Inevitably, everyone is part of the problem. But everyone can also be part of the solution—if they so desire. All you have to do is get to the root of the problem and God will do the rest.
Prayer works, Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider reminded the congregation in São Paulo in Brazil on 29 September 2024. Especially when we pray for the forgiveness of sins. Because God’s greatest wish is to deliver us from evil and suffering once and for all. And He wants to bring His children into His kingdom, where everything is perfect.
Lord, have mercy on me
“And we are not perfect, we are poor sinners,” lamented the Chief Apostle. He brought a suitable Bible passage with him, from Psalm 41: 4: “I said, ‘Lord, be merciful to me; heal my soul, for I have sinned against You.’” He went on to explain to the congregation exactly what sin is:
- Every thought, every word, every deed that runs counter to the will and nature of God is sin.
- Or if we don’t keep the promises we made to God.
- Or if we have an opportunity to do good and don’t do it.
We do not need to fear God’s wrath and punishment, the Chief Apostle said reassuringly. “God is not a god who wants to punish sinners,” he said. So why is sin so bad? “Every sin is serious because it makes it impossible for us to have perfect fellowship with God.” Human beings make a distinction between major and minor sins, but before God, sin is absolute and “even the smallest sin in the human sense makes it impossible to enter the kingdom of God”.
Forgiveness of sins cannot be earned through sacrifice, renunciation, or self-imposed suffering. “You cannot even make up for your sins through good deeds,” the Chief Apostle said. “You cannot force God to forgive you.”mal durch gute Taten ausgleichen“, sagte der Stammapostel. „Du kannst Gott nicht zwingen, dir zu vergeben.“
On our way to forgiveness of sins
According to the Chief Apostle, the effective way to obtain forgiveness of sins is as follows:
- “Believe in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice. And only Jesus can forgive our sins through His sacrifice and merit.”
- “Come to God as humble sinners and ask Him for forgiveness.”
- Be determined to better yourself: “He will check if you really have the desire to change.”
- Do not do the right thing just because you fear punishment: “Those who are motivated by their love for God and their desire for fellowship with God are truly motivated to change.”
- Believe in Jesus’ Apostles: “He sent His Apostles and gave them the authority to proclaim forgiveness of sins. So we must come and hear the forgiveness of sins proclaimed by the Apostles and those whom they have sent.”
God also considers our relationship with our neighbour:
- God does not want us to judge our neighbour. My neighbour is a sinner, but I am also a sinner; we both need forgiveness.
- You want forgiveness? If it really matters to you, prove it and forgive your neighbour.
- God wants us to repair the damage we have caused. We cannot just say: Please forgive me. We must do something more in order to restore joy, peace, and trust in God.
Part of the solution – part of the problem
God wants to heal the souls of all believers and free them from evil. The Chief Apostle said that God tells those who complain about the evil in the world, “Hello, wake up! Are you aware that you are part of the problem? Through our sins, we contribute to the spread of evil.” Even on a small scale: “If there is something wrong in the congregation, we are part of the problem.”
But at the same time, we are also part of the solution, the Chief Apostle pointed out. “If you change your behaviour, if you do less evil, you will improve the whole situation. Maybe only to a small extent, but if everyone does it, the situation in the family, your relationship as a couple, and the situation in the congregation will improve.”
Rooting out evil
The roots of evil can be our own ego, earthly wealth, or envy. “We can all find out for ourselves why we committed sins.” The Holy Spirit can help us in our search. “And He will help you to tear out this evil by the root. The more we are inspired by the Holy Spirit, the humbler we are, the more we love God and our neighbour, and the less we will sin.” God takes notice of this and grants His forgiveness and grace, thereby making us perfect. “He will deliver us from evil once and for all and do this great miracle so that we can become as perfect as Christ.” This opens the way to God’s kingdom, the Chief Apostle said. “And in His kingdom, we will definitely have been delivered from evil, and will have everlasting joy and peace.”
In a nutshell, our mission as outlined in this divine service is: “If we become aware of our sins, we can walk the path that leads to obtaining forgiveness of sins. Let us work on ourselves with God’s help to banish evil from our hearts, and then we can hope for the grace of Jesus Christ. He will make us perfect.”
