Episode Transcript
[00:00:10] Well, hey, friends, welcome back to another weekday podcast. This is Bobby McGraw, and today I want to talk about this idea that forgiveness is actually final. In First John 2, verse 12, he says, I'm writing to you little children, because your sins have been forgiven for his name's sake. And so here's a reminder today, God's grace is not a probation period. It's a permanent pardon. I think there's a moment in the spiritual life when you stop performing for love and you start living from it. For many believers, it's the hardest transition to make. We trust Jesus for salvation, but then we try to prove we're worth saving. And John writes, I'm writing to you because your sins have been forgiven for his name's sake. Now, this is identity language. You're not defined by your worst moments. You're not defined by how long you've gone without messing up. You are defined by what Jesus has done and not what you've done or failed to do. And in the past tense, your sins have been forgiven. He says, it's been done. It isn't something you're still working towards, it's something that's done, it's sealed, it's settled. And the reason is for his namesake. It's not your effort, it's not your good intentions. It's his character. And this is really powerful because it means your forgiveness doesn't rest on how spiritual you feel today. It doesn't rest on how many days in a row you opened your Bible app. It means that God's mercy doesn't fluctuate based on your spiritual mood. His forgiveness, it is not probation. It's a pardon. Now, I recently told a story about how I got pulled over for speeding. Or as I like to say, I was just driving efficiently.
[00:01:40] I owned it. I felt foolish and I fully expected the ticket. But the officer let me off with a warning. I was grateful. But for the next three weeks, I drove like that officer was still behind me. Every turn signal, every stop sign. I was hyper cautious. I'd been let off the hook, but I wasn't driving like it. And I wonder how many of us do that spiritually. We've been forgiven, but we're still walking around like we're one mistake away from God giving up on us. I want to remind you, Jesus doesn't forgive you just to hold your past over your head. He forgives you to set you free, to give you peace, to let you breathe again. So I want to ask you, what are you still holding over your head that Jesus has already nailed to the cross. Maybe today you need to look in the mirror and say, I'm forgiven. Not because I earned it, because he said it. And let that truth sink in. You are not on spiritual probation. If you've trusted Jesus, you've been pardoned once and for all. Have a great day.
