Jesus Forgives
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Jesus forgives and cleanses us
Blessed are the poor in spirit. That basically means people with no spiritual connection to God at all. That is not a good thing to be. Nobody is going to go up to someone and say, Hey, you look spiritually bankrupt. How about you lead the next prayer meeting? Not a good thing to be. The traditional way of interpreting this is to find some way that being poor in spirit is a good thing, otherwise why would God bless them? They must have done something to earn it? So commentators say things like, Well, what Jesus means here is people who know that they're poor in spirit. No, not so much. If he had wanted to say that, he could have. He's the son of God. I think he can get said what he wants said without some commentator's assistance. He didn't say, Blessed are those who know they are poor in spirit. What he said was, Blessed are the people who don't have a lick of religion in `em. God can bless even them. Even though they didn't deserve it, and even though religious people don't think he ought to. That would be the point. It is God's character to bless where there is no reason to bless. That's what grace is: unearned favor. If we say the Beatitudes are things that we are supposed to go do and be in order to get God's approval, then that just substitutes the good news of Jesus with legalism. The Beatitudes become just one more list of things we have to do to make God like us. But the good news of Jesus is that because of what he's done on the cross our sins are forgiven. If he is our leader and our forgiver, then we are made clean in him. God accepts us just as we are, and his Holy Spirit empowers us to become everything God created us to be.



By: Scott Dudley
Category: Jesus Forgives
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Now he who was betraying Jesus gave them a sign, saying, "Whomever I shall kiss, He is the one; seize Him." And immediately he came to Jesus and said, "Hail, Rabbi!" and kissed Him. And Jesus said to him, "Friend, do what you have come for." Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and seized Him. ( Matthew 26:48-50)

And when they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. But Jesus was saying, "Father forgive them (his executioners); for they do not know what they are doing." ( Luke 23:33-34)

And the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the midst, they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone (execute) such a woman; what then do you say?" And they were saying this, testing Him, in order that they might have grounds for accusing Him. But Jesus stooped down, and with His finger wrote on the ground. But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, "He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. And when they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she had been, in the midst. And straightening up, Jesus said to her, "Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?" And she said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you; go your way; from now on sin no more." ( John 8:3-11)


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