Few questions press on the human heart like this one: can what I have done ever be undone? People carry old decisions, old words and old failures through decades of ordinary life, and they often smile on the outside while something inside keeps count. The gospel meets that exact problem. It claims that Jesus Christ does more than comfort people about their past. He removes it.
That is the heart of the message “Your Past Erased,” preached by Rev. Franklin Graham. This article introduces the preacher, describes the message, and then offers a full sermon study on the same passage, with scriptures, illustrations and a clear invitation to respond.
Who Is Franklin Graham?
William Franklin Graham III was born on July 14, 1952, in Asheville, North Carolina, to the evangelist Billy Graham and his wife Ruth. He serves as president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and of Samaritan’s Purse, the international Christian relief and evangelism organization.
His own story has a turning point that fits the theme of this sermon. After a season of rebellion and travel around the world, he committed his life to Jesus Christ at age 22, alone in a hotel room in Jerusalem. The man who now preaches forgiveness to crowds knows what it is to need it. He conducted his first evangelistic event in 1989, and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association appointed him CEO in 2000 and president in 2001.
Samaritan’s Purse, which he has led as president since 1979, provides relief and assistance in the name of Jesus Christ in more than 100 countries. That pairing of word and deed shapes how he preaches. He speaks the gospel plainly, and he works among people in hunger, disaster and war, which means his sermons are not detached from real suffering.
About the Message “Your Past Erased”
The message was shared on Dr. James Dobson’s Family Talk and published on March 12, 2024. It centres on Mark 10:46, where the blind man Bartimaeus cries out to Jesus. The description points out that Jesus restored the man’s sight and also forgave his sins, erasing his past. The invitation at the end is direct: the same Jesus can forgive your sins and erase your past too.
Notice how the message approaches the story. Most of us read the account of Bartimaeus as a healing miracle, and it is. But the message asks us to look beyond the eyes. A man who walks away seeing, yet still carrying his guilt, has received only half of what Jesus came to give. The deeper miracle is the cleansing of the person behind the eyes.
Watch the full message below, then read the study that follows.
( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPfSNn0CFNs.)
Sermon Study: Your Past Erased
Main text: Mark 10:46-52
Supporting texts: Isaiah 1:18, Isaiah 43:25, Isaiah 55:6, Psalm 103:12, Micah 7:19, Luke 19:10, Luke 11:9-10, Luke 9:23, John 6:37, John 10:27, Romans 8:1, Romans 10:13, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Colossians 2:13-14, Hebrews 12:1, 1 John 1:9
Note: This is an original sermon written around the theme of the message above. It is not a transcript of Rev. Franklin Graham’s words.
Introduction: A Question Older Than Memory
Imagine you could place every regret you own on a table. The harsh word to a parent that can never be taken back. The relationship you wrecked. The money you wasted, the lie you told, the opportunity you ignored, the thing you did in private that you hope nobody ever discovers. Now imagine someone offering to wipe that table clean. Not to explain it away, not to help you feel better about it, but to take every item off the table as though it had never been placed there.
Most people would assume the offer was too good to be true. We live in a world where records last. Employers check histories. Search engines remember. Families keep score for generations. Even our own minds replay old scenes at three in the morning. The idea of a clean slate sounds like a fairy tale.
Yet that is exactly what the Bible says God does. And Mark gives us a living picture of it in the story of a roadside beggar near Jericho. His name was Bartimaeus. He could not see, he could not work, and he could not fix his own life. But he could shout, and when Jesus passed by, he used the only strength he had.
Today we are going to walk through this story slowly, one movement at a time. By the end, I want every person reading to understand three things clearly. Jesus is passing by, Jesus is willing to stop, and Jesus is able to give you what no one else can: a past that is truly erased.
Let us read the passage from Mark 10, beginning at verse 46: “And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee. And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus. And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.”
Point One: A Man at the Edge of the Road
Mark does not begin with Bartimaeus’s miracle. He begins with Bartimaeus’s position. He “sat by the highway side begging.” Everything about that sentence tells us where this man stood in society. He was beside the road, not on it. He was dependent on the pity of strangers. He was known by his disability and his need, and even his name is given to us in a way that defines him by his father: Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus. In the ancient world, a blind beggar had almost no standing at all.
Notice also what the man could not do. He could not read the faces of the people who passed by. He could not see the road ahead. He could not find a job, hold a title or leave the place where he sat. His world was as wide as the sound of footsteps around him.
Many people today are living at the edge of the road, whether or not anyone can see it. They may look successful, dressed well and busy with commitments. But inside they feel as though they are sitting on the margins of their own lives, begging for something they cannot name. They are hungry for meaning, for purpose, for a sense that life has not already passed them by.
Some of you feel what the opening description of this message describes: emptiness, and a sense that time is running out. You have achieved what you set out to achieve, and the finish line felt smaller than you expected. Or you have not achieved it, and the years are shrinking. Either way, there is a quiet ache that no promotion, purchase or pleasure has been able to silence.
That ache is not a defect. It is a signal. God made people for fellowship with Himself, and when that fellowship is broken, something in us keeps calling out. Augustine said centuries ago that our hearts are restless until they rest in God. Bartimaeus was physically blind, but the story invites us to ask a harder question about ourselves. What part of me cannot see? What do I keep begging the world to give me that only God can supply?
Application: Take a few quiet minutes and describe your own roadside. Where do you feel stuck, dependent or overlooked? Name it honestly before the Lord. Faith begins with truth about our condition.
Point Two: Jesus Is Passing By
Everything changes in verse 47. “And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth.” Bartimaeus heard the news. Someone told him, or he overheard the crowd, that Jesus was coming through.
Think about what that meant. A great number of people were walking out of Jericho. The road was crowded and noisy. Jesus was only one figure in the middle of a moving mass. If Bartimaeus had waited until a quieter moment, he would have missed Him entirely. Jesus was passing through. He was not setting up residence by that roadside.
This is one of the most sobering truths in the whole Bible. Opportunities to respond to God do not last indefinitely. Isaiah wrote, “Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.” Paul told the Corinthians that now is the accepted time and now is the day of salvation. The writer of Hebrews warned, “Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.”
Please do not hear this as a threat. Hear it as mercy. God has made Himself findable. He is near. He is passing by right now, in this message, in this page, in whatever conversation or circumstance brought you here. The gospel is not a vague philosophy waiting to be examined at leisure. It is a living invitation, extended in real time, to real people.
There is also a lesson about how faith begins. Bartimaeus heard. Paul writes in Romans that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Nobody drifts into new life by accident. Someone tells us who Jesus is, and then we must decide what to do with what we have heard.
Some of you have heard the gospel many times. You grew up in church, or you have a Bible on the shelf, or you have friends who talk about Jesus. Hearing is not the same as responding. Bartimaeus had likely heard rumours about the Nazarene teacher and healer for a long time. What mattered was the moment he decided that this passing was his chance.
Application: If you have been postponing a decision about Jesus, ask yourself honestly what you are waiting for. A better mood? A calmer season? A reason that will never arrive? Today is the only day anyone is guaranteed.
Point Three: The Cry of Faith
Now Bartimaeus does something remarkable. “He began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me.”
First, look at the name he uses. “Son of David” was a title for the promised Messiah, the king from David’s line whom the prophets had foretold. This blind beggar, who could not see Jesus with his eyes, saw Him more clearly than many who could. The crowd called Him Jesus of Nazareth. Bartimaeus called Him the Messiah. His eyes were closed, but his spiritual understanding was open.
Second, look at what he asks for. He does not demand. He does not bargain. He asks for mercy. Mercy is what a person requests when he has nothing to offer in exchange. It means admitting that justice alone would not help him. He cannot say “I deserve this” or “I have earned that.” He can only say “Have mercy on me.”
This is the posture that opens the door of salvation. Romans 10:13 says, “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Notice the word whosoever. It leaves out no one. And notice the verb call. It does not require a theological degree, a spotless record or a long speech. It requires a heart that cries out to Jesus in honesty.
Third, look at the volume. Bartimaeus did not whisper his request. He shouted. He was desperate, and desperation is not polite. The Bible never presents religion as a quiet etiquette. It presents faith as a cry from people who know they cannot rescue themselves.
I want to speak to those of you who believe you are not the kind of person who cries out. You are capable, composed and private. You do not like to look needy. I understand. But consider this: pride has kept more people from salvation than any other single thing. The beggar was saved because he was willing to be loud about being needy. Those who insist on appearing self-sufficient remain exactly where they are.
Application: Make your own cry of faith, in your own words, today. You do not need a formal prayer. “Jesus, have mercy on me” is enough to begin. Say it aloud, and mean it.
Point Four: The Crowd That Wanted Silence
The next verse is uncomfortable. “And many charged him that he should hold his peace.”
Think about who these people were. They were not Roman soldiers or Pharisees plotting against Jesus. They were the crowd travelling with Jesus. They were near Him, walking in His direction, perhaps even calling themselves followers. And they told a desperate man to be quiet.
Why? Perhaps they thought he was embarrassing. Perhaps they believed Jesus was too important to be interrupted by a beggar. Perhaps they simply preferred order. Whatever their reasons, they stood between a needy man and the Saviour, and they treated his need as a nuisance.
That is a painful reminder that the church has sometimes made the same mistake. People who are broken, loud, messy or unfamiliar with religious customs have sometimes been made to feel unwelcome. Anyone who has ever sat in a pew and felt judged knows how quickly good people can become obstacles.
But the story is also about every voice that tells us to stop. The voice of embarrassment: “What will people think?” The voice of habit: “You have lived this way for years. Why change now?” The voice of shame: “Someone like you has no right to ask.” The voice of intellectual pride: “Surely a reasonable person does not need rescue.” The voice of friends who prefer you remain as you are because your change would make them uncomfortable.
Look at what Bartimaeus did. “He cried the more a great deal.” He refused to be silenced. The louder the crowd demanded quiet, the louder he shouted. That is faith with spine. He understood that the cost of silence was a lifetime in the dark, and that nothing the crowd offered could replace what Jesus could give.
If someone has told you to stay quiet about your spiritual hunger, hear this: Jesus is not on their side. He is on the side of the person who is crying out. And if you have been the one telling others to hush, whether in word or attitude, ask the Lord to soften you. A believer should open the way to Jesus, never block it.
Application: Identify the loudest voice in your life that discourages you from seeking God. Decide today that you will not let it be the final word.
Point Five: Jesus Stood Still
Verse 49 contains four of the most beautiful words in the gospel of Mark: “And Jesus stood still.”
Think about the scene. Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem, where He would be arrested, mocked and crucified. He had every reason to keep moving. A crowd surrounded Him. Important conversations were taking place. Yet one voice cut through the noise, and the Son of God stopped.
This reveals something about the heart of God that no argument could ever prove as vividly. He hears. He notices. He is not too busy for the person at the edge of the road. Jesus said in Luke 19:10, “The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Notice the word seek. This is not a God who waits behind a gate for people to qualify. He steps toward the lost.
John 6:37 gives the promise: “Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” There is not a single person in history who has called on Jesus honestly and been turned away. Not the thief on the cross. Not the woman caught in sin. Not the tax collector who climbed a tree. Not the persecutor named Saul. Not the fisherman who denied his Lord three times. Jesus stops for people.
Then He does something that is easy to overlook. He does not walk over to Bartimaeus Himself. He says, “Call him.” Jesus invites the very crowd that tried to silence the man to become the means of bringing him in. And they obey. “Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee.”
What a message. Be of good comfort. Rise. He calleth thee. That is the whole gospel in three short phrases. Take heart, get up, the Lord is asking for you. If you are reading this and you feel unworthy, hear these words as though they were spoken directly to you. He calls you. Not your reputation, not your performance, not your improved future self. You.
Application: Receive the call. Do not argue with it. Do not list the reasons you are unqualified. Simply get up in your heart and move toward Him.
Point Six: Throwing Off the Cloak
Verse 50 offers a small detail that deserves a long pause. “And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus.”
Mark does not waste words, so every detail matters. The garment was an outer cloak. For a beggar, it was likely one of his few possessions. It may have been the thing he spread on the ground to collect coins, or the covering that kept him warm at night. Casting it away was not casual. It was a deliberate act of leaving something behind.
Notice also that he threw it before he received his sight. He did not wait for the miracle to confirm that the risk was safe. He acted in faith, trusting that the One who called him would provide whatever he needed. In a world where he could not see the path, he rose and walked toward a voice.
This picture teaches something about repentance. The word means a change of mind that leads to a change of direction. We cannot come to Jesus while clinging tightly to everything that has defined and protected us. Hebrews 12:1 says, “Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us.” There comes a moment when a person must let go of the old covering.
What is your cloak? For some, it is a habit they have defended for years. For others, it is a relationship that pulls them away from God, a business practice they know is dishonest, a bitterness they have nursed so long it feels like part of their identity. For others still, it is self-reliance, the belief that they can manage their own spiritual life without surrender.
The beautiful truth is that Jesus never asks us to throw something away without offering something better. Bartimaeus lost a cloak and gained eyes, a future and a Saviour. The exchange is not even close.
Application: Ask the Holy Spirit to show you your cloak. Write down what He reveals. Then, with God as your witness, throw it off.
Point Seven: The Question That Opens the Heart
Bartimaeus stands before Jesus. Everyone can see what is wrong with him. He is blind. He has been blind for years. A casual observer would say that the next step is obvious. Yet Jesus asks him a question: “What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?”
Why would Jesus ask what seems obvious? Because Jesus does not treat people as problems to be processed. He treats them as persons who are invited to speak. He wants Bartimaeus to say it out loud, to name his need, to move from vague desperation into specific faith.
This is how God deals with us. Jesus said in Luke 11, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” Prayer is not informing God of something He does not know. It is aligning our hearts with His kindness, acknowledging that He is the giver and we are the receivers.
And what does Bartimaeus ask for? “Lord, that I might receive my sight.” Notice first that he says Lord. The title he used earlier was “Son of David.” Now it is personal. He is not only identifying who Jesus is, he is submitting to Him. Second, notice the clarity. He asks for the one thing he needs most. He does not ask for money, which is what a beggar would normally want. He does not ask for a better position by the road. He asks for sight.
Here is where the sermon turns toward you. If Jesus asked you today, “What do you want Me to do for you?” what would you say? Many of us are asking for smaller things than we need. We ask for relief from a circumstance when we need rescue from sin. We ask for success when we need a Saviour. We ask for peace of mind when we need peace with God.
The deepest need of every human being is forgiveness. Everything else in life is secondary to this. A healthy body will one day fail. Wealth will one day be left behind. Reputation will one day fade. But a soul reconciled to God is secure forever.
Application: Imagine Jesus standing in front of you with this question. Answer Him honestly, and do not settle for a smaller request than your heart truly needs.
Point Eight: Sight, Forgiveness and a Past Erased
Jesus replies, “Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight.”
There are two things happening in this sentence, and both matter. First, there is the physical miracle: “immediately he received his sight.” No gradual recovery, no therapy, no waiting period. One moment dark, the next moment light. The first face this man ever saw clearly was the face of the One who healed him.
Second, there is the declaration: “thy faith hath made thee whole.” The word translated made whole is the same word the New Testament often uses for being saved. Jesus was not only describing the repair of a body. He was announcing the restoration of a person. This is why the message you have been invited to watch emphasises that Jesus forgave his sins and erased his past.
Let us be very clear about what the Bible teaches on this subject, because it matters more than anything else in this article.
Scripture says that God forgives completely. Psalm 103:12 says, “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.” Notice that the psalmist did not say as far as north is from south, which has a measurable endpoint. East and west never meet. There is no place where the distance runs out.
Isaiah 43:25 records God’s own words: “I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.” Imagine that. The God who knows everything chooses not to hold your sins against you. Micah 7:19 says He will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.
Isaiah 1:18 offers perhaps the most famous invitation: “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” Scarlet and crimson were dyes that could not be washed out of cloth. God uses them to say that even the stain that looks permanent can be removed.
Paul explains how this is possible in Colossians 2. He writes that God has forgiven us all trespasses, “blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.” The picture is of a legal record of debt, a list of charges against us, taken and nailed to the cross of Christ. Jesus did not ignore the debt. He paid it.
This is why the cross stands at the centre of Franklin Graham’s preaching, and at the centre of the Christian faith. Forgiveness is not cheap. It cost the Son of God His life. But because He paid, the gift is free to everyone who receives it. Romans 8:1 declares, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.” Not less condemnation. Not reduced condemnation. None.
Then comes the promise that changes the future as well as the past. Second Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” The old record is erased, and a new life begins.
Perhaps someone reading this has done something you believe is beyond forgiveness. I want you to hear that the Bible does not say that. First John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Faithful, because He keeps His promises. Just, because Christ already paid. Forgive, because He is willing. Cleanse, because forgiveness reaches even the stain.
I think of the life of Franklin Graham himself, who grew up in a famous Christian home and still went through years of rebellion before surrendering to Christ in a hotel room in Jerusalem. Being the son of a great preacher did not save him. Faith in Jesus did. The point is that no family background, however godly, can substitute for a personal encounter with the Saviour, and no past, however dark, can disqualify someone who comes to Him.
Application: If you have never trusted Christ, tell Him so now. Tell Him you are sorry for your sins, that you believe He died for you and rose again, and that you want to follow Him as Lord. If you already follow Him but still carry guilt that He has forgiven, receive His word over your feelings. Declare aloud that you are forgiven.
Point Nine: He Followed Jesus in the Way
The story ends with a short sentence that can easily be skipped. “And followed Jesus in the way.”
Jesus had said, “Go thy way.” He gave Bartimaeus the freedom to leave. The man could have walked home, resumed life, and told the story at dinner parties. Instead he chose to follow. The man who had been sitting by the highway side now walked on the road, in the footsteps of the Lord who healed him.
This is how true salvation shows itself. It does not end with a decision. It begins a journey. Jesus said in Luke 9:23, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” The gospel is free, but it is not casual. It produces a life of following.
John 10:27 gives us a beautiful description of what that looks like: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” Following Jesus means listening to Him through His word, speaking to Him in prayer, joining other believers in a local church, and obeying what He asks.
Following also means sharing. Someone told Bartimaeus that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. That simple report gave him his chance. Every person who has met the Lord has been given the same assignment: tell others that Jesus is passing by. This is why evangelists like Rev. Franklin Graham travel to cities and nations to proclaim the gospel, and why the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association has spent decades doing the same.
It is also why compassion matters. Samaritan’s Purse, the relief organisation Graham leads, cares for people in disaster, disease and war because the Christian faith speaks to bodies as well as souls. Jesus healed the blind man and forgave his sins. We are called to do both: to speak the message of forgiveness, and to show the love of Christ in practical ways to those in need.
Do not be surprised if following costs you something. Bartimaeus gave up his cloak. Others have given up careers, comfort and friendships. But those who follow Jesus consistently report the same thing: they would never go back. The man who sees does not wish to return to the dark.
Application: Take one concrete step of following this week. Read a chapter of Mark. Contact a church. Tell one person what Jesus has done for you. Forgive someone who has wronged you. Obedience in small things trains the heart for larger ones.
Putting It All Together
Let us gather the threads of the story. A man sat at the edge of the road, blind and needy, aware that his life was not what it should be. He heard that Jesus was passing by, and he understood that the moment would not last. He cried out in faith, calling Jesus by His Messianic name and asking for mercy. The crowd told him to be quiet, but he refused and cried even louder. Jesus stopped, called him, and welcomed him. The man threw off his cloak and came. Jesus asked what he wanted, and he asked for sight. He received his sight, was declared whole, and followed Jesus down the road.
In that sequence you can see the shape of every conversion. There is awareness of need, a hearing of the gospel, a cry of faith, a refusal to be silenced, a response to the call of Christ, a letting go of the old, a clear request, a gift of forgiveness and a life of following. These movements happen in different orders and at different speeds for different people, but the pattern is consistent.
If you are not sure where you stand with God, you can settle it today. You do not need a church building, a minister, or perfect understanding. You need honesty and faith. Here is how you might pray, in your own words: “Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner. I cannot save myself. I believe You died on the cross for my sins and rose again. Forgive me, cleanse me, and make me new. I turn from my sin and I trust You as my Saviour and Lord. Help me follow You for the rest of my life. Amen.”
If you prayed that prayer sincerely, you have done what Bartimaeus did. You called on the Lord, and the Bible promises that you will be saved. Tell someone today. Find a Bible-believing church. Begin reading the gospel of Mark, and let the story of the man who followed Jesus on the road become your own.
A Closing Prayer
Father in heaven, we thank You that Jesus Christ still passes by, still hears, and still stops for people who cry out to Him. Thank You for the story of Bartimaeus, which shows us that no one is too far, too broken or too ordinary to be called.
Lord, for every reader who has carried guilt for years, speak the word that sets them free. Let them hear Your voice saying, Be of good comfort, rise, He calleth thee. Give them courage to throw off whatever holds them back, and faith to ask for what they truly need.
Where our past has haunted us, remind us that You have removed our sins as far as the east is from the west. Where shame has silenced us, give us a louder cry. Where we have been the crowd that stood in the way of others, forgive us and make us a doorway.
Make us people who follow You on the road, who share the good news with courage, and who care for the hurting with the compassion of Christ. We ask this in the name of Jesus our Saviour. Amen.
Final Thought
The gospel does not promise that your past never happened. It promises something better: that your past no longer has the right to define you. The Lord who restored the sight of a blind beggar by the road is the same Lord who forgives sins today. He is passing by. He has stopped. He is asking what you want Him to do for you. Do not let the moment pass.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Franklin Graham?
He is the son of the late evangelist Billy Graham and serves as president and CEO of both the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan’s Purse. He is widely known as an evangelist who preaches the gospel at festivals and through broadcast and digital platforms.
What is the sermon “Your Past Erased” about?
It uses the story of blind Bartimaeus in Mark 10 to show that Jesus not only restored the man’s sight but also forgave his sins and erased his past, and it invites listeners to receive the same forgiveness. youtube
Where can I watch the sermon?
It was shared on the Dr. James Dobson’s Family Talk YouTube channel under the title “Your Past Erased: A Salvation Message from Rev. Franklin Graham.” You can also watch it in the video player at the top of this page.
Is this article a transcript of the sermon?
No. The study above is an original message written around the same passage and theme. For his exact words, please watch the video.
Does the Bible really say God erases our past?
Yes. Scripture says God removes our sins as far as the east is from the west, blots out transgressions, and declares that there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. This forgiveness is possible because Jesus paid the penalty for sin on the cross.
How can a person receive forgiveness through Jesus?
The Bible teaches that anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. That means admitting your need, turning from sin, believing that Jesus died and rose again for you, and trusting Him as Saviour and Lord. Joining a Bible-believing church afterward helps you grow in your new faith.