2 minute read.
Daily Reading: Daniel 8:1-27 ESV, 1 John 2:1-17 ESV, Psalm 120:1-7 ESV, Proverbs 28:25-26 ESV
Daily Verse: “He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:2 ESV)
HILASMOS (2434): “Signifies “an expiation, a means whereby sin is covered and remitted.” It is used in the NT of Christ Himself as “the propitiation,” in 1 Jn 2:2 signifying that He Himself, through Him alone, the violated holiness and righteousness of God by man’s sin has means through which God shows mercy to the sinner who believes on Christ as the One thus provided. Provision is made for the whole world, so that no one is, by divine predetermination, excluded from the scope of God’s mercy; the efficacy of the “propitiation,” however, is made actual for those who believe.”[1]
Covered sin.
Christ alone covered our sins. When Jesus died, He did so for everyone. Anyone who trusts God’s Son will have their sins forgiven and find eternal life. You can’t receive the gift Jesus offers if you don’t believe.
Our actions come from the thoughts we have. What we believe reveals itself in how we live. Receiving the forgiveness Christ offers gives us the freedom to live our lives without condemnation.
Live free.
Place your faith in Jesus; you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. When Christ died on the cross, He did it for you. Knowing we can do nothing to save ourselves from our sinful nature, God provided a way.
Believe Jesus lived, died, and rose again. Accept the grace God offers through His Son. No one will ever completely understand the workings of the Creator. We don’t need to know everything to believe.
Faith requires movement; taking the first step towards Jesus begins the journey. God loves you, no matter what lies in your past. When we start to follow Christ, our actions change. Turning from our past sins, like the adulterous woman in John’s gospel, we strive to sin no more by no longer doing what we used to do.
When I turned my life over to Christ in my late 20s, returning to my childhood faith, I stopped having inappropriate relationships with men, focused on Biblically handling my finances, and worked to develop healthy relationships by dealing with my issues. Something I continue to do today.
Our journey doesn’t end just because we place our faith in Jesus. No, choosing to live life like Christ begins the trip of a lifetime, one that never ends as we experience eternal life with Jesus.
[1] Strong, J., & Strong, J. (2010). The New Strong’s expanded exhaustive concordance of the Bible. Greek Dictionary of the New Testament (p. 121) Thomas Nelson
