Jesus says it and I know it's true." He is now in the glory, and
maybe he is telling the angels about it.
If we had no Bible we should have no certainty that our sins are forgiven.
A little girl named Molly said to her aunt who was teaching her about
Jesus, "How can I be sure that my sins are forgiven?" "Because God says
so," [Footnote: i John i. 9.] was the reply, and then she repeated the
text, "If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our
sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Many say, "I believe in the forgiveness of sins," and yet they still carry
about the burden of their sins. They see clearly how God can forgive sin,
but they cannot realise that it is their own sins which are forgiven. This
was the case with Luther. He tells us how, when he was distressed because
of his sins, a friend pointed out to him that he would not have real peace
unless he claimed God's forgiveness for his _own _sins. It was like a new
light flashing into his soul; he saw his mistake and looking up with a
beaming face, he said, "I see it now--it is not other people's sins, it is
_my_ sins which are all forgiven!"
We must not estimate sin and forgiveness by our own standard. When we have
given way to sin again and again we feel ashamed to ask God's forgiveness
so often but the wonder of it all is that God meets this very feeling of
shame with the words, "My thoughts are not your thoughts"; and then He
adds, "For I will abundantly pardon," [Footnote: 2 Isa.
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