“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends” 2 John 15:13
This famous passage illustrates the great love that Jesus had for all of mankind when he went to the cross to die for our sins. Now, all we have to do is say the sinner’s prayer and accept him into our heart.
The sinner’s prayer is far more than just a prayer of forgiveness. Those who say that prayer will experience many other blessings in life. One of them is a fresh start.
"If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17). What a wonderful passage. When we say the sinner's prayer and accept Christ into our hearts, he wipes the slate clean and gives us a fresh start.
Getting a clean slate is something that is rare. If I wrong someone, that person may forgive me, but few will forget and wipe my slate clean. Most people will always think of me in a different light. They will be less likely to trust me and they will make generalizations about my character because of my mistake. Am I forgiven? Yes. But my sins are still being held over my head.
Thankfully, God does not treat us like most people do. Like the verse said, when we accept Christ, the old is gone and we become a new creation. We not only are cleansed but we are given a fresh start.
And God will not hold our sins over our head. He will not disqualify someone from great things because of his/her mistakes. Just ask Paul, who at one time persecuted the church but after his forgiveness he was sent out to preach across the world. Then there's Peter, who denied Christ in the time when he needed support most. But Jesus forgave Peter too and commissioned him to lead the New Testament church.
I could go on and on about great men and women who have failed in life but they asked God to forgive their sins and once they were forgiven and they knew their guilt no longer hung over their head, they went on to do amazing things for the kingdom of God. Aren't new beginnings great?