The God Effect – Chapter 14: Into A New Life
The last chapter ended with what would seem to have been the conclusion of everything. But in a very real sense, for the person that has taken the challenge at the end of chapter 13 seriously and answered the call, it is really just the beginning. This is not a situation where we and God kind of “get together” for a few moments of prayer to settle our differences and then go our separate ways, Him leaving us alone to figure out how to do the rest. Because we now know that God is perfectly holy, loving, gracious, and powerful, it should not be surprising that He has a lot more in store for those who trust Him with their physical and spiritual lives. When a person chooses to love Jesus for what He has done and accept His horrific sacrifice as both God and man, massive resources open up for us.
Newness Starts with Forgiveness
Sometimes people have strange ideas about what it takes to reestablish harmony with someone after something bad happens between them. It’s not unusual to think that if the fighting is over, a treaty has been agreed upon, moving on is just fine, even if the root of the blowup or bitterness is simply buried or ignored for the sake of peace.
But, if God is who we understand Him to be, perfectly righteous, just, and merciful, then we know He is not one who just “lets it go” to get along. So, what happens when we earnestly and honestly do our part and come to Christ asking forgiveness for sin against Him and others? A new relationship begins. And, like any relationship, it can only mean something if both parties start with forgiveness. With God, forgiveness is deep and everlasting. The testimony of the Bible is that when we approach Him in a totally trusting way, He actually responds with a legal-type pardon based on the price Christ voluntarily paid with blood by the crucifixion He suffered so that we wouldn’t have to suffer after we die. And, since Jesus Christ is God, that pardon from the Father is forever.
A Closer Look At Forgiveness
If you look a little closer at what forgiveness means to God, it is pretty amazing. The Apostle Paul wrote that it actually involves Jesus’ torture and sacrifice being a “covering-over” of our offenses and crimes against God’s holiness. He literally cancels out the debt we owe Him. Not only that, the author of the book of Hebrews goes so far as to teach that at the moment of forgiveness, God puts the offenses out of His mind – He “remembers them no more”. This is not parole or probation but a full-blown “not guilty” pardon of everything!
Imagine the freedom all of that means for us! Actual friendship with God! There is no need to worry anymore about judgement coming over us when we face God after we die. In the here-and-now, the need to rack up “brownie points” with Him is gone. The idea of having to earn love and acceptance from Him is gone. All that is needed is that we love Him in return and that we do life as His obedient children who try to obey our parent because He has chosen to love us first.
It should also go without saying that forgiveness cannot stand alone as something that has no consequences in a relationship. It just cannot be that way. True forgiveness, either between a person and God or between two people, will always end up restoring something that was lost or creating something new between those who used to be at odds with each other. Maybe that’s why asking for or receiving forgiveness is so hard for people. They hang on to the hope that the problem will just fade away, that “bygones will be bygones”. It takes a lot of courage and humility to face guilt, admit to it, and do the work to fix it.
God Makes It Right
As I hinted at above, if forgiveness has happened honestly with the right motives, it naturally ends in harmony, things being made right, after a broken relationship. It’s what we call being reconciled. If we remember the situation between us and God before He forgives us (chapter 12), the new situation He makes for us is amazing.
For one thing, the Bible says that we actually become a kind of new creation. Jesus said that it is like being reborn. During Jesus’ ministry, He also promised that after that “rebirth”, the Holy Spirit would actually take up residence in every person who would come to Him in the future. The Bible gives witness to the fact that that happened and that it represents a sealed promise of forever life with God. Think of what that means. Our inner person, the old ways of living and thinking, have to start making way for new likes and attractions while the old ones get replaced. Also, in a real sense, we automatically become part of a new spiritual family, made up all the other newly created persons. That’s why finding new friends in a good church becomes more attractive rather than looking like weird religion.
Legally Innocent
Remember, even while God’s holiness makes condemning unholiness a must, He is at the same time perfectly gracious, merciful, just, and righteous. Those things about His character come into play here. God’s perfections mean that because of His mercy, once the legal debt we owe Him because of our offensives is paid off, His deep quality of righteousness follows through so that our situation with Him is settled once and for all. Because God is just, He actually changes our status. Our natural guilty verdict is wiped out and changed to innocence and because of that, there is no more judgement. In the end, God looks at us through Jesus as if we are actually holy. Imagine being holy! That is the most miraculous thing of all.
Unimaginable Future
It is amazing to look at everything we have talked about so far. What an incredible blessing for those who have taken Jesus as their rescuer and master to live in the here-and-now finishing with God at their side through the actual presence of His Holy Spirit. But there is more after the grave!
The apostle John wrote that never-ending life with Christ starts in this life right at the moment of rebirth. One time, after bringing a man back to life (Lazarus), Jesus told those around Him that He was the way to live beyond the grave, that He is life. The apostle Paul made it clear that those in Christ would actually live with Jesus and see Him face to face.
I know this is a lot to take in, especially if a person is on the outside looking in. But if we follow everything as it has built up along the way from the first chapter to now, this is really the only place we can come to in our hearts and minds. The only thing left is whether to commit or not commit.