Live in the Joy of Forgiveness

In Psalm 13:5 I read, “My heart rejoices in your salvation.” (NIV)

As a follower of Jesus, joy should be a way of life. Why? Because I’ve been completely forgiven. There’s no longer a reason for guilt or shame.

Sounds like a good reason for joy.

The Bible says, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1 NIV).

Romans 8 was originally written in Greek. The word translated “no” is the strongest possible negative in Greek. It’s as if God was saying, “No, no, no—not in a thousand years, not in a million years, not a chance in your lifetime.”

That’s important—because one of the biggest reasons people lose their joy is guilt. Guilt and shame have the power to steal joy.

All of us make mistakes. But God doesn’t want me to live in self-condemnation, constantly telling myself, “I should be better.”

So how does God want me to handle my guilt? By coming clean and confessing my wrong. Go to God and say, “I’m sorry. Please forgive me.” And then he’ll wipe away my sin.

Jesus Christ died on the cross so my sins would be forgiven and I’d no longer have to live with guilt! And he didn’t just die for the sins I’ve already committed. He also died for the ones I haven’t committed yet. They’re all covered under the cross.

Jesus took my condemnation. That’s why he died. My sins have been paid for. I don’t have to pay for them again.

That’s salvation, and it’s my most important reason for joy. It’s the joy of a clear conscience.

I can experience the same joy as King David had when he wrote Psalm 13: “My heart rejoices in your salvation” (Psalm 13:5 NIV).

In summary, As a follower of Jesus, joy should be a way of life. Why? Because I’ve been completely forgiven. There’s no longer a reason for guilt or shame. The word translated “no” is the strongest possible negative in Greek. It’s as if God was saying, “No, no, no—not in a thousand years, not in a million years, not a chance in your lifetime.” One of the biggest reasons people lose joy is guilt. Guilt and shame have the power to steal joy. All of us make mistakes. But God doesn’t want me to live in self-condemnation, constantly telling myself, “I should be better.” God want me to handle my guilt by coming clean and confessing my wrong. Say, “I’m sorry. Please forgive me.” And then he’ll wipe away my sin. Jesus Christ died on the cross so my sins would be forgiven and I’d no longer have to live with guilt! And he didn’t just die for the sins I’ve already committed. He also died for the ones I haven’t committed yet. They’re all covered under the cross. Jesus took my condemnation. That’s why he died. My sins have been paid for. I don’t have to pay for them again. That’s salvation, and it’s my most important reason for joy. It’s the joy of a clear conscience. I can experience the same joy as King David when he wrote “My heart rejoices in your salvation”.

There are times when God appears to be slow on acting on my behalf. David felt this way also, but he continued to trust God no matter how long he had to wait.