Inside: Lessons and encouragement on God’s grace and forgiveness from 3 famous sinners from the Bible

I make the same mistakes every week:

• I yell at my kids again.
• I pretend not to see the man on the corner, again.
• And I fail to trust in God for my needs, again.

But You, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,
slow to anger and rich in faithful love and truth.

Psalm 86: 15 (HCSB)

But God’s grace changes everything.

God gives us, his enemies apart from Christ, a gift we can never repay.

For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, then how much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by His life!

Romans 5:10 (HCSB)

I deserve death, but Christ died for my sins.

When we’re struggling with the weight of our sins, we can turn to the Bible for reassurance of God’s grace. There are many examples of sinners from the Bible who screwed up big time.

So today’s post will look at three examples of great sinners from the Bible and even greater grace from God.

Three Sinners from the Bible that speak of Gods Immeasurable Grace.

1. Cain: (Genesis 4)

Then the Lord replied to him, “In that case,whoever kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.” And He placed a mark on Cain so that whoever found him would not kill him.

Genesis 4: 15 (HCSB)

Before Cain reached his boiling point of anger, God warned him to do what was right or face the consequences. (Genesis 4:6-7)

But Cain did not heed God’s warning. After Cain murders his brother, he proclaims the just consequences God gives him are too much to bear.

So God, in His grace, responded that he would not let Cain be harmed. (Genesis 4:15)

There have been many times in my life I didn’t heed my parents’ warnings, and I suffered the consequences. (Most notably when fighting with my sister.)

But I knew my parents’ love. (and though I may have contemplated murder, it was never more than a fleeting thought)

Consider how much more God loves us. He knows us better than we know ourselves. (1 John 3:20)

In God’s great grace, he protects us, just like he protected Cain, even when we deserve the consequences of our evil actions.

2. David (2 Samuel 11)

¹³ David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. 

2 Samuel 12: 13 (HCSB)

Of all the great choices he made, Davids’s reputation became marred by the murder of the loyal soldier, Uriah the Hittite.

To David’s credit, he immediately repented when he was made aware of all he had done. But he still deserved the ruling he demanded upon himself. (unaware the parable Nathan told was about him.)

David was infuriated with the man and said to Nathan: “As the Lord lives, the man who did this deserves to die! 

2 Samuel 12: 5 (HCSB)

But yet God, in His grace, allowed David to live.

I was driving home with my dad years ago when he was pulled over for speeding.

But instead of slowing down when he saw the police officer, he kept speeding.

My father deserved his ticket, but the officer indicated to my father that grace could have been given.

How much more does our God give us grace? And not only that but God says he puts our sins away.

Just like God gave great grace to David, he does the same for us, and we are free to put the past behind us. (2 Samuel 12:13)

3. Judas

²⁰ When it was evening, he reclined at the table with the twelve.

Matthew 26: 20 (ESV)

Betrayer, murderer, liar

Those are just a few of the words people use to describe Judas. But, Jesus loved him. Jesus chose to have dinner with Judas on the very night he knew betrayal was imminent.

Let’s just sit on that for a minute. He had dinner with his betrayer, with the man who would turn him over to a gruesome unjust death. And Jesus broke bread with the traitor and reclined.

Later we are told Judas tried to make amends, but it was too late. (Matthew 27: 3-5)

He was so ashamed and far from God, he committed suicide.

But God’s love can reach our deepest depths of grief and shame.

Had Judas asked for forgiveness, he would have been cleansed from all his sins. (Acts 2:38)

When I was in junior high, I came to school one day and as I was walking toward my group of friends, I heard a friend whisper,

Oh no here she comes.

I felt betrayed, hurt, and confused.

As a thirteen-year-old, I couldn’t face my betrayer, much less have dinner with her.

So I can’t imagine the grace and mercy Jesus had as he dined with Judas.

But God offers us his table, no matter what we have done.

The Bible is full of great heroes, and great sinners.

We see horrible mistakes and heroic acts repeated over and over. God’s grace and love and redemption of his people are threaded throughout the entire holy book.

¹¹ For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is His faithful love
toward those who fear Him.
¹² As far as the east is from the west,
so far has He removed
our transgressions from us.
¹³ As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.

Psalm 103: 11-13 (HCSB)

So, the next time you mess up, remember the lessons these three great sinners from the Bible teach us.

1. Gods grace protects us, even from our worst sins.
2. Gods grace puts away our sins. We are free to put the past behind us.
3. God offers us a seat as his table. His grace reaches to our deepest depths.

No matter how many times we yell or don’t do what we ought, or fail to trust, we can keep coming back to the foot of the cross.

For no sin is too small or too big for God to show his mercy and grace.

As always, thanks for reading and if you enjoyed this post I would appreciate your shares on social media.

You may also enjoy:

• Gods Power: 3 Incredible Examples from the Bible that Show God’s Power
• Showing Grace: A Genuine Devotional When Your Day Seems Hard
• How to Show Grace Every Day: 9 Practical Ways
• 8 Life Lessons God is Teaching Me in the Wait Practical Living (unfadingbeautyandstrength.com)
• 10 Lessons We Can Learn from the Woman with the Alabaster Jar (rocksolidfaith.ca) (Guest Post)

Resources to Remind You of God’s Grace:

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