Forgiveness For The Worst Sinner
By David J. Stewart
Luke 7:47-50, “Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also? And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.”
The Bible contains a precious passage in Luke 7:36-50 about a woman who had committed MANY sins. She came to Jesus by faith, believing that He was the Savior Who would forgive her sins, and Jesus did. Amen!
“And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee's house, and sat down to meat. And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner. And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on. There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged. And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also? And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace” (Luke 7:36-50).
Jesus
is so precious. We are so undeserving as sinners. Jesus paid a debt that He
did not owe because we owed a debt that we could not pay. Religion wants to
fit us with glasses, but the Lord wants to open our eyes!
Nehemiah 9:17, “And refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not.”
There is no depth of sin to which a person can sink, but that God's mercy and grace will forgive them. Jesus shed His blood to wash away our sins. All we need to do is acknowledge our guilt of sin and believe upon Jesus Christ for forgiveness.
In Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel, Les Miserables, Jean Valjean serves nineteen years in prison for stealing a loaf of bread. After his release, the bitter ex-prisoner comes to the home of a kind bishop, who serves Valjean a meal using his best silver and gives him a bed for the night. That evening, Valjean steals the bishop’s silver and is caught. Brought to the bishop by the police, he expects the worst, only to hear the bishop say, “I gave them to him. And Jean, you forgot to take the candlesticks.” A shocked Valjean is brought to true repentance by the bishop’s extraordinary kindness. How many people would be willing to trade their silver plates and candlesticks for the joy of seeing a broken life restored?
The Gospel is not a matter of promising God to do better, nor to amend our sinful ways, nor to reform nor give up the world; but rather, to freely receive the gift of God on the basis of Christ's blood sacrifice. Jesus died, was buried and resurrected from the dead. What great news! Christ paid for our sins! Christ is risen! There is hope for the vilest sinner, because it's not what we do that gets us into Heaven; but rather, what Jesus did for us at Calvary! Salvation is freely given and freely received. Eternal life is a free gift. We are not saved in any way by our own self-righteous efforts or works. It's not what you're doing that gets you to Heaven, it's where you're looking. Look to Jesus!
Revelation 22:17, “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.”
