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There are three steps to receive forgiveness.
Pierced…
The Apostle Peter had just finished preaching the first sermon to the church. The result…
Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37, ESV).
The phrase “cut to the heart” is the compound word “katatnusso” in Greek, with “kata” meaning “down or deeply” and “nusso” meaning “pierced.” I wondered for years why Bible translators rendered a word that literally means “pierced deeply” as “cut to the heart.”
Greek words in the Bible must be allowed to interpret themselves (look at the differing usages of the word in the New Testament before rendering the meaning), so “katatnusso” must be interpreted by considering this verse:
But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water (John 19:34).
Blood and water flowing from the pierced heart of God — a heart broken for our sin.
That’s the first step of forgiveness — a conviction so deep that we are broken, no more deception, no more deflection, and no more disclaiming our sin. Instead, we ask, “What should I do?”
Repent…
And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).
The word “repentance” is also a compound word in the Greek of “meta” meaning “change” and “noieo” meaning “think.” What deep roots the Greek brings to our English word “repentance,” meaning literally “change your mind.” There’s no compromise with repentance; when we’re broken, pierced to our hearts, and see our sin, we change our minds, turn around (no questions or bartering), and we want to become a different person.
Repentance is deep and total! Go in the opposite direction.
Obey!
Peter said, “Be baptized … and receive the forgiveness of your sins and the gift of the Spirit.”
Baptism — an act of obedience — is a public act that identifies us with Jesus. Through this testimony from being immersed in water, we receive forgiveness, and an infilling of the Holy Spirit.
Because of piercing and repentance, we quickly obey.
Pierced! Repent! Obey! This is the path of forgiveness.
Richard Foster, in his book Celebration of Discipline, writes…
At the heart of God is the desire to give and to forgive. Some believe that the cross means that people were so bad and God was so angry with them that he could not forgive them unless somebody big enough took the rap for the whole lot of them.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Love, not anger, brought Jesus to the cross. Golgotha came because of God’s great desire to forgive, not his reluctance. Jesus knew that by his vicarious suffering he could absorb all the evil of humanity and so heal it, forgive it, and redeem it.
Jesus’ piercing defines our own path, bringing forgiveness from our repentant obedience, cleansed by the blood of Christ, by His holiness now fully restored to God, and walking anew by the power of the Spirit within.
Please read the above paragraph several times.
Pierced … Repent … Obey … Our only path of forgiveness!
Amen!