GOD CAN'T FORGIVE YOUR SINS

Bad news, eh? Well, sort of. There are two main characteristics of God that make this statement true.

1. God is holy. His identity is wrapped up in his holiness. He is so holy (or perfect) that he cannot be in the presence of anything imperfect. The definition of holy is summed up in the phrase, "set apart." God is set apart. Because he is perfect he is separate.

2. God is just. This is closely tied to is holiness. God will always do the right thing. He will never error. Nor can he let someone else's mistake (or sin) go without punishment. If he did, he wouldn't be just and he would be God.

So therefore, God can't forgive your sins. I mean he can't just let them go unpunished and forget about them. There is a payment or sacrifice that must be made in order for us to be holy and therefore in God's presence. Answer: Jesus. It's almost incorrect to say that God forgives sins, based on our interpretation of forgiveness. We tend to think of forgiveness as accepting an apology and attempting to move on as if the infraction never happened. We would be more accurate to say that God punishes for every sin that we commit. But thankfully, Jesus took that punishment.

But did Jesus really want to die for our sins? (find out next week)