Do you have enough second chances for me?

Questions are some of my favorite things. Whether they are my own or another's, questions draw out my curiosity and I can lose myself in discovering the answer. Recently, at a monthly high school hangout night, we had a panel of local pastors answer questions the teenagers wrote down the month prior. One of the questions was "do you (God) have enough second chances for me?" As have said, I like questions. This question cuts straight to the heart of the Gospel. The short answer is an emphatic YES!. The more nuanced answer is also yes.

A quick recap of the Gospel is helpful to set the stage - God calls existence into being (yay!). He makes everything and calls it good (yay!). He then makes mankind, calls us very good and has us be stewards of His creation (double yay!). Human sin enters the picture and wrecks our relationship with God, with each other, and with creation (all of the boo!). We have a problem now, we need to be restored to God, we need forgiveness. To rectify this problem, God sets in motion His plan for redemption - to forgive us. Enter Jesus (woot, woot, God incarnate!!!). Jesus (God the Son) was born as a human, lived a sinless life, died for our sin to reconcile us to God the Father, and rose from the dead. In doing so He defeated sin and death and opened the way for everyone to receive that forgiveness. The only thing we need do is ask for it by trusting in Jesus.

 Another way of saying this is that sin broke our relationship with God - we need forgiveness (second chances). Jesus fixes the broke (1 Peter 3:17-19) and allows us to be in right relationship with God once more (second chances offered/given). Jesus paid that price, once for all, because we couldn't/can't. The end result is we can confidently approach God (Hebrews 4:15-16). And the biggest reason that we get second chances to the nth degree is because God loves us, all of us. No matter what you or I have done. He loves us. He does not love the sin and pain we inflict, but He loves us. So much so that He gave His Son in our place (John 3:16-17) so that none would have to die. This is because nothing can separate us from the love of God. Nothing. Period. Ever (Romans 8:38-39).

The next time you may question whether God has enough second chances for you, the answer is, has been, and will always be yes. So run to Jesus, jump in His arms tell Him you need Him and let the love and forgiveness of God wash over you, cleanse you of your sin and live in the newness of life of the Redeemed!