benefits to living in the Kingdom of Heaven today (and even more yet to come).” Part 3: Forgives…Sins & Iniquities