Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Matthew 9

It's one thing to forgive someone for something that they did to you. Maybe someone was mean to you and then came and apologized and you forgive them, but think about how odd it would be if someone was mean to you and then I forgave them. They didn't do anything to me, and just because I forgive them doesn't mean that you do. What good would it do for me to offer them forgiveness? None. And if I did, you'd probably just think I was crazy.

Jesus did that very thing, though. It's one of the most radical statements that He ever made: "Your sins are forgiven." How could He say this to someone unless either that person had wronged Him or He was crazy? On the assumption that He wasn't crazy, then that person must have wronged Him, but that would only be possible if He were God. Amazingly, the most convincing statement of Christ's deity is not anything that He said directly about being God's Son. It's the simple words: "Your sins are forgiven." Only God could do that or would even have the audacity to say it.

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