Gospel

Your Sins Are Forgiven

by Roland Crim
02/05/17
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One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.” Luke 5:17-26 NIV

This man needed two forms of healing. The lesser healing this man needed was being able to walk. We do not know how long the man was paralyzed. It really does not matter. Christ healed him. But, notice that the healing was in response to the thoughts of the Jewish leaders present. He wanted to make known to them the authority which He possessed.

The more significant healing which this man needed is a universal need. We all have the need to be forgiven of our sins. Christ teaches us much about the Father and His will and desires. Of upmost importance to God is a personal relationship for each of us with Him. But God detests sin, and it cannot stand in His presence. We therefore needed a savior so that we could stand blameless before our Heavenly Father. Christ is our Savior and Redeemer.

Christ went for the primary need of this man. The first words Jesus utters in this passage are “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” Jesus deals with what is most important first.

Just as Jesus said to this man, He can say to us “Your sins are forgiven.” He stands at the door, the door to the heart, soul, and mind of each of us. If we will open the door, and let Christ into our inner being, we can rest assured that our sins are forgiven. We will not be the same person any longer. With Christ within us, we will change, guided by the Holy Spirit provided to us. We will be a new creation in Jesus Christ!