Can God accept me, a murderer, a thief, an idol worshipper, a liar, a blasphemer or a sexually immoral?
The short answer is yes, He can accept you. God hates the sin but He certainly loves you. He, not only can and will accept you, but He actually invites you to come to Him, in spite of your sin. We, sinners are called to come, have an encounter with Him and repent. Look at his verse-
“As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame, He remembers we are dust” (Psalms 103:13-14)
He pities those who fear Him, those who will hear Him when He says, “Go and sin no more.” We have a God of many second chances, merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in kindness and long suffering towards us. In the bible, He has given us numerous examples of men and women who sinned and were forgiven. Abraham was an idol worshipper and a liar, Moses murdered an Egyptian, David was an adulterer and murderer, Paul was a blasphemer and tried to destroy the church, Peter denied the Lord three times. God gave to us all their stories to show us that great men and women of faith were sinners and like them, we too can be forgiven and accepted.
What we will consider below will illustrate the attitude of God on this matter. In Isaiah 1:1-14, the people of Judah were living a double life. They were in rebellion against God and did all kinds of evil while continuing with their insincere worship and bringing in of their offering. God laid out their sin mentioning a long list that includes their indifference to the Lord and refusal to acknowledge Him as their God (v3), a sinful nation laden with iniquity (full of murderers, evildoers, thieves, bribe takers and lovers of money (various verses), a country that is ripe for and already is in judgment, but does not recognize it is being judged (v7). God likens their sin to the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah. So, God ceased to hear and refused to hear their prayers and has rejected their worship and offerings. God was angry! But, in spite of His anger, He does not destroy them and instead reveals His mercy and shows His long suffering. He told the people through the prophet Isaiah that He was weary of it and wanted them to stop the hypocrisy. He told them to repent (v15-17) and in v18, said –
“Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” NKJV
I cannot but picture God in my mind as He said these words. I see God stooping down from His lofty place and lowered Himself to within man’s reach and humbly spoke the words.
This is indeed a sincere invitation to come and reason with Him to address the most pressing issue of their (the Jewish people and ours) existence – sin. Now, the LORD did not say, I will disregard your sin or I will let you get by it with a slap on the hand. He wanted His people to wash themselves clean; put away their evil deeds and cease to do evil (v16) or, in other words, repent. We see also that foremost in the mind of God is His desire to address sin, with the purpose of cleansing it. How does He do that?
How Sin is Atoned For?
Going back to Isaiah 1:18, the second part of the verse says:
“Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
In the Book of Leviticus chapter 1, the LORD prescribed the way to cleanse sin. It was through animal sacrifice which basically meant the “shedding of blood”. So, for a “sin offering”, one would bring a prescribed animal, say a lamb, he must put his hand on its head, kill it and let the priest sprinkle its blood on the altar and proceed to burn it. Notice that it is the offeror who has to kill the animal and will have to stain his hands with blood. As we can see, the stain is red, like scarlet, red like crimson. The whole idea is to show the offeror that his sin is repulsive and distasteful; that to atone for it, blood needs to be shed. To sin therefore is not a “light” thing. It is a serious thing. Now, since sin is an offense against God, it needs to be atoned for in the prescribed way, as prescribed by the one offended, God.
Have you ever seen a fowl, sheep or cow slaughtered before the advent of humane methods that are now in practice? To kill a fowl (bird or chicken) or even a bigger animal, the principle is the same. You would have to hold it (tie it down) securely and slit its throat with a sharp knife, making sure the carotid artery is severed. Cutting the artery starves the brain of blood and the animal will lose consciousness quickly. Cattle, because of their size and anatomy, takes longer to lose consciousness and this makes it even more challenging. With the carotid artery dripping, you can imagine how much blood will drip. Folks who have seen how this is done swear not to eat meat again realizing how much suffering the animal must undergo just so we can have lamb chops and steak. Killing of an animal is indeed repulsive; killing of a human even so. So, the thought of killing Jesus means much, much, more serious, because He is God, and the Son of God. When you place the idea that the punishment for sin is death against the backdrop of animal sacrifice, you will see the plan of God unfold. God established animal sacrifices as an atonement for sin, thousands of years before, as a pointer to the sacrifice of God’s Son that took place on the cross. Paul, the apostle wrote, “For He (the Father) made Him (the Son) who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we (those that are atoned for and forgiven) may become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). So, under the New Testament, we no longer required to offer animal sacrifice. Jesus made the sacrifice for us, dying the death we are supposed to die in payment for our sins. What is now required is that we place our trust in Him and believe that His death paid for our sins.
The Lord Jesus Issued the same Invitation
Similarly, the Lord Jesus repeated the invitation that the LORD made in Isaiah 1:18. In John 7:37, He said “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink”. He was not talking of physical water. He meant living water that springs into life eternal. In Matthew 11:28, the Lord stated this invitation differently. He said: “Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Rest for the soul happens when our sin is forgiven. We will experience the lifting away of guilt from our shoulders, the removal of the enmity (separation) with God and we will be restored to fellowship with Him.
God Will Accept You
There is much that can be said about God’s invitation to man. But, the important thing is it is open to everyone, to all people of any race or tongue, of any color or creed. And, it is open to sinners who are willing to repent.
This verse confirms what we have been talking about above:
“The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.” (Psalms 51:17, NLT)
What this verse says is clear. God forgives and accepts a repentant heart. This is the first step and the second is to walk by faith in a loving relationship with His Son, making Him your Lord and Savior. Life is challenging. We will face many trials and temptations. But, with Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we will overcome. He will help us fight sin and see us through.
After Repentance is Blessing
After sin is addressed through repentance and man is reconciled back with God, His (God’s) hands which were restrained because of sin, are freed to bless. In Isaiah 1:19, it is written: “If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land.” That means after the forgiven person is reconciled with God, He will bless him with prosperity, peace and security under His Lordship, care and protection.
Revised 1/27/2021
